Zebra Introduces SmartPack Trailer Solution To Provide Real-Time Operational Visibility

Zebra Technologies Corporation, a provider of solutions and services that give enterprises real-time visibility into their operations, announced SmartPack Trailer which provides the transportation and logistics (T&L) industry with real-time operational visibility. This innovative technology lowers operational costs while improving efficiency in loading trailers along with load quality, staff training, and safety. SmartPack Trailer represents the first in a portfolio of solutions that will help public and private carriers of freight and parcels across ground and air transport modalities build a smarter, more connected distribution network, resulting in real-time informed decision making that improves loading operations.

Enterprise Asset Intelligence Strategy

SmartPack Trailer captures operational data such as load density, trailer fullness, images of loads in progress and number of packages scanned and loaded per hour, giving organizations unprecedented insights to achieve peak levels of performance and profitability. SmartPack Trailer delivers on Zebra’s Enterprise Asset Intelligence (EAI) strategy by sensing operational data at the point of activity and then analyzing that data to derive actionable insights for personnel and dock managers. Zebra will showcase SmartPack Trailer, along with the new Network Connect for Automation and LifeGuard for Android at ProMat 2017.

SmartPack Trailer

Due to lack of visibility in the loading process, trailers are often loaded improperly, wasting available space. SmartPack Trailer solves this issue by drawing actionable insight from data provided by 3D sensors and camera technology on the loading dock, allowing organizations to eliminate wasted space and time. This helps decrease the number of trailers on the road, thereby reducing fuel and maintenance costs.

SmartPack Trailer’s hardware, software, and analytics integrates with various enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems to track volumetric efficiency, load rate, and when a load is nearing completion. Drivers can be alerted in advance when a trailer is about to be closed out, resulting in lower dwell time and freeing up the dock so a new load can begin.

Businesses can also leverage the images from inside the trailer to track and monitor the lifting techniques of their employees, while enabling loading dock supervisors to make on-the-spot decisions to help employees work faster and more efficiently. This level of visibility can help reduce worker turnover and injury, theft, loss, and damage of parcels with every trailer load.

Network Connect For Automation

Zebra’s Network Connect for Automation enables organizations to seamlessly connect Zebra ultra-rugged scanners and printers to the most widely-used Industrial Ethernet protocols and other standard networks typically used in manufacturing plant floor and warehousing environments without additional conversion hardware. This minimizes network security exposure, reduces set-up and management costs, and increases reliability and device response times.

LifeGuard For Android

LifeGuard for Android is the industry’s first security lifecycle offering that extends the service life of Android-based mobile computers with support that is critical for enterprise deployments. By providing regular operating system (OS) security updates, LifeGuard for Android minimizes security risks that can be costly and prolongs the lifecycle of these devices, which can significantly lower the total cost of ownership. This protection strengthens the Zebra Mobility DNA platform suite of enterprise capabilities for Android and is offered as part of Zebra OneCare maintenance contracts.

Exhibiting At Promat 2017

• Monday, April 3, 2017, at 1:30 p.m. central in Theater A - Mark Wheeler, Director of Supply Chain Solutions for Zebra will present how advanced technologies are transforming capabilities in the plant and warehouse.
• Tuesday, April 4, 2017, at 1:30 p.m. central in Theater I - Mike Maris, Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics Lead for Zebra will discuss how organizations can improve warehouse productivity by up to 20 percent with the use of big data and analytics.

Tom Bianculli, Chief Technology Officer, Zebra Technologies Corporation, said: “Given the rise of the ‘on-demand economy’ driven by e-commerce and the expectation of instant delivery, the need for solutions that can further optimize speed, accuracy, and efficiency of the loading process are vital. The new Zebra SmartPack solution suite brings enterprise asset intelligence to the loading dock, providing transportation carriers with the real-time insights they need to run their operations more efficiently.”