Mister Beacon

The new GS1 EPCIS 2.0 standard is set to have a dramatic impact on the way we manage supply chains. Its functionality can drastically improve sustainability, trust, and efficiency. We talk to one of the key contributors to the standard, author, CTO, and entrepreneur Dominique Guinard about the “Why, What and How” of a standard that supports visibility of “What, When, Where, Why and How” for products. We also get the inside scoop on the acquisition by Digimarc of the company he co founded (Evrythng), and a preview of Living Web, the Physical Web reboot that Wiliot may be releasing. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can profit and planet ever agree? This week's episode proves they can - thanks to World Friendly IoT - and our guest Ollie Smeenk explains how. Ollie is Co-CEO at SODAQ, and he shares fascinating insights about his company’s approach to developing energy harvesting edge devices for construction and shipping. The opportunities to reduce carbon footprints, measure change, and drive profits and savings with earth-friendly devices, are significant. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Interested in RTLS, asset tracking or Industrial IoT? You need to know about the new standard, Omlox, which is shaping the market with over 1,700 company members. Born out of the needs of European manufacturing giants, and the pioneering by Trumpf, the German industrial engineering pioneer.    Omlox promises interoperability for RTLS systems, a catalyst for growth for RTLS vendors and an insurance policy against lock-in for companies wanting to deploy RTLS. We hear about it from the father of the standard, Eberhard Wahl, Managing Director of TRUMPF Tracking Technologies GmbH. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re joined this week by Simon Molnar, who is the founder of Flagship, which is a company that is working to bring to physical retail the science of merchandising and inventory management which they perfected from running Australia’s largest online jewelry store. How will apparel retailers survive in the face of online competition and challenging headwinds? We talk in depth with Simon about the relative benefits of the different technologies that can bridge digital and physical retailing: RFID, machine vision and Bluetooth tags. He shares the insights and changes that the newest technology in this space can deliver. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In their role as a “converter”, Tadbik have been at the forefront of creating tags and connected packaging with RFID, NFC & BLE. Industry veteran David Beit-on, who heads up Tadbik’s business operations in Germany, explains the role of the converter in the world of IoT.  He shines a light on what solution designers need to consider when adding auto-ID tags to “things.” We discuss Tadbik’s role as a pioneer in this space and then get their perspective on their work with Wiliot on battery-free Bluetooth. Then, we answer the question of which use cases have some of the biggest potential in this new world of massive IoT. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Companies are being hacked and ransomed all the time these days, and given the fact that billions of IoT devices have the potential to increase the number of vulnerabilities that companies have to deal with, it’s safe to say that this issue is more important than ever before.So what exactly can be done to increase the security of everyday devices connected to the internet? Well, we brought on the Co-Founder & CEO of Sternum, Natali Tshuva, to tell us how her company is bringing security and observability to the IoT. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Does your product have a soul? We are heading into a future where more and more things are getting digital “souls” or IDs these days. We are talking about an identity that transcends the life and even the second life of a product. It’s a compelling concept, as it unlocks waste reduction, product safety, regulatory compliance, efficiency and new revenue models.  Max Winograd’s team is competing in what is a very strategic market, the provision of cloud systems to manage the soul of every product in the world. Anyone interested in IoT applied to digital identity using RFID, Bluetooth or barcodes needs to know about this. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Last week the GS1 Connect conference came to San Diego. Speakers included auto-ID leaders from Mc Donald’s, Wendy’s and Chipotle. It reminded us of one of our favorite conversations with Melanie Nuce, SVP at GS1, a fascinating person who happens to be a leader at the standards body that is responsible for almost all of the bar codes and data encoded on the products we see everyday.300,000 companies across 25 industries turn to GS1 for guidance. GS1 is a not-for-profit global standards organization, most known for supply chain identification. 50 years after the barcode was first scanned, GS1 continues to help brands and retailers leverage unique identities, capture information in a machine-readable way, and share data with trading partners to drive business decisions. Tune in to get a behind-the-scenes look into business, and to learn all the things you need to know about GS1 and it’s standards.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Logistics is pivotal in shaping modern business operations. As businesses compete and deal with supply chain disruption this is driving some fascinating new technologies and systems. For technologists that seek to embed their technology into the arteries of modern supply chains, it’s important to understand the problems and trends that are driving the adoption of these latest technologies.  In this episode we talk to a journalist who is completely focused on logistics, the trends, and understanding the systems and the players in it. Join us as we get schooled on logistics, Warehouse Management Systems and last mile trends by Jack Daleo, journalist at Freightwaves and Modern Shipper. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week we talk with the leader of the lab that is at the heart of RFID and Auto-ID, about tags in outer space and on the ocean floor. We learn about Auburn University’s pivotal relationship with the giants of retail, aerospace and the biggest vendors of the technologies that are bringing the digital and physical worlds together.Justin Patton is the Director of the Auburn University RFID Lab, a research institute focusing on the business case and technical implementation of emerging technologies in retail, supply chain, aerospace, and manufacturing. The RFID Lab is a unique private/academic partnership between users, technology vendors, standards organizations, and faculty.  Justin has participated in business case research for advanced technology with Walmart, Target, Amazon, FedEx, Dillard’s, Macy’s, Delta Air Lines, and Boeing among others, and is currently supporting projects including multiple technologies supporting serialized supply chains. He is one of the primary developers of the ARC program,

