Smart Factory: How HID Connects Employee Identity, Asset Tracking and Traceability
Contacts & Companies
Wolfgang Kratzenberg
Sales Manager, Enterprise Authentication Readers
Colynn Black
Senior Sales Manager, Asset & Item Readers
Profile
Format: Video on demand
Source: Think WIoT Livestream 2026 – RFID & IoT in Action: Smart Logistics, Industry & Healthcare
Title: The Smart Factory: Knowing Who, What, When and Where Matters
Speakers: Wolfgang Kratzenberg and Colynn Black from HID
Date: October 14, 2026
Language: English
From Secure Operator Authentication to Complete Manufacturing Visibility
A smart factory needs more than connected machines and sensors. Manufacturers must also know who is operating their equipment, which assets and materials are involved, when activities take place and where those activities occur. Without this information, digital manufacturing systems may collect large amounts of data while still leaving critical gaps in accountability, security and traceability.
In this joint presentation, Wolfgang Kratzenberg and Colynn Black from HID explore how trusted employee identities and automated asset identification provide the foundation for more secure and transparent manufacturing operations.
Wolfgang Kratzenberg examines the role of secure operator authentication across IT and operational technology (OT). While conventional access control determines who can enter a facility, smart manufacturing requires identity verification at production equipment, human-machine interfaces, industrial workstations and other critical systems.
Knowing which authorized employee performed a particular action makes it possible to establish reliable production records, strengthen accountability and support regulatory and cybersecurity requirements. The presentation also explores why manufacturing has become an important target for cyberattacks and how trusted identities contribute to operational resilience.
Colynn Black extends the discussion from knowing who to knowing what, when and where. Automated identification and tracking technologies connect physical assets, materials and equipment with locations and timestamps, creating the data needed to reconstruct manufacturing processes and understand how resources move through operations.
A case study involving Berntsen International and dinosaur bone tracking illustrates the importance of linking individual objects, equipment, locations and timestamps to reliable records. The presentation also examines automotive manufacturing, where knowing the location of tools, materials and production assets can improve operational visibility and provide auditable data.
Together, the two perspectives demonstrate that smart factory traceability depends on connecting trusted people, identified assets, recorded activities and location information. This combination supports stronger security, more dependable documentation, improved process management and better-informed operational decisions.
Watch the presentation to discover how HID approaches manufacturing visibility and traceability by bringing together secure employee authentication and asset identification across industrial operations.
