Experience Center Zebra's eye to the future

When Zebra Technologies acquired Motorola Solutions' enterprise business division for $3.45 billion last year, analysts saw the move as a perfect match for the Lincolnshire-based provider of bar code and radio frequency identification technology in its efforts to expand its presence into broader markets.

As Motorola's business has been absorbed into Zebra over the past year, the company has also refocused itself into a technology solutions company. That focus took a tangible shape with the unveiling of the Zebra Experience Center at its corporate headquarters.

The center is an area that enlightens customers, suppliers and employees to the wide range of products and solutions Zebra offers, but it also provides the company with a visible focus of its future, according to Dan Chamberlain, vertical marketing lead for transportation and logistics for Zebra.

"It's not just a meeting space," Chamberlain said. "It has a look and feel that sends a message that this company is looking toward the future."

Chamberlain notes the center provides the space and resources for Zebra staff and clients to brainstorm ideas that can help develop solutions to their clients' specific needs.

The focus of the center is a large, glass-walled formal conference room that contains an 84-inch smart monitor, which can be accessed by 10 different servers within the center, Chamberlain said. The monitor, as well as all the multimedia throughout the center, can be controlled from a panel at the head of the table.

To the side of the formal meeting room are two, more informal meeting spaces. An "engage area," painted in light pastels, holds a pair of counters and chairs with a smart monitor and has more of a Millennial office feel. A small theater space next to the engage area has a larger screen and several rows of swivel chairs.

Chamberlain points out that not every client is at home in a formal setting, and the other areas provide a place where "we can roll up our sleeves and do some whiteboards and flipcharts, and people can talk and create different ideas.

"When you take people out of the standard conference chair and put them in a different seat, there's something about that change that changes the brain chemistry and changes their approach, and it becomes a different conversation," he said.

Flanking the meeting areas are the multimedia displays of Zebra products and solutions. Each display is divided into the key industries the company serves, from manufacturing, supply chain and retail to medical and, most recently, its RFID tracking program with the National Football League. In addition to featuring its Zebra and Symbol branded products, an area focuses on its new Zatar Internet of Things division.

Since opening the center, Chamberlain said it has far exceed the company's expectations. In addition to being a unique sales and marketing tool, the center is used for new employee orientation. Chamberlain said they have also received requests from suppliers wanting the educate their sales and support staffs to what they sell.

And while it's not open to the public, Chamberlain said the company would consider outside requests to tour the center.

"We have a lot of excitement at where the company is going, so if somebody wants to come in and share that excitement, then we'll find a way to do it," Chamberlain said.

"There's a real energy (at Zebra), and that's what this room conveys."

News bytes

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"We're confident that Patton is a perfect fit for our organization and we welcome him to the Paylocity family," Haske said

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"This investment in some of the fastest Internet speeds available will help small businesses compete in a modern economy and offers residential customers the high-speed connectivity so many are demanding today," said AT&T Illinois President Paul La Schiazza.

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