(Continued on from Part 1 of our NRF 2016 highlights blog) Honeywell Honeywell, an AIDC veteran, this year introduced a range of solutions which showcased its strong initiative behind the Honeywell User Experience. Focusing on the user’s requirements and maximizing businesses’ productivity, the company showcased a number of mobile computing, scanning and printing solutions this year at NRF. For scanning, Honeywell introduced the 1602G companion scanner, the Solaris 7820 stationary scanner (aimed at the growing SMB space), as well as two new wireless voyager pistol grip scanners – the 1202G and 1452G. In addition, the company continues to see success... Continue reading

There was a buzz at the 2016 NRF event in New York City where retailers and their solution vendor partners talked about their growing focus on the retail storefront. E-commerce is certainly contributing to a higher percentage of overall sales and deserves the attention from an investment and operational enhancement standpoint; at the same time, however, it will continue to be critical for retailers to enhance customer experience, increase sales, and improve associate productivity in brick-and-mortar establishments. This is all with an aim of giving customers a consistent experience regardless of their retail touchpoint-of-choice. Retailers are looking at ways to... Continue reading

What are the technologies defining the warehouse of tomorrow? Warehouses and distribution centers are increasingly playing a critical role in generating supply chain efficiencies across industries like pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, retail, and fashion, leading to companies such as Amazon and DHL to look for new ways to support their growing warehouse operations through solutions such as robotic picking systems and augmented reality. As such material handling, data capture, order fulfillment, and software technologies are evolving to align with organizations’ vision of the warehouse of the future. Organizations today are facing a growing number of market pressures to optimize their... Continue reading

(VDC recently published a report focused on Mobile Barcode Scanners. The following blog highlights some of our thoughts on this market and its potential.) The data capture industry is constantly changing. Handheld barcode scanning is no longer restricted to traditional pistol grip form factors or rugged mobile devices as pairing or integrating scanners with consumer devices is increasingly becoming a popular option for organizations’ barcode scanning applications. Capitalizing on growing smartphone adoption in the enterprise space, new and emerging hardware vendors such as Infinite Peripherals & Koamtac and non-traditional ISV participants like Scandit and Manatee Works (now part of Cognex)... Continue reading

Zebra Technologies reported its Q3 2015 earnings on November 10th beating analysts’ EPS estimates by $0.16 while missing on revenue by $2.22 million. The company’s revenues grew 3% from Q2 2015. Net sales of $916.27 million for the quarter included $605.1 million contributed by the Enterprise business unit acquired from Motorola Solutions, a 5.6% increase from Q3 2014. Zebra’s legacy business (including barcode printers, card printers, consumables, location services) accounted for $314 million, up from $303.3 million in Q3 2014. The company’s gross margin now stands at 45.2% for the first 3 quarters in 2015, down from 50% for 2014;... Continue reading

With the 2015 NFL season underway, coaches, analysts, and fantasy football fans are hungry for the latest and most accurate stats for making vital decisions on and off the field. The NFL looks to have found an answer. Enter Motionworks by Zebra Technologies’ Sports Solutions Division. Created by the company’s Location Solutions group, Motionworks is a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tracking system which aims to bring better accuracy and insight into player performances than ever before. RFID systems have traditionally been used to track and trace items throughout the supply chain to enhance overall operational efficiencies but now the NFL and... Continue reading

Zurich based mobile image processing and cloud computing software vendor Scandit recently announced the launch of its new mobile Proof-of-Delivery (POD) System for the logistics and transportation industry such as logistics providers, couriers and postal services. POD apps are designed to track the delivery of products through the delivery chain by scanning barcodes on packages and collecting signatures upon delivery. POD solutions are designed to improve efficiency, reduce paperwork, and eliminate errors. Designed to enable mobile workers to use consumer grade smartphones and wearables in logistics applications, the POD solution is an all-in-one logistics suite. The system includes Scandit’s proof-of-delivery... Continue reading

Big news for Oregon-based inventor of the ‘invisible’ barcode as Digimarc made headlines last week when Walmart’s CEO Doug McMillon posted a photo on Instagram, which shows testing of Digimarc’s invisible barcode on a packet of chips. Since 2014, Digimarc has made great strides in its bid to make its patented Digimarc Barcode the next big thing in the retail space. Taking the traditional UPC barcode, Digimarc makes it invisible to the naked eye using digital watermarking technology and places the barcode all over the printed packaging of the product. This allows for image-based cameras that are used to scan... Continue reading

On April 22nd, The Wall Street Journal announced the news that ATM-maker NCR is eyeing strategic alternatives as they face lagging stock prices and shareholder pressure. A potential spinoff, sale of assets, or a full acquisition/buyout - all seem like very viable possibilities. On June 2nd 2015, news broke of NCR asking for first-round bids from prospective buyers and on June 16th, two large private equity firms, Blackstone Group LP and Carlyle Group LP, have paired up in a $10 Billion leveraged buyout (LBO) offer for NCR, including debt. Started by John H. Patterson in 1884, the National Cash Register... Continue reading