Zebra Technologies (News - Alert) Corporation, a provider of solutions and services designed to give enterprises real-time visibility into operations, has announced a new agreement with Jingdong Group (JD.com) and Digital China to develop a joint laboratory to conduct research and development in the Internet of Things (IOT) and e-commerce logistics.
The agreement outlines the establishment of the so-called “IoT + E-commerce Logistics Lab” at JD.com’s pilot warehouse in Beijing’s Shunyi district. Zebra and its channel partner, Digital China, have been providing JD.com with innovative transport and logistics solutions, including barcode printers, mobile devices and barcode scanners in its warehouses and order fulfillment chain to give them real-time visibility into their operations.
The joint research lab is established under a shared vision of creating a practical scientific research platform to bring together the best practices, resources and talents in logistics management, data collection, mobile computing, machine vision, cloud computing and IoT, the statement said. The R&D facility is designed to enable the alliance to carry out research and development, prototype implementation, test and evaluation, and application demonstrations, leading to the development of next-generation logistics solutions.
The agreement was signed by Eddie Wu, GM, Zebra Technologies, Greater China; Bing Fu, VP, Jingdong Group and head of logistics planning and development, Jingdong Mall; Bin Zhu, associate President, Digital China, and Jun Yan, GM, loT, Digital China.
“For more than a decade, JD.com has continuously invested in logistics technologies and accumulated rich experiences in technology operations and management, collaborating long-term with leading companies in the industry, such as Zebra Technologies and Digital China,” said Bing Fu. “We look forward to the potential of this lab with Zebra and Digital China and share breakthrough technologies in the logistics field to achieve win-win outcomes.”
“Zebra is committed to innovation and development, including in IoT and solutions to help organizations harness the three megatrends of IoT, cloud computing and mobility,” said Eddie Wu. “This will enable enterprises to gain greater visibility into their operations and real-time actionable insights to make smarter business decisions. We aim to continue our commitment in innovating with our partners and customers to develop technologies and solutions that will help make organizations as smart and connected as the world we live in. Together with JD.com and Digital China, we look forward to the results that will make a positive impact on the logistics industry.”