From the Competition Floor to the Frontline: Nurturing Tomorrow’s Innovators
The air at a FIRST® Robotics competition crackles with a unique energy. You feel a powerful mix of excitement, intense focus, and pure ingenuity.
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The air at a FIRST® Robotics competition crackles with a unique energy. You feel a powerful mix of excitement, intense focus, and pure ingenuity.
Imagine a customer walking into your store, smartphone in hand. An item they desperately want sits out of stock on the shelf. Within seconds, they locate that exact product on a competitor’s app, and with a few taps, the sale vanishes completely.
April 2026 marks 10 years of Zebra’s award-winning PartnerConnect programme. The anniversary comes at a pivotal moment for the channel, not least with AI turning more frontline tasks into intelligent operations performed and overseen by an increasingly informed and connected frontline workforce.
Zebra's Channel Partner Summit provides a vital opportunity to connect with the partners who help us deliver solutions to our customers every day. This year’s conversations centered on Winning Together.
AI-driven frontline operations will require companies to develop new capabilities that augment their current approach. Previously we explored how Asset Visibility delivers a complete, real-time view of the entire frontline environment, critical to provide AI models with knowledge of the current situation.
Bringing together thousands of the brightest minds in our industry at our Channel Partner Summit sparks incredible collaboration and reinforces a fundamental truth about our business: technology alone does not solve challenges, people do.
After two decades in the transportation and logistics (T&L) sector, I find its constant motion continues to fascinate me. Our industry serves as the circulatory system for the global economy, and its pulse reflects the pressures and priorities of our time.
In today’s demanding business environment, challenges like labor shortages and supply chain disruptions test the resilience of every organization as the pressure to deliver better results with fewer resources is constant.
Legendary ice hockey player Wayne Gretzky famously said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” In the highly competitive footwear retail market, this translates to an absolute truth: you miss 100% of the sales you cannot fulfill.
A recent story that caught my eye involved a rather audacious theft. Somewhere on a route between Italy and Poland, thieves made off with a truck carrying twelve tons of chocolate bars.
In my conversations with customers and manufacturing leaders across Vietnam, there is a palpable energy right now. As global supply chains diversify, our local manufacturing sector is experiencing breathtaking growth.
I recently returned from Orlando where the energy at our Channel Partner Summit was undeniable. Spending time with our partners is always a highlight for me, but this year felt different.
If you attended the National Retail Federation (NRF) Big Show this year, you might have seen a few eye-catching cars navigating the busy streets of New York, wrapped in the iconic Zebra stripes and featuring our name alongside our latest acquisition, Elo.
SAP enterprise systems provide the robust foundation that successful businesses rely on to manage, track, and process complex order, inventory, and industrial workflows. This centralized structure is highly optimized for strategic data management and core business operations.
Earlier this year, at our Channel Partner Summit, the buzz of excitement was unmistakable. The conversations with our partners, the lifeblood of our ecosystem, consistently circled back to a significant evolution in our industry.
After navigating the energetic cacophony of NRF 2026, one thing is abundantly clear: the retail industry's conversation around AI has pivoted from the theoretical to the practical.
In today's fast-paced digital economy, the frontline of business pulses with activity.
Latin America’s fields and farms feed a significant portion of the world. The region produces more than a third of global agricultural exports, from Colombian coffee to Brazilian beef.
For logistics and postal leaders, the last mile has become the most critical and complex part of the entire supply chain. The pressure to improve its efficiency is immense, driven by the relentless growth of e-commerce, soaring customer expectations for speed and the high operational cost of failed deliveries.
At Zebra Technologies, we believe in the power of collaboration to create a more inclusive world. We have made a commitment to improving accessibility, and we are proud to work with third parties to ensure our hardware and our partner’s software applications
Manufacturing and logistics leaders face a complex, shifting landscape. The relentless pace of e-commerce, persistent labor shortages, and rising consumer expectations demand a new approach to operational strategy.
Retailers today navigate a fiercely competitive environment. Consumers expect, and demand, seamlessly connected shopping experiences, whether they shop online or in-store.
Inside a bustling food and beverage facility, the smooth movement of materials dictates the pace of production. Any delay in getting raw ingredients to the line or moving finished goods to the warehouse creates a bottleneck.
