Retail News CRM

Tag: Zebra

  • Silk Contract increases efficiency, safety with Zebra Technologies solution

    Silk Contract increases efficiency, safety with Zebra Technologies solution

    Zebra Technologies Corporation has announced that Silk Contract Logistics has deployed Zebra’s voice-directed warehouse picking solution to enhance its worker productivity and competitive advantage. Silk Contract Logistics operates across a range of sectors, including retail and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), light industrial and food and dairy, providing a tailored approach to wharf cartage, warehousing and distribution.

    With 21 warehouses spread across Australia, Silk Contract Logistics has deployed a suite of Zebra’s warehousing solutions, supported by Zebra’s PartnerConnect Premier Solution partner Skywire, to both futureproof its business and establish itself as an innovator in the Australian warehousing industry.

    The Enterprise Asset Intelligence solutions that the third-party logistics company deploys include Zebra’s mobile printers, and wearable computers equipped with voice-directed picking software TekSpeech Pro – making it the first enterprise in Australia to fully harness Zebra’s multi-modal voice solution. With these visibility solutions, Silk Contract Logistics aims to increase offerings to its customers, provide better safety to staff, improve functionality and efficiency, and enhance its service profile for its clients’ future use.

    Matt Hannah, chief information officer, Silk Contract Logistics, said, “We’re always looking at ways to lean on technology to enhance the warehouse experience, particularly for staff and clients. With Zebra’s wearable technology and voice-directed TekSpeech Pro software, our staff are now able to adopt a ‘hands-free’ approach on the warehouse floor – increasing accuracy and improving safety during the picking process.”

    James Shepherd, CEO, Skywire Australia, commented, “The multimodal wearables allow pickers on the floor to access and verify information – swiftly and accurately – improving operational visibility. Skywire is proud to have partnered Zebra in delivering a robust solution that has built Silk Contract Logistic’s status as an innovator in the warehousing space.”

    “Zebra has worked with Silk Contract Logistics for a number of years. As a forward-thinking logistics provider, Silk has now moved to a fully integrated system. Silk is the first business to implement TekSpeech Pro in Australia so we are looking forward to seeing Silk and its clients gain financial and operational efficiencies from this voice-directed warehousing solution,” said Tom Christodoulou, regional director, Australia / New Zealand, Zebra Technologies Asia Pacific.

    Key facts

    • Silk Contract Logistics has deployed Zebra’s wearable solution including the WT41N0 wearable computer, the Bluetooth-enabled RS507 ring scanner and TekSpeech Pro voice-directed picking software.
    • The WT41N0 wearable computer screen can be used to display images of goods or complex identifiers such as serial numbers (in non-barcode format) that are not efficiently conveyed in a voice-only system, while ring scanners allow workers to handle material with both hands.
    • TekSpeech Pro has the capability to combine functionalities of a camera, display screen, location services and RFID, which also opens-up applications in areas outside the warehouse, such as retail and field service. Silk Contract Logistics is the first enterprise in Australia to deploy this solution
    • Silk Contract Logistics has also deployed the QLn-series direct thermal mobile printers that are able to produce labels on-demand at the point of activity. These printers are built to be tough, yet small enough to be used on the move. The QLn420 is able to withstand the rigors of the warehouse and is proven to have drop-resistant durability. Its ease of use also enables increased worker productivity.
  • Retail gets personal

    Retail gets personal

    In this year of the 400th anniversary of the passing of William Shakespeare, we’ll borrow some inspiration from the great bard and say: The store is dead – long live the store.

    For, despite the stellar rise of online shopping, it accounts for just 7.3 per cent of total global retail spending.

    The store’s “renaissance,” if it were needed, reflects the fact that shopping remains popular. It also comes on the back of investment from retailers keen to make the most of the store as a differentiator – the place where shoppers touch the brand. A big feature of this spending has been the drive to make the store central to an omnichannel shopping experience where shoppers can conveniently mix how they try, buy, and return items through online, in-store, and mobile channels.

    To achieve this versatility, retailers have deployed RFID and barcode labels to track and trace items across the supply chain, into the store, and back from the customer (via returns). By using such labels, which can be automatically recorded by RFID systems or handheld computers and scanners, retailers can capture what we call Enterprise Asset Intelligence (EAI). As we move forward, EAI will play a key role as retailers look to make the in-store experience ever more enjoyable and rewarding.

