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By Chris Kelly | April 23, 2026
Winning Together: From Transaction to Partnership on the Frontline
Bringing together thousands of the brightest minds in our industry at our Channel Partner Summit sparks incredible collaboration and reinforces a fundamental truth about our business: technology alone does not solve challenges, people do. In this edition of our Winning Together series we’re going to talk about how when Zebra, our partners, and our customers work together, we create powerful outcomes.
For decades, I’ve watched companies navigate waves of technological change. We recognize that every customer is at a different stage of their digital transformation journey. The challenge is not to force a one-size-fits-all solution, but to meet each customer where they are.
Whether the struggle is with basic inventory accuracy or trying to optimize complex supply chain logistics, our goal is to provide a targeted, incremental path to improvement. This philosophy allows us to address the most pressing operational pain points first, deliver a rapid return on investment, and build a foundation for continuous improvement, helping our customers become more resilient and more competitive every day.
A Team Sport for a Total Solution
No single company holds all the answers. Customers need solutions they can invest in for the long haul, and the magic happens when we combine best-in-class components. At our summit, witnessing our partners working with other partners, all of us aligning to solve customer problems felt incredible — This truly is a team sport.
We design the world’s foundation for intelligent operations, with a broad portfolio of hardware, software, and automation solutions for the frontline. Our partners, including a vibrant community of software vendors, then build upon that foundation with specialized applications. Together, we deliver durable solutions that provide real-time insights, connected collaboration, and optimized workflows.
This combination delivers the specific outcomes our customers need, whether they seek to improve inventory management in retail, increase visibility across the supply chain, or enhance the quality and productivity of their manufacturing lines and beyond.
Fueling Intelligent Operations with Data
A major topic of conversation at the summit revolved around AI, which holds immense potential and relies heavily on data inputs. Here we find a unique opportunity to help our customers as we envision frontline operations everywhere becoming digitized, automated, and intelligent.
Think about the devices in the hands of frontline workers — They represent much more than just scanners or mobile computers; they function as sensory platforms. Equipped with cameras, RFID readers, and other sensors, they capture a wealth of contextual data right at the point of work.This flow of information fuels AI models that can then guide workers with next-best-action suggestions, automate time-consuming tasks, and provide insights that help workers make smarter decisions.
For example, we can help reduce the time workers perform tasks in the back room and get them onto the sales floor, ready to assist a customer. Giving your team modern tools and intelligent guidance creates a better work experience, and makes your workers more effective from day one.
The Ultimate Measure of Success
With all this focus on technology and partnerships, how do we ultimately define success? I believe the true measure comes when our customers see us as an indispensable part of their long-term strategy. During my briefing at the summit, I shared what this means to me in practice.
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Success is a journey, not a single event. It begins with deep engagement in a customer’s workflow. We work to understand each customer’s current state, identify opportunities for improvement, and partner to co-create a solution.
Success also does not end at delivery. We stay engaged with our customers to see how our solutions get utilized and continuously find new ways to optimize them. When we commit to this cycle, growth naturally follows for everyone involved.
This philosophy highlights the critical role of our partners. They work on the ground with us, bringing their unique expertise to help us deliver and optimize solutions. The energy at our Channel Partner Summit provided a powerful reminder of our leading channel partner ecosystem's strength. By collaborating, we deliver on our purpose to create new workflows that make the experience better every day for organizations, their employees, and those they serve.
To hear more about how we help organizations achieve their operational goals, I invite you to watch our full conversation.
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