RFID scanning will be crucial in the coming years

What is Motorolas technology strategy on the mobility front?

We respond to the business units which are supported by various groups
within our labs. Conceptually, we work with companies and universities and
primarily business units and my part of job is to collocate with actual business
units. We do technology system solutions. Motorola, under the Symbol brand, is a
leader in point of sale scanners. We are continuously innovating enterprise
mobility. Automated data capture (ADCs), mobile computing devices (MCDs),
enterprise wireless LAN (EWLAN), radio frequency identification (RFID), and
mobility software products are some of the areas we are concentrating on.

What are some of the key research activities that Motorolas applied
research technology center (ARTC) is currently engaged in?

The ARTC is engaged in various initiatives including developing next
generation video solutions which find applications in government and public
safety business. We are developing video as a multimedia component. Video
surveillance can be used in monitoring and pre-empting and preventing disasters.
Complementing these is the Incident Diary application. This application
collects and records data such as the time of the incident, witnesses, and
images.

What is the next big innovation that is expected for enterprise users?

RFID scanning will be crucial in the coming years. These find applications in
inventory management in retail, hospitality, manufacturing, and healthcare.
Solutions for retail chains enable better sales floor management and prevent
inadequate stocking, thereby, increasing operational efficiency. Our solutions
for warehouse distribution systems can enhance the efficiency of companies
engaged in all facets of warehouse distribution, from shipping and receiving, to
inventory control. These technologies can ultimately help manufacturers reduce
operating costs by reducing labor costs, claims and returns, thereby, increasing
operating income. In addition to RFID, some of the trends that will drive
innovation are secure wireless, converged enterprise-class devices, email &
application access/management through hand-helds, remote management, identity
management, field force enablement, software as a service, location based
services. Motorola is concentrating on driving innovations across these areas.

Sudesh Prasad

sudeshp@cybermedia.co.in