In the fast-paced world of retail, your team relies on a growing arsenal of mobile devices. Handheld computers manage inventory in the aisle, tablets process sales from anywhere on the floor, and wearables keep associates connected and informed.
Product recalls represent a massive threat to food and beverage manufacturers. One industry financial analysis estimates the average direct cost of a single incident at $10 million.
Healthcare professionals today navigate immense pressure. Disconnected systems and administrative burdens often pull their focus from the critical work of patient care.
A striking paradox is unfolding in boardrooms worldwide. Companies are investing heavily in AI, yet a recent Hoover Institution study found over 80% of them report no meaningful productivity impact.
I recently had the privilege of joining a host of industry leaders and innovators at the 40th GS1 Global Healthcare Summit. The energy at the conference felt distinct. In every session and conversation, a shared purpose resonated: to tackle the immense pressures on our healthcare systems not as individual organizations, but as a connected ecosystem.
In a dynamic business environment, stability, reliability, and a clear path forward are not just beneficial – they are essential for success. As you navigate your technology investments, we want to reaffirm Zebra's unwavering commitment to being the partner you can trust, both now and in the future.
As leaders in the manufacturing sector, we stand at a pivotal moment. The pressures of global competition, rising consumer expectations, and supply chain volatility push us to innovate constantly.
The energy at our recent Channel Partner Summit in Orlando felt palpable. Everywhere you turned, conversations buzzed with the potential of AI.
In logistics, what you can’t see can hurt you. Every moment a package is unaccounted for between scans represents a blind spot, a gap in the story of its journey.
Retail has always fascinated me. It’s a dynamic industry that demands constant attention to detail, an ability to adapt, and a focus on solving problems that can threaten both profits and customer trust.
In today’s fast-paced industries, ranging from logistics to retail and manufacturing, the need for precision, efficiency, and real-time visibility into assets has become a critical factor for success. Organizations under constant pressure to streamline operations want to cut costs and maintain agility, making it essential to adopt tools that enhance productivity and simplify complex workflows.
Turnover rates for warehouse and storage workers remain significantly higher than in other sectors. According to recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, annual churn in transportation, warehousing and utilities is currently around 43%.
Today is an important day for Zebra as the company unveils its brand refresh. While our logo hasn’t changed, our new brand platform, “Better Every Day” represents a strategic evolution and tighter alignment with modern technology trends which recognize the impact that automation and AI are having on frontline workflows.
Label printing plays an important role in ensuring operational efficiency, product traceability, and regulatory compliance in industries like manufacturing, transportation & logistics, retail, and healthcare. Whether it's labeling parts on a production line, shipping packages, tagging retail inventory, or identifying medical supplies, the accuracy and consistency of labels directly impact business outcomes and the global supply chain.
In the world of technology, the expectations for RFID to become a game-changer have been clear for decades. Yet, as Nuno Miguel Guimarães from Sensormatic highlighted during Zebra’s inaugural RFID Forum in Prague, the industry has long heralded each year as “the year of RFID.”
Should you bring in a partner to help you research, design, or implement business technology? Or should you handle everything in house? Larry Walsh, CEO, Chief Analyst & Founder of Channelnomics, explains exactly how resellers, systems integrators, and service providers can help you most effectively translate concepts of how you want things to work into reality.
If you’ve ever wrestled with outdated workstations, limited connectivity, or technology that feels more like a barrier than a tool, you’re not alone. Across industries, from retail and healthcare to logistics and manufacturing, the need for smarter, more flexible solutions is clear. The ZEC500 Enterprise Computer isn’t just another device. It’s a way to untangle the complexities of modern workflows and create a seamless, efficient experience for businesses, their employees and customers alike.
Amidst rising demands, global competition, and evolving consumer expectations, manufacturing operations must adapt to thrive. The research we recently unveiled with Oxford Economics sheds light on how intelligent operations can unlock transformative efficiencies throughout manufacturing operations. The study titled, “Impact of Intelligent Operations” quantifies the benefits of workflow optimization and identifies how intelligent automation transforms manufacturing performance. It also reveals a compelling case for adopting intelligent operations to improve quality, reduce costs, and unlock new growth opportunities.
