Zebra Technologies has revealed a range of technologies that get manufactured goods, such as trainers, from the manufacturing floor to retailers’ shelves or consumers’ front doors and ultimately onto shoppers’ feet. Information is now available online from the Zebra Innovation Day held earlier this year for media, analysts, and investors.
This year, the trainer segment in Europe is projected to generate revenue of EUR 15.55 billion/ GBP 13.21 billion, according to Statista. Tens of millions of pairs of trainers are sold every year in Europe, with celebrity partnerships and new personalisation options driving interest since the days of Michael Jordan and Nike’s Air Jordans. But trainers are more than fashion statements – they must be made, checked for quality, shipped to warehouses and then delivered directly to consumers or sold through retail stores.
“Innovation is at the heart of what we do as we digitise and automate environments for our customers which helps make them more efficient and effective in serving their customers,” said Tom Bianculli, Chief Technology Officer, Zebra Technologies, who spoke at the Innovation Day event. “By our estimates, a trainer connects with one of Zebra’s solutions about 30 times along the supply chain.”
Zebra’s 2024 Manufacturing Vision Study found that only 15% of European manufacturers said they had real-time visibility into manufacturing production. “From conversations with business leaders, we know that the traceability and tracking of goods, materials management, process compliance and keeping up with the pace of technology are all key areas that can benefit from modernisation,” said Bianculli.
“We’re catalysing industries to shift from centralised systems to more dynamic, connected and intelligent manufacturing and supply chain operations at the edge of business where data creation, inventory visibility, decision-making as well as worker and customer engagement happens closer to the point of action,” said Bianculli. “We’re responding to business needs and leading the market in the art of the possible when it comes to new ways of working.”
