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The world is on the brink of a fourth industrial revolution that will fundamentally transform the way we live, work and play. Already, technology is blurring the lines between the physical and digital worlds with more and more physical assets being monitored and improved using digital technologies.

Today, 5 billion physical assets are connected through the Internet of Things (IoT), and an estimated 5.5 million new physical assets are connecting every single day. By 2020, industry pundits predict that 21 billion physical “things” will be connected through IoT, giving the world unprecedented visibility into physical assets.

Digital Knowledge is Power

In this increasingly digital world, businesses need to be as smart and as connected as the world they exist in. They must learn how to bridge the gap between the physical and the digital worlds.

That means taking full advantage of technology that gives a digital view into every aspect of a firm’s operations. This data can then be used to improve productivity, reduce expenses, increase opportunities for sustainable growth and ultimately deliver distinct competitive advantages.

Enterprise Asset Intelligence

With our focus on Enterprise Asset Intelligence, we are helping our customers do just that. Here are just a few examples of how Zebra’s Enterprise Asset Intelligence is helping businesses increase visibility and intelligence in their operations:

• In the transportation and logistics industry.  Zebra empowers T&L firms to maintain visibility of goods, assets, people, processes and places throughout the continuous supply chain.  Our load analytics solution provides visibility into the capacity of each truck and optimizes the number of deliveries each vehicle can make – saving both time and fuel.
• In manufacturing.  Zebra’s manufacturing solutions help simplify workflows, reduce costs and increase warehouse productivity. Our solutions have revolutionized the picking process by achieving never-before-available visibility into customer analytics and order patterns. By predicting customer orders and making top products more accessible, companies can drastically reduce pick times. Zebra is also developing a blueprint for future picking behavior, using virtual reality and heads-up displays to guide employees from pick to pick and to confirm each scan to eliminate errors.
• In retail, Zebra’s retail solutions give visibility into store operations, customers, employees, assets, inventory, shipments and receipts. Our Real Time Location Services (RTLS) geo-target customers based on their location within the store and give visibility into valuable information on shopping habits and purchasing behavior. Zebra devices also make check out faster and help retailers ensure the correct location and placement of merchandise on the shelf.
• In healthcare, Zebra’s healthcare offerings focus on enhancing clinical accuracy, improving staff productivity and maximizing operational efficiency. Our positive patient ID and mobility connectivity solutions provide visibility into the location and well-being of patients, staff and assets.

We work closely with our customers to create and sustain growth with Enterprise Asset Intelligence that ensures real-time visibility into people, processes and things. Zebra solutions allow businesses to sense, analyze and act upon information from their operations in real time, enabling faster and better decisions.

For more information on Zebra’s visibility vision and how it can help you streamline your business operations, read our new Vision Report here.