Looking to simplify your inventory management processes in secure facilities? Let’s talk about how RFID technology can make things easier and more efficient for you! It’s a given that managing inventory in secure controlled environments can be challenging. But with recent advancements in offline RFID and barcode technology, you can enhance security and efficiency without the hassle of manual methods. Imagine a world where your inventory counts are fast, accurate, and save you precious time. Even in facilities like SCIFs (Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities) where stringent security protocols govern every aspect of operation to safeguard classified or restricted information. Strict access control measures require personnel to have security clearances for entry and regulate the use of equipment, ensuring that items like cameras, scanners, and computers adhere to rigorous security controls.
Want to make the right decisions for your tech project? Ask your tech partner about the mistakes they have made in the past. The ideal partner will possess extensive firsthand experience across a variety of IT implementations, equipping them with the expertise to steer you clear of typical and expensive project pitfalls.
Working in retail today is more challenging than ever. The pressure on frontline workers has reached unprecedented levels, with 59% of them considering quitting their jobs in the past year alone.
Transportation & logistics (T&L) leaders confront a fast-moving landscape where agility and precision define success. Our study titled, “Impact of Intelligent Operations” which was done in collaboration with Oxford Economics offers fresh insights into how intelligent operations transform this vital industry.
When Kevin Lawton, host of The New Warehouse Podcast, visited the Zebra Robotics demo center in San Jose, we didn’t just demonstrate Zebra Symmetry™ Fulfillment. We put him to work. With just a few minutes of instruction, Kevin went through a complete warehouse workflow, from building a cart at induction to picking items in the warehouse and unloading finished orders at a packout station. “I had minimal — minimal — training on this. So you can see how easy it is,” Lawton said after completing his first day on the job. In addition to giving Kevin an immersive experience, I sat down with him and Cody Upp, Zebra’s head of commercial robotics sales and solutions, to record a full podcast episode. Here are some of the high points from our interview.
You need more than the “stakeholders” involved from day one on healthcare modernization porjects because buy-in on new technology toolsand processes starts – but doesn’t end – at the top of your healthcare organization. Found out whose opinion and support matters most so that you can invite the right people to inform your RFID-projects
In the second episode of Conversations with a CNIO, we tackled one of the most pressing and sensitive issues facing healthcare today: workplace safety and violence. As someone who has spent years navigating hospital floors and collaborating with healthcare leaders, this topic is deeply personal to me. Chad Salahshour, CEO of 911Cellular, one of Zebra’s valued channel partners, joined me to share his insights on how innovative technologies can enhance safety measures in healthcare environments.
Retail feels different these days, doesn’t it? Shoppers demand more personalized, seamless experiences, while frontline teams juggle growing responsibilities in increasingly complex environments.
Picture this: It’s a busy morning in a bustling retail store. Shelves need restocking, customers have questions, and associates juggle tasks to keep operations running smoothly. Meanwhile, in a warehouse across town, workers navigate aisle after aisle to locate products, prepare shipments, and reconcile inventory. At the same time, a driver is frantically trying to find the packages for their delivery in the back of their van to keep up with the delivery schedule.
The scarcity of labor resources and high costs of robotics ownership are pushing fulfillment companies to rethink their automation strategies. Zebra addressed these challenges head on in a recent Making the Case report published in collaboration with Modern Materials Handling. This report delves into the top challenges fulfillment operations are dealing with on the robotics front today. It reveals how a collaborative approach to autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) can help you overcome automation hurdles, operate more efficiently, and enhance overall performance and profitability.
Warehouses, factories, and other supply chain facilities have become host to some intense competition and big prizes lately. Who would have thought? (Apparently, the people who understand how to modify behavior and started building gamification apps.) Learn more about how gamification works and how it can help motivate your workers.
I am drawn to extraordinary people. People that do things above and beyond the call of duty. My friendship group comprises sports champions, business entrepreneurs and adventurers. Intelligent, confident people that excel in a multitude of outlets, and rarely follow the norm. Which is why I felt so at home. I was surrounded by a room full of people I felt in awe of. Not sports heroes or boardroom execs but people that show up every day and make the world a better place. People that deal with the deprived, those with complex health issues - physical and mental. They operate calmly in situations that would fill me with fear. The most unsung of heroes. Community nurses.
