Advances in automatic identification, integrated with more advanced networks, ecosystems, IOT and AI, are changing the game for industries across the board.
This is according to Caswell Mthembu, Business Development Manager at BlueStar EMEA, who was addressing a webinar on the state of automatic identification this week.
Mthembu outlined the status of status of South African automatic identification (AutoID) market – covering a host of technologies that are used to help machines identify objects and transfer data from one device to another, including bar code systems, optical character recognition (OCR), smart cards for banking and access control, biometric systems, QR codes and radio frequency identification (RFID).
“The key challenges facing AutoID in South Africa are infrastructure limitations, data privacy and security, cost barriers and privacy concerns,” he said.
He said BlueStar, in partnership with ITWeb, had recently conducted an online survey of AutoID resellers and found their biggest challenges were a lack of projects, financing for customers’ projects, supply chain restrictions and not enough software solutions. The technologies driving business growth in 2024 included mobile computing (49%), IOT (24%), scanning (14%) and RFID (6%).
This year, the market is expected to grow in IOT, mobile computing, RFID and scanning, with leading revenue drivers being retail and hospitality, field service/utilities and education. The survey found that the top five priorities for customers are reliability, integration, performance, security and support and services, with AI rising to become a key priority this year.
Mthembu said: “This year, we see significant growth opportunities in retail and e-commerce, for example, with tags for tracking and inventory, bar code scanners for efficiency and RFID of bar codes for loss prevention. In healthcare, AutoID enables smart patient wristbands, asset tracking and control of pharmaceuticals. The evolution of AutoID in the healthcare space has led to patient wristbands, which can be scanned and updated, and have been a game changer in how we view health information, with the patient’s age, ID number and what sickness they have readily to hand. You also have a sharing of information – from the nurse who administers the medication to the doctor who knows who administered it.
“In manufacturing and logistics, AutoID supports quality control, tracking and logistics, and in the public sector, AutoID supports identification, asset tracking and security,” he said.
Integrating AutoID with IOT and AI elevates the power of AutoID technologies, he said.
The Zebra AutoID ecosystem
Deveshan Naicker, Channel Leader for Africa at OEM Zebra Technologies, said ERP information at the core is no longer enough to meet ever rising customer expectations: “We need information at the tips of our fingers. At the edge, where sales are being made, orders shipped and patients treated, you need information in real-time. Zebra Technologies gives customers a performance edge by putting their data to work and transforming front-line experiences."
Zebra has evolved the AutoID industry by manufacturing a vast portfolio of hardware, solutions and software through acquisitions and R&D.
Naicker said: “Zebra’s Workcloud is a set of enterprise software tools that help businesses improve communication, efficiency and productivity. These product suites include workforce optimisation, enterprise collaboration, inventory optimisation and demand intelligence. Zebra also offers RFID scanners and handheld readers, printers and ultra-rugged mobile devices, wearables and vehicle mounted computers. Zebra also supplies secure charging cabinets, cradle locks and cable racks for devices. We serve over 80% of the Fortune 500, with solutions for retail, warehousing, manufacturing, healthcare, transport and logistics and field operations.”
Naicker said the use cases for AutoID technologies were endless: “We even do player tracking of game day and field practice in NFL players, which generates data that can be used for coaching and for news media. Another interesting use case for AutoID is track and trace of cattle out on the farm, following the lifespan of the cow from calf to cull. We can put an RFID tag to monitor the calf through its lifespan – logging its injections, where it grazes and what vet it’s seen, so supporting track and tracing requirements for export and consumers. In retail, grocery pickers at Shoprite Checkers use Zebra devices to pick and pack goods for online shopping.
“We at Zebra are bringing out new devices all the time, so it’s important for customers to make sure they choose the right device for the project,” he concluded.
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