Executive Summary
The business world is in the midst of one of the most challenging periods in recent history. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, companies are facing unprecedented supply chain disruptions, labor shortages, and operational issues that are making it difficult to keep up with production, distribution, and customer demands.
Companies can no longer rely on manual labor, hiring more people, and using existing systems and processes to keep up with demand. They need to figure out how to do more with the people they have, and they need to look for every opportunity to increase output, efficiency, and on-time performance through technology and automation.
One key way that many manufacturers and warehouses are addressing these issues and reinventing their operations is with the use of real-time locating system (RTLS) technologies.
With RTLS technologies such as radio frequency identification (RFID), ultra- wideband active RFID, and Bluetooth low energy smart beacons, companies are automating the tracking and management of their critical assets, goods and people, with accurate visibility into their location, condition and performance. Using RTLS solutions such as Zebra’s MotionWorks, companies are able to replace or streamline many of their manual, labor-intensive manufacturing and warehousing processes with automated workflows that require less time and labor. And they’re able to achieve unprecedented visibility into the location, status and motion of goods, assets and people, all with actionable insights from real-time, quantifiable data.
But achieving these results starts with understanding RTLS technologies, how they work, their applications and limitations, and the types of solutions needed to build out and deploy a successful solution. Before you consider a deeper exploration and an investment in solutions such as MotionWorks, you need to have a realistic picture of what’s possible with an RTLS, and you need to understand the different technologies and options, and how these potentially fit with your business needs and environment. This MotionWorks Buyer’s Guide is designed to help you develop that understanding and get you up to speed as quickly as possible, so you can evaluate RTLS possibilities for your operations and identify the types of solutions you might need to realize them.
MotionWorks RTLS Overview
Zebra MotionWorks is a data collection and software platform that uses a variety of sensing and locating technologies to track important resources in your enterprise. It gives your business the ability to automate data collection, and it delivers actionable insights from qualified and real-time data on the location and state of tagged resources.
By automating tracking with MotionWorks and pinpointing asset locations, status and motion, you can get real visibility into your goods and assets, streamline workflows, ensure replenishment and expedite shipping and fulfillment. You can also increase control over your operations, minimize downtime, and maximize performance, even in terms of worker productivity and safety. Since MotionWorks can be used to sense the location of your workforce, you can better ensure safety, improve connectivity and collaboration, and enhance your compliance processes as well.
Zebra’s location data collection and support platform, MotionWorks Enterprise, can collect and derive all the data you need, including locations, paths, and even temperature. The application layer then integrates or interfaces with your enterprise or third-party applications through open standard protocols and APIs. It also connects to Zebra’s Savanna data intelligence platform, where data can be aggregated, stored and analyzed through cloud-based analytics and web data services.
It’s all delivered through a user interface and console experience that simplifies data collection and calculation by providing reports, events, alerts and recommended actions at the enterprise level, along with the ability to manage your system. It’s also scalable to up to hundreds or thousands of sites, with thousands of users and hundreds of thousands of tracked resources.
Solutions from RTLS Experts You Can Trust
Since 1974, Lowry Solutions has provided enterprise automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) technologies for leading companies nationwide, building a reputation as a premier provider with over 10,000 customers.
Partnering with real-time locating technology leaders such as Zebra, we offer the most complete portfolio of tracking and locating systems to tackle today’s toughest business challenges, giving our customers a competitive edge through barcoding, RFID, RTLS, and asset management solutions.
Our experts tap into decades of experience and in-depth knowledge, putting into place a systematic approach to translate your business needs into relevant solutions for a real return on investment. We take the time to understand your business needs, help you evaluate and choose the right technologies, and not only create the solution but follow through to project completion and provide world-class, 24/7 service and support.
Zebra is a global leader in data capture, mobile computing and real-time locating technologies with an unsurpassed reputation for innovation and quality. Zebra solutions work behind the scenes in many industries around the world, ensuring that every asset and worker on the edge is visible, connecting them to the data they need, and guiding them with accurate insights to the best next action, optimizing workflows, operations, and decisions in real time for efficient, impactful results.
Founded in 1969, Zebra now has offices in over 54 countries, over 8,800 employees, and has over 5,300 patents, all dedicated to delivering industry-tailored solutions to intelligently connect people, assets and data. Across the globe, where businesses and people find their edge, Zebra is there.