In the dynamic world of frontline operations, the spotlight has been on optimizing workflows through Asset Visibility, a critical pillar of operational intelligence discussed in my previous blog post.
Gartner, Inc., a research and advisory firm, has identified Zebra Technologies as a Sample Vendor in its Hype Cycle for Intralogistics Smart Robots and Drones, 2025 report. We’re proud to be recognized in both the Collaborative Aisle Picking Robots and Autonomous Mobile Robots (Transport) categories for the second year in a row and are making complimentary access to the research available for a limited time.
Over the last couple years, an unfortunate but true joke has circulated around the Zebra offices related to the fact that it was easier to buy an actual, real-life zebra online through your favorite search engine – in no more than three clicks – than it was to use our Zebra Technologies’ website (www.zebra.com) to buy one of our products. The good news: this is no longer the case with our new “How to Buy” experience!
If you're an SAP customer looking to migrate from SAP ECC to SAP S/4HANA to better support frontline workers and back-office processes, you may be wondering: "Should I choose SAP Extended Warehouse Management (EWM) or Stock Room Management (SRM)?" This post will help you arrive at the right answer for your business.
Explore the transformative role of AI in healthcare in “Are Hospitals Taking a Gamble on AI? Part Two” by Lorna Hopkin, Marketing Lead at Zebra Technologies. Discover how AI is enhancing triage processes, optimizing patient wait times, and supporting healthcare professionals with intuitive tools. This insightful article delves into AI’s ethical considerations, data challenges, and the importance of patient-centered care. Learn why investing in AI isn’t a gamble but a strategic move towards a smarter, more efficient healthcare system. Join the conversation on AI’s potential to revolutionize patient outcomes and healthcare delivery.
If you’ve ever managed a team on the frontline, whether in a warehouse, a hospital, or a retail store, you know how challenging the work can be.
I’ve spent over four decades working on technology solutions that support businesses, and I can confidently say there’s never been a more exciting or challenging time to innovate for the frontline. Recently, I joined a webinar with guest speaker Denise Lund, Research Vice President, Worldwide Telecom and Unified Communications at IDC and my Zebra colleague Bethany Wiegand. The discussion centered on the mounting pressures of the retail frontline and how Unified Communication and Collaboration (UC&C) solutions, like Zebra Workcloud Sync, are stepping in to help.
Chuck Bolen explores the critical importance of mobile device security for businesses, drawing a unique analogy to jeans with “holes.” The article highlights the potential risks of cybersecurity breaches, emphasizing that both small and large businesses can suffer lasting consequences. Bolen engages with mobile device security experts Erv Comer and Adam Arruda to discuss whether there’s a definitive approach to mobile security or if it’s more nuanced, based on risk tolerance and vulnerability.
Before a pair of shoes reaches your doorstep, it may pass through up to 30 touchpoints where Zebra products, solutions, or workers using Zebra devices play a critical role in its journey.
In the fast-paced world of frontline operations, where distribution centers race to ship packages, retail stores are crowded with shoppers, and manufacturing plants strain to meet tight schedules, it is increasingly difficult to orchestrate all the simultaneous activities it takes to be successful. Companies are finding that they need to track more information than ever – accurate, real-time information.
An RFID thread connected to the right frequency makes it easy for manufacturers to relay critical intel on garments to retailers and shoppers.
As the backbone of retail, healthcare, manufacturing, and transportation and logistics (T&L) businesses, frontline workers drive results. Yet, according to Korn Ferry, a new study reveals that more than three-quarters (77%) of these workers believe senior leaders fail to understand their daily challenges.
The challenges facing AI today, such as data scarcity and quality concerns, might seem daunting, but they also present an opportunity. By turning to the wealth of data generated on the frontline, businesses can create more intelligent, efficient, and adaptive systems.
Although there’s a growing understanding of how autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) can reduce warehouse travel, we need to be asking a much more important question. How can a real-world operation transform the efficiency of its fulfillment workflows by optimizing both robots and people?