    Continuous improvement

    Smart labels and sensors can be attached to any object – associates, stock, vehicles, equipment, totes and pallets, and many more. The stream of data collected from the labels is connected over wireless and cell networks to your back office, providing visibility into every area of your operations. This opens boundless opportunities to manage processes more efficiently, improve the customer experience, and free your associates from time-consuming to spend more time in the shop floor. A couple of interesting examples include:

    • Being more responsive to customers: we spoke to one UK retailer recently who told us they have 100,000 people working to restock their stores at night. Indeed, the cost of their associates is 66 per cent of their store overheads. The interesting thing is this retailer, and others we speak with, is not looking to cut these costs: it’s looking to allocate them more wisely – to free staff to spend less time on operations and more with customers. This can be achieved by using smart labels to provide a continuous view over inventory and supporting teams with better technology – including voice-guided workflows through mobile and wearable devices – to help them manage replenishment more efficiently and spend more time providing attentive and personal experiences to shoppers.
    • Being more rewarding: Using your wireless network, you can connect with the sensors that most of us carry with us all the time – in our smartphones. If the customer agrees, every time they come into store their phone can register on to your system to allow you to offer a more personalized service. For example, you can send a welcome message and offer a wide range of promotions from money-off based on their preferences, to loyalty bonuses, to gifts for their birthday, and much more. You can also build in “help” features so associates’ mobile devices can alert them, and help them easily find shoppers who’ve asked for assistance.

    What really excites us about retail right now is that we’re getting back to those halcyon days: the days when your local shop keeper would know who you are, know what you want, and engage with you in compelling ways – ways that you’d value and that encouraged your loyalty. We can use technology to achieve similar things – to not only free staff to spend more time with customers but increasingly to offer customers more intriguing, engaging, and rewarding ways to shop.

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  • Zebra expands global ISV strategy

    Zebra expands global ISV strategy

    Zebra Technologies Corporation announced a global independent software vendor (ISV) initiative designed to increase collaboration and expand engagement with the wider developer community.

    New independent software vendor initiatives to expand solutions that help customers make smarter decisions with real-time visibility.

    Zebra also announced the appointment of James Pemberton as the global lead of this initiative, which will help our customers make smarter decisions with products, software and services that build visibility that’s visionary.

    The new initiative will increase market penetration with ISV partners and enable enterprise application development through a revamped developer community portal. Zebra’s global ISV program reflects the global nature of software businesses. Partners can join in multiple regions simultaneously; they can register and be recognized for projects globally.

    Zebra offers powerful, go-to-market tools to promote ISV partners’ apps, such as AppGallery, an online and mobile Android app-distribution and management platform. AppGallery is pre-installed on Zebra’s enterprise Android devices, including a global demo capability and virtual shop-window for ISV Partners’ apps.

    Key facts

    • The new program includes global Influence Rewards. These recognize and reward ISVs who influence customers – through their software – to buy Zebra products anywhere globally. They receive free demo kits and financial rewards for registering projects.
    • Zebra’s active developer outreach campaign includes engagement at events such as Andevcon, AppsWorld and DroidCon. Plans are also underway for Zebra’s own global enterprise developer event series, “AppForum2017”.
    • Pemberton’s work with teams across Zebra will create a common approach for ISVs to be more integrated in product development that feeds into Zebra’s enterprise asset intelligence solutions and go-to-market activities.
    • Since 2005, Pemberton has focused on developing, improving, marketing and managing the EMEA ISV program at Symbol Technologies, Motorola Solutions and Zebra. He previously worked in several retail and e-commerce software companies.

    Bill Cate, Vice President, Channel Strategy and Operations, Zebra, said: “The launch of this initiative demonstrates Zebra’s commitment to the channel and clear recognition of the importance of the ISV partner and develop communities. James’ proven dedication to building strategic relationships with these important groups is key to leading Zebra’s renewed efforts to further engage them in building solutions that help our customers know more about their business.”
    James Pemberton, Global ISV Strategy Director, Zebra, said: “Innovation driven by the ISV partner and developer communities strategically aligns with the industry leading product portfolio Zebra offers to its customers, and we are poised to successfully reach more developers focused on enterprise projects than ever before. I’m excited to see this developer outreach and our ISV partner collaboration yield new opportunities, profitability and simplicity to benefit all parties involved.”

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