When searching for ways to reduce costs and improve efficiencies in the supply and distribution chains, many warehouses look to new hardware, software, and processes. But there’s a lot to be said for taking a second look at the labels that you use. A label is pretty much affixed to and used on everything that comes in and out of a warehouse. So poorly designed labels or the processes involving creating them can lead to bottlenecks or inefficiencies.

Fortunately, tech has entered the label arena, and Zebra Technologies has a multitude of solutions for warehouse environments and processes. Here is how your warehouse can leverage Zebra Technology solutions to maximize labeling accuracy and help you gain efficiencies in your warehouse operations.

One side-effect of 2020’s COVID-19 pandemic has been a heightened awareness of “safety” in the realm of hygiene, especially food and groceries. Early last year we were treated to videos of how to handle your groceries after you bring them home and generated such a high volume of prepared food delivery that we developed “contactless” delivery where someone in a mask rushes up to your door and leaves a non-descript package in front of it before texting you to get you to open the door (yes, how things have changed!).

With the onset of winter in the midst of an Ecommerce boom and the public hearing news about vaccines requiring a super-cold environment as low as -80 degrees Fahrenheit, many facilities are learning for the first time the importance of temperature in the printing, application, and storage of labels. 

If your products will get cold or be exposed to extreme temperatures, it’s vital that you choose the right label materials, adhesives, and printing processes for your situation. Not planning properly in this regard can lead to label failure and damage to your brand's reputation.

The Advanced Mobile Group team just finished attending and exhibiting this week at Zebra’s annual SKO in Reno, Nevada and wanted to share our early impressions of what we saw will be a focus in the coming year and how it may impact your priorities.

Coming out of Zebra’s annual kick-off meetings with Resellers, we wanted to share highlights of new products and product refreshes for 2019 spanning multiple verticals. As a Zebra reseller, we have insight into some of the year’s most anticipated applications in grocery, quick service restaurant, healthcare, warehousing, and manufacturing verticals.

Like most use case applications, there is an intention that aims to increase efficiency, reduce errors, and improve communications with an ever-evolving suite of products to meet today’s and tomorrow’s challenges. This year’s new handheld devices, printers, and other new technologies are components of increasingly innovative solutions.

Just as the holiday season got underway just over a month ago, NASA’s InSight Mars Lander became the latest successful attempt by we earthlings to explore our universe a bit more. The scenes of the landing and the operation of the Lander itself were inspiring. And the mission – dedicated to investigating the deep interior of Mars – is ambitious, even though just getting there may have seemed ambitious enough. But have you ever thought about one of the unsung hero details of this operation? There are actual LABELS on Mars now!

We want to share this in case you are in the midst of a potential purchase or upgrade of Zebra equipment. In line with other manufacturers, there will be significant price increases for some products from January 7th, 2019, due in part to the onset of tariffs imposed by the United States on some Chinese manufactured products. 

IMPORTANT DEADLINE:

If you are planning to acquire more equipment including any of the items impacted below, please contact us today. Orders for 2019 generally need to placed no later than Monday, December 3rd, 2018.

A 2012 Report by the Institute of Medicine estimated that the US Healthcare system wastes approximately $750 BILLION per year. While the biggest part of that is “Unnecessary services,” other factors such as “Fraud,” “Inefficient Care Delivery” and “Excess Administrative Costs” are all equally alarming regarding the potential harm they could do to both individual patients and trust in the systems we rely on as well.

Buried near the bottom of this year’s “The Future of Fulfillment Vision Study” from Zebra is an interesting section on the future of supply chain technologies. This week we’re going to share some of the high-level insights they shared and go a bit more in-depth on a few of them.

With revenues of approximately $3.7 billion and almost 7,000 employees in more than 40 countries, Zebra is a trusted business partner to more than 95 percent of all Fortune 500 companies.