INNOVATIONS IN DATA
—TOM BIANCULLI CTO, Zebra Technologies
TALKING POINT
Over the last 50 years, Zebra Technologies has seen many industry inflection points and have been fortunate enough to benefit from each one. The common theme in these inflection points has been the continuous trend of increased mobility that ultimately empowers frontline workers. In an exclusive interview with us on its 50th anniversary, Tom Bianculli, CTO, Zebra Technologies, talks about the main driving force behind the organisation and it tech products
How do you see the key industry inflection points and how Zebra has evolved over the years?
Zebra’s commitment to its values, with a focus on innovation has helped us evolve from a product company to an enterprise that empowers businesses with end-to-end data-driven solutions. At Zebra, innovation is a way of life and is something that we strive to incorporate into everything we do; from the design of the most sophisticated products and solutions to the way we gather customer feedback. Over the last 50 years, we’ve seen many industry inflection points and have been fortunate enough to benefit from each one. The common theme in these inflection points has been the continuous trend of increased mobility that ultimately empowers frontline workers.
We started our journey as Data Specialisations with the first paper-tape punch to recording point of sale transactions and the first thermal based barcode printer. We then changed our name to Zebra Technologies in the 1980s to pay homage to the zebra-like stripes of the barcode. Early-on, we focused on enabling data capture in retail through barcode printing and reading by developing the industry’s first hand-held barcode readers, which initiated the concept of mobility combined with data capture. Our handheld devices provided workers with the freedom to collect data at the point of activity. We then transitioned to incorporating barcode reading into a mobile computer, which allowed workers to combine computing and applications with data capture to give way to yet another level of frontline worker productivity.
The next few inflection points included pioneering wireless technology and the 802.11 standard that brought what we all know as WiFi today to our mobile computers, so that workers can have access to data from key systems from anywhere within a facility. We then migrated from WLAN to the first WWAN or cellular connected mobile computer capable of running mobile applications, which is something that we delivered seven years before the introduction of the iPhone.
We continue to focus on empowering that frontline worker through data insights, advancing sensor and software technologies to give those who use our products and solutions a competitive edge. Our investments in disruptive technologies bolstered by key acquisitions including Hart Systems, Motorola Solutions Enterprise Business, Xplore Technologies, Temptime Corporation and most recently Profitect have helped lead to our consistent growth.
With more than 10,000 partners across 100 countries, we deliver industry-tailored, end-to-end solutions that intelligently connect people, assets and data to help our customers make business-critical decisions. Our marketleading solutions elevate the shopping experience, track and manage inventory as well as improve supply chain efficiency and patient care.
Today, Zebra Technologies is a ~$4 billion company and present across 40 countries. In India, we are working with eight of the top 10 retailers, six of the top 10 manufacturers, and three of the top five ecommerce players, among others. We also have a dedicated R&D centre in Bangalore, which is our second largest design centre, after the United States.
What are the key strength areas for Zebra?
Over the past 50 years, Zebra Technologies has constantly innovated its products and solutions with the aim of empowering those on the front line in retail, healthcare, transportation and logistics, manufacturing, and other industries to help them achieve a performance edge, which translates to delighted customers, good patient outcomes and superior business results. We focus all our attention on why we do what we do, and not simply on a product and solution portfolio. The reason why Zebra exists is to make every worker on the frontline as informed, efficient and empowered as possible and this focus on our customer’s end-users has been a consistent key strength for Zebra over the last 50 years.
Today, innovation is exploding at “the edge” where employees make real-time decisions and interact directly with the people they serve. Being a pioneer at the edge of the enterprise, Zebra Technologies’ products, software, services, analytics and solutions can help to intelligently connect company assets, data and people in collaborative workflows so that businesses can sense what’s happening, analyse or anticipate the implication and ultimately make business-critical decisions in real time which translates to improved operational efficiency and personalised customer experiences.
What are some of the leading products that has had an impressive market traction?
Zebra Technologies has never stopped innovating ever since the inception of our first printing prototypes in the
late 1960s. Globally, Zebra boasts an impressive lineup of end-to-end products and solutions; including the popular TC5X Android based mobile computers and the LS2208 barcode scanner, as well as innovative products like the MP7000 Grocery Scanner Scale, amongst others. With over 4,400 U.S. and international patents issued and pending, Zebra has been working to heighten investment in disruptive technologies – bolstered by acquisitions in recent years that include Motorola Solutions’ Enterprise business, Xplore Technologies Corporation, Temptime Corporation and Profitect.
In commemoration of our 50 years of innovation, Zebra Technologies has introduced a new breed of products and solutions in Asia Pacific including:
• MC9300 Mobile Computers: The MC9300 enables businesses to modernise their mobile solutions to keep up with the growing demands of e-commerce while shortening training time, improving fulfilment speed and accuracy and increasing productivity by as much as 10% compared to competing devices.
• ZQ600 Series Mobile Printers: The ZQ600 Series mobile printers are designed to print everything from shelf labels to item tags, markdown labels and sales receipts. The new printers enable peak performance for applications such as pricing management and faster checkouts in retail stores. • MC3330R RFID Handheld Reader: The MC3330R handheld RFID reader helps workers read both RFID tags and barcodes with point and shoot simplicity and is sensitive enough to capture the most challenging of RFID tags – bringing a new level of efficiency to inventory and asset management.
If you look at the whole digital transformation wave that is sweeping right now, how is Zebra playing an enabling role?
Businesses have indeed derived great value from emerging technology trends such as Internet of Things strategies, which are serving as vehicles to fuel critical operations and drive efficiency. By 2020, there will be more than 20 billion devices connected to the IoT, according to Gartner. Additionally, within that projection, it is estimated that more than 8 billion of those connected devices to be within the enterprise space; up from about 3 billion in 2017.
There has been a shift towards a more connected, collaborative system where physical and digital entities converge across multiple channels and models. With further development of new technologies such as Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality, people will be increasingly dependent on the immersive experience offered by the smart edge devices that surround them. The edge of the enterprises is becoming increasingly important where real-time data is captured for enhanced visibility and analytics to generate actionable insights.
Zebra builds technologies that empower businesses. Our solutions solve complex problems by connecting assets, data and people. Through data and analytics, we enable those on the front line of business to make informed decisions, impacting the overall success. As a leader at the edge of the enterprise, we equip front-line users with the tools to be more effective, efficient and reliable. You are very likely to see our devices every day; our scanners at the store checkout, our mobile computers confirming a package delivery or printing a patient wristband at a hospital. From rugged, easy-to-use devices to software, supplies and services, Zebra’s solutions give the front line of business the confidence to go head to head with competition, face to face with customers and heart to heart with patients.
What are the key verticals in which you have a big traction?
Globally, Zebra Technologies’ key verticals include retail, healthcare, transportation and logistics, and manufacturing. In India, apart from the good traction that we’ve always enjoyed from the retail, manufacturing and logistics &transport industries, the demand for Zebra’s solutions has now extended to the government and healthcare verticals as well.
For instance, we play a pivotal role in the Indian healthcare sector whereby we make wristband print solutions that provide immediate access to critical patient information at the bedside and across all hospital departments. Interestingly, some of the top hospitals in New Delhi and Mumbai, for example, are already using our wearable technologies in the form of wristbands for patients. These wristbands ensure that patients do receive the right treatment, with maximum reduction in errors and any kind of unexpected delays.
As for the government sector, Zebra’s rugged mobile devices have been deployed as a part of the UP-100 program that aims to provide prompt and responsive integrated emergency services in the state.