Company expands industrial automation portfolio to optimize efficiency of front-line workflows

Zebra Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: ZBRA), a leading digital solution provider enabling businesses to intelligently connect data, assets, and people, today announced new solutions to further enable manufacturers to boost visibility, optimize quality and augment the workforce to operate as a connected factory. Zebra will highlight its expanded portfolio of industrial automation solutions at Automate 2024, Booth 1407 at McCormick Place, May 6-9 in Chicago.

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Zebra Technologies will introduce new industrial automation solutions that support the connected factory at Automate 2024. Zebra helps manufacturers and those in related industries work in new ways with technology and automation to enable actionable visibility, optimize quality, and augment the workforce with innovative technology. (Photo: Business Wire)

Manufacturers today are challenged with increasing productivity amid labor shortages. At the same time, they are managing cultural transformation and converging information and operational technology (IT/OT) systems into existing operations. The latest NAM Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey reports more than 65% of manufacturers cite the inability to attract and retain employees as their top challenge and confirmed they are working to improve operational resiliency by investing in new technologies.

“The pressure is on for manufacturers to efficiently meet customer demands for quality while managing labor shortages, skill gaps, and efficiency challenges,” said Andy Zosel, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Advanced Data Capture, Machine Vision, and Robotic Automation, Zebra Technologies. “We are committed to helping manufacturers work in new ways with technology and industrial automation to increase actionable visibility, optimize quality, and augment the workforce.”

Enhanced Visibility Increases Quality Assurance and Traceability

According to Zebra’s Automotive Ecosystem Vision Study, eight in 10 manufacturing decision-makers acknowledge better connectivity and enterprise technologies at scale are essential to transforming business. Industrial machine vision as well as sensing and monitoring systems are expected to make the largest leap in usage by 2027.

Zebra’s latest fixed industrial scanner, the Zebra FS42 is designed for resource-intensive tasks like deep learning-based optical character recognition (OCR) applications and high-throughput scanning requiring speed. Its increased onboard memory and neural processing unit (NPU) enable faster scanning and more complex artificial intelligence (AI)-based deep learning machine vision applications.

Zebra’s Aurora™ Software Suite is ideal for addressing the track-and-trace and vision inspection needs of users at all experience levels. It supports barcode reading and additional inspection tasks like OCR, dimensioning, and defect detection. The FS42 features Zebra’s Aurora Focus™ which makes it easy to set up, deploy, and run the device, eliminating the need for other tools and reducing training time.

3D Inspection and Detection Optimizes Quality to New Levels

Zebra’s new 3S Series 3D sensors will also be introduced at Automate. Using patented parallel structured light, the industrial-grade 3S series enables 3D sensing for static and moving items – including those that are high-gloss, translucent, or transparent – with sub-millimeter resolution and accuracy.

Zebra’s 3S series captures various sizes and is “plug-and-play” ready with a Power over Ethernet (PoE) connection. They will be bundled with Zebra’s Aurora Design Assistant™ or Aurora Vision Studio™ which speeds up development and brings 3D vision applications online quicker.

The 3S40 sensor is designed to scan static objects, integrating them into manufacturing operations to resolve inspection and dimensioning applications with a scanning range of up to 7 ft./2.1 meters. The 3S80 sensor is built to capture dynamic scenes and create 3D point color clouds in real time, expanding the range of advanced automation applications. It has a scan range of up to 10 ft./3 meters.

Industrial Automation Advances Operational Agility

At the Automate event, the Zebra Robotics Automation team will launch Zebra Symmetry™ Fulfillment, a new comprehensive solution that helps workers and robots be more productive, optimizing the path of a picker with a team of robots for a directed workflow.

Zebra Symmetry Fulfillment uses the power of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), wearable technologies, software, and analytics to maintain high-quality standards while improving performance and reducing costs per unit. Integrating these technologies balances throughput and cycle time to enhance overall efficiency. Providing operational leaders valuable insights in real time, Zebra Symmetry Fulfillment enables informed decision-making, enhances operational agility, and allows for quick adjustments to meet changing demands.

Visitors at Automate will also get a sneak peek of Zebra’s add-on tool for Vision Guided Robotics within the Zebra Aurora Design Assistant software. This tool includes a web-based interface that is optimized for collaborative robot users.

Zebra executives will also lead two speaking sessions at Automate 2024:

• Maximizing Workforce Efficiency: Three Technological Avenues for Streamlining Repetitive Tasks, presented by Andy Zosel, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Advanced Data Capture, Machine Vision and Robotic Automation, Monday, May 6, 2024, 2:15 PM-2:45 PM, Innovation Stage on the show floor.
• Empowering Your Workforce: Integration of Wearables and AMRs to Increase Picking Productivity, presented by Matthew Wicks, Vice President and General Manager, Robotics Automation, Tuesday, May 7, 2024, 2:15 PM-2:45 PM, Innovation Stage on the show floor.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• At Automate 2024, Zebra Technologies will introduce new industrial automation solutions that support the connected factory.
• Zebra helps manufacturers and those in related industries work in new ways with technology and automation to enable actionable visibility, optimize quality, and augment the workforce with innovative technology.
• Visit Zebra at Automate, Booth 1407, May 6-9 at McCormick Place in Chicago to experience the company’s full portfolio of industrial automation solutions.

ABOUT ZEBRA TECHNOLOGIES

Zebra (NASDAQ: ZBRA) helps organizations monitor, anticipate, and accelerate workflows by empowering their frontline and ensuring that everyone and everything is visible, connected, and fully optimized. Our award-winning portfolio spans software to innovations in robotics, machine vision, automation, and digital decisioning, all backed by a +50-year legacy in scanning, track-and-trace, and mobile computing solutions. With an ecosystem of 10,000 partners across more than 100 countries, Zebra’s customers include over 80% of the Fortune 500. Newsweek recently recognized Zebra as one of America’s Most Loved Workplaces and Greatest Workplaces for Diversity, and we are on Fast Company’s list of the Best Workplaces for Innovators. Learn more at www.zebra.com or sign up for news alerts. Follow Zebra’s Your Edge blog, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook, and check out our Story Hub: Zebra Perspectives.

ZEBRA and the stylized Zebra head are trademarks of Zebra Technologies Corp., registered in many jurisdictions worldwide. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2024 Zebra Technologies Corp. and/or its affiliates.

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