What’s going to happen to the world when the Internet explodes by a factor of 100 times, from billions to trillions of things? Steve talks with a friend of the show, and Deloitte’s Chief Futurist, Robert Schmid, to explore when this change will happen, where the opportunities lie, and how to take advantage of what will be a disruptive revolution in the IoT.We also discuss the prospects for the retail industry and what it must do to survive as we move into an ever more connected world. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week we switch things up as Steve puts his Wiliot hat on and shines a light on the inside story of Wiliot’s initiative to democratize access to its revolutionary Internet of Everyday things technology. Sitting on the other side of the virtual interview table and asking the questions is Robert Schmid, Deloitte’s Chief Futurist, otherwise known as Mr IoT.We’ll talk about Wiliot’s starter kit and what comes inside the box. Clearly $500 for the kit goes a long way for business leaders looking to expand their asset tracking capability.Visit https://www.wiliot.com/starter-kit for more info. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week we are joined by Mattan David, the UK Managing Director of Digipal, an innovator in the next generation of plastic pallets. We discuss how sustainable plastic pallets -  as well as trackable ones - are game-changers. Years of coping with the limits of RFID tracking - clumsily monitoring movement as pallets enter and leave storage facilities - is being replaced by the superpower of Bluetooth tracking? Learn how this newer technology will transform the way Digipal - and others - keep track of their pallets and prevent loss or theft of goods.We’re rapidly entering a new era where returnable transport items are never lost or held up in transport.The 3rd song Mattan mentioned can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FcdvdPX5p8 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We are thrilled that George Anderson - the all-seeing, all-knowing Editor-in-Chief of Retail Wire - will be sharing his often unexpected wisdom on the impact of Covid-19 on the retail economy. Of course, the supply chain implications are profound, which brings us around to the IoT. Given that the pandemic has accelerated everything - collapsing five years into one, as the cliche goes - how will the supply chain demonstrate "automation acceleration"? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week we have a very special guest, the CEO of Wiliot Tal Tamir. We’ll talk about Wiliot’s latest release, which includes new versions of their IoT Pixel tags (battery-free, postage stamp sized computers), and version 2.0 of their cloud service, designed to scale the IoT 100x, from billions to trillions of intelligent connected everyday things. These technologies are primed to disrupt the IoT and make it much easier for companies to not only track things that were previously offline, but actively solve problems as they arise. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week on The Mr. Beacon Podcast we’re talking with the CEO of Blyott, Gery Pollet. Healthcare is one of the most lucrative markets for asset tracking solutions, but how do you crack it? Gery reveals his company’s approach and tells the story of how he figured out the secret.We go deep on the importance of asset tracking in the medical space. Covering the best tools for keeping track of both expensive equipment, as well as consumables. Tackling the challenges healthcare providers face today. And how much money is to be gained or lost in the process. Also check out the songs Gery mentioned in the interview:Jacques Brel – Ne me quitte pashttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vz6r0TP4FBI Stroma – Alors on Dansehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHoT4N43jK8 Angèle – Bruxelles Je ’T Aimehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a79iLjV-HKw See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week on The Mr. Beacon Podcast we’re talking with Brielle Jaekel, who is the Managing Editor of Supply and Demand Chain Executive, and host of the L.I.N.K. podcast. She has a lot of insight on the current issues with the supply chain. How can innovations in the IoT help?We talk about this, as well as the environmental implications, tech company visibility, and much more. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week we get to know Russian indoor location and Indoor Positioning System vendor of 10 years standing Navigine. We're joined by the CEO, Alexey Panyov, and partnership manager, Margarita Vlasova. They've adopted an open source strategy, giving away some of the most valuable software assets they have developed. We learn why they did it and some surprising benefits.Songs mentioned by the guests are here below.Margarita:Reasons by Minnie Riperton https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOOgY6CN6Xc&ab_channel=MinnieRiperton-TopicTime in a Bottle by Jim Croce https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9h1davKgBYM&ab_channel=JimCroce-TopicFramganga by Danheim https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3qgE2OR-Zk&ab_channel=DanheimAlexey:Pink Floyd - another brick in the wall  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IpYOF4Hi6QPink Floyd - shine on you crazy diamond https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWGE9Gi0bB0AC/DC - thunderstruck https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2AC41dglnM See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-o

Can you guess what the world's largest indoor location services platform is? Cisco’s DNA Spaces platform handles over 1 trillion location updates from 1 million access points deployed across 120,000 locations worldwide, so it is a serious contender for this title. The strategic implications of a giant like Cisco building a services platform like this impacts the entire ecosystem of customers and vendors that are in adjacent and overlapping spaces. This week we’re taking a look back at the discussion we had about DNA Spaces with Product Manager Lucas Hanson. Tune in to learn how Cisco is digitizing physical spaces at an unprecedented scale and how you can harness the data from your existing Cisco wireless infrastructure to turn it into consumable insights and actionable business outcomes. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

From the leading journalist and podcaster on IoT – Host of The Internet of Things Podcast, Stacey Higginbotham introduces us to Sidewalk, Matter and the subject of IoT interoperability.  Plus, we have a lively discussion on privacy and Stacey’s predictions on the future of the IoT industry. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.