Drones and Smart Tags are the first two new lines that we have signed on for a while. We are still crazy busy with RFID projects, so it would have been understandable if we just stood pat for a while on new technologies. But as always, if we see something that we think would be beneficial to our customers, and our customers are asking if we can help with this technology, it becomes impossible for us not to take action.
Several companies here in central Indiana have already implemented Gather AI warehouse drones, so we knew the demand was there. Plus Gather AI has a partner program that progresses from referral to actually reselling, and in the future the ability for the EMP team to actually implement the technology ourselves.
In the meantime, our customers who have decided to add drone technology to their data collection tools will probably need our help getting the data from the Gather AI system into their ERP or WMS software, so as is usually the case, we plan to have an active role in the project.
The second new line is smart tags from PDI Digital. We have already implemented these tags with a large automotive customer of ours a few years back. We also did a Solutions Newsletter for that application that talked about your products being able to say, “Pick Me”! But we did not sign up as an official partner with PDI-Digital at that time.
Flash forwards a few years and PDI Digital has an official partner program for companies like EMP and we are one of their initial partners.
So, if you want a solution that will have a flashing tag showing your operators which product they are looking for. Or you are frequently relabeling products as they progress through your operations. Or you are wanting to locate products by putting smart tags on them. We now have solutions for you.
What is next for us? Logistics robots for sure. Will Zebra get their Fetch product to a point where it is partner ready? Or will we sign up another robot line like Bear Robotics that is making a push from food service and hospitality to the warehouse and plant floor? Stay tuned, more to come.
If you want to learn more about these new technology lines, www.emptechgroup.com is the best way to reach us.