It’s a Monday morning, and I am in a busy Accident & Emergency (A&E) facility at my local hospital. A young boy in a school uniform nurses a sore wrist and a workman wearing a high visibility jacket leans back in a wheelchair amidst a sea of injured humans.
I am thrilled to share insights into the upcoming Frontline AI Summit, an exclusive, director-level event designed for senior executives across all industry verticals. The summit will showcase AI technology and explore adoption challenges for organizations deploying AI in frontline operations. Attendees will benefit from the diverse perspectives of top executives, each presenting their unique point of view on how AI is transforming their sectors and what it means for the future of frontline work. The Frontline AI Summit is your opportunity to engage with fellow leaders and technology partners, gain actionable strategies, and shape the next chapter of AI-driven success for frontline teams.
Unlock the full potential of AI in your business operations by integrating automated data capture. Discover how tools like RFID tags, barcodes, and environmental sensors can provide AI with the comprehensive data it needs to make smart decisions, spot patterns, and enhance efficiency. Ensure real-time visibility and seamless data access to empower AI-driven insights and streamline your operations. Learn from Andy Zosel’s expert insights in this latest Forbes Technology Council article on leveraging AI and data capture for superior business intelligence.
As Zebra rolls out its refreshed brand, I realize how privileged our role is as Independent Software Vendors in applying this new messaging around mobile devices.
In the rapidly evolving landscape of industrial automation, staying ahead of the curve is paramount. Enter 3D imaging technology—a game-changer that is transforming manufacturing, logistics, and industrial operations by offering unprecedented precision and efficiency. As industries strive to enhance their competitiveness, understanding the capabilities and applications of 3D imaging is crucial.
Do we need to shift to more “practical education” programs to ensure students are prepared for what they’ll encounter, and need to do, in the real world?
Recognition feels good, but it seldom comes from solitary effort. It grows from a shared purpose and collective dedication.
Manufacturers today are under more pressure than ever to operate smarter, faster, and leaner. In fact, a recent study conducted by Zebra Technologies in collaboration with Oxford Economics shows that organizations implementing intelligent operations have seen a 19% boost in employee productivity.
In the fast-paced world of technological innovation, government contractors find themselves at the forefront of a digital transformation imperative. As these organizations strive to meet strict audit requirements and manage vast inventories of government property, modern RFID technology emerges as a beacon of efficiency and accuracy.
That depends on how you want to use your system and who you want to be able to operate and maintain it.
In the fast-paced world of technology, we know that achieving milestones is all about teamwork. Here at Zebra Technologies, we’re fortunate to have a strong culture driven by our employees and incredible customers and partners whose collaboration inspires us to achieve more every day.
As a communications strategist, I live for a great story. I recently had the distinct pleasure of hearing five incredible ones during a special CRN Women of the Channel podcast.
As business leaders, we constantly look for ways to streamline operations, empower teams, and deliver better results. If you’ve ever wondered how AI could make your frontline team’s workday smoother, more efficient, and maybe even a little less stressful, the Frontline AI Summit offered some exciting answers. Hosted by Zebra Technologies, this event brought together some of the sharpest minds in the industry to talk about how AI is already transforming operations and what’s next.
In the ever-evolving landscape of intelligent automation and manufacturing, smart cameras have emerged as pivotal tools transforming machine vision technology. With advancements in edge processing and seamless integration capabilities, these devices are redefining the way industries approach efficiency and precision. As manufacturers, logistics operators, and warehouse professionals seek to optimize operations, smart cameras offer a promising solution for intelligent automation. By delivering real-time insights, and automated decision-making capabilities, robust, scalable, and adaptable smart cameras are ideal for a diverse range of industrial applications.
If you’re not sure what part of your operation needs “transformation” or how big that transformation really needs to be, this is what others are suggesting.
Picture this: David, an employee in a bustling store, notices a customer who looks frustrated as she is searching through the jeans display.
In retail, every second counts. Shoppers expect fast, seamless experiences, whether browsing in-store or picking up an online order. At the same time, retailers must juggle the complexities of managing inventory, communicating with teams, and responding to ever-changing customer needs. It’s not easy. But with the right tools, it’s possible to make things easier for everyone.
