Examining the people, processes and technology within an enterprise are key business strategies, as well as recurring themes of Barcoding’s Executive Forum 5: Be Efficient – Accurate – Connected™. Held Oct. 8 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, the event, brought together leaders in the supply chain management and mobile technology industries to exchange best practices and proven strategies.
Gerry Sandusky, keynote speaker and the Voice of the Baltimore Ravens, opened the event by telling a story about how his radio broadcast team used a cell phone to continue coverage during Super Bowl XLVII’s power outage. Sandusky related the story to how businesses should treat problems as opportunities to improve their processes.
Panelists Carrie Angelico, senior RFID business development manager, North America, Zebra Technologies; P.V. Subramanian, founder and CEO, Visybl Inc.; and McLeod Williamson, RFID business development, RR Donnelley, shared their insights on integrating RFID with other technologies to develop hybrid solutions for their enterprises.
Later in the morning sessions, Peter Rangusa, CEO and co-founder of Better Day™ Health, presented a case study highlighting how his firm assists medical facilities by automating the electronic health records (EHR) management process. Rangusa explained that healthcare facilities utilizing RFID technology are reducing the time staff spends manually entering data, while increasing the time spent serving patients.
During lunch, Jay Steinmetz, Barcoding’s founder and CEO, presented the “Innovator of the Year” award to DAP Products Inc. DAP Products won the award for implementing an innovative mobile solution that automates the process of tracking and moving products throughout its plants and warehouses.
Afternoon sessions featured insightful executive briefings from Barcoding staff and partners. Key topics of discussion included mobility analytics, technology deployment, adoption and retention; and the Internet of Things (IoT). Joe White, vice president and general manager, Enterprise Mobile Computing, Zebra Technologies, noted how the combination of IoT and enterprise application integration (EAI) can enhance a company’s processes by improving visibility. People “geeked out,” learning about everything from hacking with Cradlepoint, to RFID in football with Zebra, to mobile development, to the age-old Apple vs. Android vs. Windows debate.
In the forum’s final session, Chase Sowden, Barcoding’s supply chain architect, held a Continuous Improvement Program Workshop, where he explained the steps companies should follow to eliminate waste from their day-to-day operations. Those steps include determining the customer’s requirements, obtaining organization-wide buy-in, examining each process, identifying a problem, and looking for a solution.
Throughout the forum, Barcoding invited attendees to participate in its #SupplyChainGeek video. Wide Angle Youth, a Baltimore non-profit organization that provides youth with media education, captured short interviews, asking participants, “What makes you a supply chain geek?” The video served as an exciting build-up to the end-of-the-day announcement of the launch of Barcoding’s #SupplyChainGeek Network, a digital community in which members foster and support an open, innovative, and inspiring discourse in supply chain management and mobile technology best practices and thought leadership. The responses in the video confirmed the need for an initiative like the #SupplyChainGeek Network, as there hasn’t been a place where supply chain leaders from across industries can come together to share ideas.
Shane Snyder, Barcoding’s president, closed the event by thanking sponsors and attendees for supporting and participating in the forum. Barcoding’s Executive Forum 6 will take place on Oct. 6, 2016, (location TBA). Whether you are a #SupplyChainGeek or not, save the date and start planning for next year’s event!
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