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By Zebra Blog Team | June 25, 2026
From Human Element to Unbroken Chain: Securing the Modern Manufacturing Frontline
The manufacturing landscape across the Asia Pacific region faces a profound operational shift. As organizations digitize their factory floors and supply chains, they encounter a critical intersection of human workforce dynamics and technological advancement. Skilled labor shortages place immense value on every employee’s time, making efficiency paramount. Simultaneously, the proliferation of connected devices introduces new security vulnerabilities. How can manufacturers empower their leaner teams and protect the very systems they rely on?
We explored this topic on "Coffee with Zebra" with Rohit Kumar, Sales Director for the APAC region at 42Gears. He shared his perspective on how a deep collaboration between software and hardware addresses these pressing challenges, turning potential points of failure into a highly secure and efficient operational chain.
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Empowering the Shared-Device Workforce
Modern manufacturing facilities operate around the clock, with thousands of devices shared across multiple shifts. This reality presents a significant hurdle: providing workers with quick, seamless access to their tools without compromising security. Rohit Kumar explains that the solution lies in a new approach to Frontline Identity and Access Management (FIAM) designed specifically for the frontline. By combining Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) with advanced identity protocols, organizations can ensure the right people have the right access at the right time, without slowing them down. This focus on the connected frontline equips workers with updated and secured devices, helping them work faster, make fewer mistakes, and stay focused.
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A Blueprint for Success in Automotive Manufacturing
The practical impact of this integrated approach comes to life in a success story from a leading automobile manufacturer. The company, which uses Zebra mobile computers, scanners, and printers across its warehouses, finishing plants, and vehicle fleets, struggled with time-consuming manual device troubleshooting and inconsistent application updates. Centralizing endpoint control helped them achieve remarkable results. They enabled quick bulk device deployment using Zebra StageNow and gained remote troubleshooting capabilities.
Misplaced devices are a consistent operational drain. Utilizing 42Gears SureMDM InLocate – an advanced indoor location tracking solution – the manufacturer was able to pinpoint and recover devices inside their vast warehouse facilities. This new level of asset visibility extended even to their printers, allowing them to monitor ink and paper status and perform remote updates, ensuring a foundation for intelligent operations.
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Forging a Highly Resilient Security Posture
In manufacturing, reliability dictates success. Kumar emphasizes that security functions like a chain; it remains only as strong as its weakest link. A vulnerability in either the hardware or the software breaks the entire chain.
True security, therefore, requires hardware and software to work in unison, creating protection from the inside out. This deep technical collaboration ensures every device receives regular OS patching and CVE vulnerability management. Detailed device reports provide constant visibility into hardware changes. This synergy between Zebra’s durable hardware and 42Gears’ intelligent software ensures every link in the operational chain stays protected, strengthening the overall security posture.
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The Future is Automated
As device ecosystems on the factory floor continue to expand with IoT and automation, manual management becomes unsustainable. Intelligent automation emerges as the essential path forward. Kumar notes that with intelligent automation, IT teams can deploy policies across thousands of devices at once and trigger rapid, automated compliance policies when a device falls out of compliance, drastically minimizing manual intervention. By combining AI with identity management, organizations can strengthen authentication while delivering smoother user experiences. This commitment to relentless innovation helps customers achieve optimized workflows, driving efficiency and proactive security at a massive scale.
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Ultimately, building the factory of the future requires more than just advanced technology. It demands a holistic strategy that secures every endpoint and empowers every frontline worker. We believe the work we do each day makes work better for organizations, their employees, and those they serve. As the world’s foundation for intelligent operations, we help customers achieve the real-time insight and connected collaboration necessary to win.