Last month, Zebra and Clearview, a Zebra industrial automation distributor, hosted a launch event to officially open our new Industrial Automation Center of Excellence. The two-day launch event underscored our commitment to collaboration and innovation in fixed industrial scanning and machine vision. Today, I want to share with you the story behind this initiative. The center is more than just a facility; it represents our vision for the future of industrial operations—a future where technology serves people and empowers organizations to thrive.
Discover how AI can streamline your software testing processes while understanding the potential risks it may introduce to your business. Learn the essential steps to ensure trust in your testing results and maintain the software’s performance and objectivity. Optimize your testing strategies with a balanced approach to leveraging AI effectively and safely.
The world is changing fast, and so is your frontline. Whether you’re in retail, manufacturing, transportation and logistics (T&L), or healthcare, you’ve likely felt the pressure to do more with less.
The way we work is changing, and it’s happening fast. Across industries like manufacturing, retail, and transportation and logistics (T&L), businesses are embracing smarter, faster, and more connected ways of working. Why? Because the world demands it. Customers expect flawless service, employees want meaningful roles, and companies need to stay resilient in the face of constant change. But how do we get there? The answer lies in intelligent operations.
Retail operations generate vast amounts of data every day. This data, which includes sales transactions, inventory levels, customer interactions, and employee actions, holds the key to understanding and resolving operational issues. However, traditional data analysis methods often fall short, struggling to address the multi-step nature of many retail problems.
There's new AI touchscreen SigmaSense that's making it easier for frontline workers to use rugged tablets in the field, in freezing conditions, and when water gets on the screen. Hear how it works and see it in action.
Imagine walking into a store you’ve visited for years, only to find the shelves are empty, the decor outdated, and the staff unsure of how to help. That’s what it feels like when a brand doesn’t keep up with the evolving needs of its customers.
Although it’s been less than a year since the launch of Zebra Symmetry™ Fulfillment, the impact it’s having on end users is truly exceptional. During a recent livestream on Supply Chain Now, I had the privilege of hearing about those benefits from a customer’s perspective. Bryan Wright, CTO and COO of G10 Fulfillment, shared the real-world challenges that led to his company’s search for automation, and why they ultimately chose to work with Zebra.
In part one of the series, I shared my experience attending Zebra’s inaugural RFID Forum in Prague. As we continue our journey through our first-ever RFID Forum, it’s evident that RFID is not just a buzzword but a pivotal technology driving tangible change across industries.
A distribution center (DC) operator and a Wi-Fi solution architect explain why it often feels like such a struggle to get wireless system settings just right in warehouses (no matter how much technical investigation and adjustment occurs.)
There's a lot more to consider than just the temperature rating when choosing a handheld mobile computer or tablet – or even an RFID reader, barcode scanner, printer, or wearable – for use in cold chains (or cold weather). So, Andre Luecht took the time to detail what other factors influence the performance of technology devices, accessories and supplies in different types of cold settings so that you always make the right choice for your operation the first time.
Many frontline jobs have become harder to do over the last decade. That’s why we have further accelerated our innovative approach at Zebra since making our largest acquisition 10 years ago. We want to create new ways of working to help make frontline jobs more efficient, impactful, and fulfilling. Learn more about how we're driving advancements that help frontline workers.
Find out why you must put your workers’ mobile experiences first when modernizing your SAP warehouse. Plus, learn about the seven things you must do to ensure you are addressing your frontline warehouse workers’ needs when making warehouse management system (WMS) and workflow changes.
The blessing and curse of inventory science is the number of different formulas and models. The blessing is that there is a model and research to support thousands of different nuances. The curse is that this confuses practitioners and companies getting started, leading companies to waste time and money implementing nuanced policies that aren’t better than a simple model. Read this post to find out what makes an inventory formula good (enough.)
We’ve found a way to package many of our products without using plastic…and without compromising their quality in transit. Check this out.
Do you dread the day you have to migrate to a new Android OS? Are you delaying the move to Android 14 because you fear it will be too much work? According to one solution architect, doing these things should help reduce your anxiety. They may even prompt you to get excited about migrating applications to A14 (or whichever OS is next for you) rather than dreading or delaying it and paying the price.