Zscaler™ Enables Infrastructure-less Warehouses for Kubota Australia
Technology Category
- Functional Applications - Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP)
- Wearables - Portable Scanners
Applicable Industries
- Agriculture
- Telecommunications
Applicable Functions
- Logistics & Transportation
- Warehouse & Inventory Management
Use Cases
- Last Mile Delivery
- Picking, Sorting & Positioning
Services
- System Integration
About The Customer
Kubota Australia is a leading provider of agriculture, construction, and power equipment for both business and domestic customers. The company operates through a network of 160 dealerships across Australia and New Zealand, offering new products and aftersales support. Kubota Corporation, the parent company, entered the equipment market in 1953 and launched its first tractor in 1960. Today, Kubota employs more than 35,000 people worldwide. To keep up with growing demand, Kubota Australia continues to add warehouses and is constantly seeking innovative solutions to enhance its operations and customer service.
The Challenge
Kubota Australia, a provider of agriculture, construction, and power equipment, was facing a significant challenge in expanding its warehouse network. The company was experiencing growing demand and needed to provide more parts to more customers promptly. However, the requirement for internet connectivity in the warehouses to allow RF scanners to communicate with the ERP system was proving to be a hindrance. The need for a dedicated wireless network and the logistics of working with potentially different internet service providers at each warehouse location was slowing down the process of making new warehouses operational. The company was seeking a solution to this problem that would allow it to maintain a competitive edge while keeping operational costs low.
The Solution
Kubota Australia came up with the innovative solution of installing the Zscaler Client Connector on the Android-based RF scanners used in the warehouses. Each scanner was also equipped with a SIM card, allowing it to connect to a conventional 4G mobile network. This solution was trialed on a scanner and proved to be successful. The Zscaler Client Connector was easy to install on the Android RF scanners and worked flawlessly without impacting resource utilization on the device. Each scanner could now securely communicate with the company’s SAP ERP system without the need for a separate network. This made the warehouse staff much more agile and productive. The connection was secure even when connecting via guest Wi-Fi, shared internet with no firewalls, and even across mobile carriers. With Zscaler Private Access, Kubota Australia was able to ensure end-to-end encryption from the RF Scanner to the ERP application and restrict the users to only the SAP ERP application without allowing them to browse the internet.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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