Nolan’s Notes: Looking Deep Into the Future With X-ray
Knocking Down the Bone Pile: Basics of Component Lead Tinning
Standard of Excellence: Anticipating Customer Needs Early and Often
Carnival, Jabil Launch Consumer Wearable Production Line in the Caribbean
December 31, 2021 | PRNewswireEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
Two of Florida's most prominent companies – Carnival Corporation & plc, and Jabil, Inc. – announced they are partnering to launch the first Experience Internet of Things consumer wearables manufacturing and fulfillment location in the Florida/Caribbean region.
Santo Domingo, the capital city of the Dominican Republic, is the site of the first Princess Medallion® device manufacturing facility outside of Asia, as Carnival Corporation adds production capacity support for its Caribbean cruises while also boosting economic development by supporting the more than 600 jobs at Jabil's Dominican Republic facility.
"The proximity of Jabil's state-of-the-art facilities and factory automation along with its exceptional track record across consumer, medical and military device manufacturing gives us a tremendous opportunity to support the increased demand for our experiential IoT wearables and also support good-paying jobs in the Dominican Republic in the highly desirable sector of travel and tourism," said John Padgett, chief experience and innovation officer for Carnival Corporation. "This development also reflects the continuation of Carnival Corporation's impressive investments throughout the Caribbean to stimulate economic growth and prosperity across the region."
Launched in 2017, the revolutionary Medallion wearable contains a proprietary blend of communication technologies and enables the world's first interactive guest experience platform transforming vacation travel on a large scale into a highly personalized level of customized service.
Currently available on ships from Princess Cruises, MedallionClass vacations leverage the innovation within the Medallion to enable touchless embarkation and disembarkation, frictionless commerce and keyless stateroom entry, as well as dynamic way-finding on board, family and friends locator, first-run movies on the go, an interactive events and activities planner, and interactive gaming.
The quarter-sized, 1.8-ounce wearable disc has no discernible technology – no on-off switch, no recharge needed, no menu to navigate, and is waterproof, heat- and cold-resistant and sand- and salt-proof. The Medallions are emblazoned with the cruise line's logo and each disc is laser-etched with the guest's name, name of their ship and sail date.
Inside the Medallion are two microscopic antennas – one utilizing Near Field Communication (NFC) and one utilizing Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). The device seamlessly syncs with an invisible Experiential Internet of ThingsTM (xIoTTM) network of readers, sensors and edge computing devices that recognize individual guests in locations throughout the ships and facilitate experiences for them based on location, personal information they provide and onboard interactions.
The Medallion wearables are being produced in Jabil's 60,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Bajos de Haina's PIISA Industrial Park, part of the area's fast-growing free trade zone. Medallions produced and fulfilled at the Dominican Republic location will ship to Miami for distribution to guests sailing Princess MedallionClass vacations in the Caribbean.
"Jabil is excited about this new partnership with Carnival Corporation and confident that our manufacturing solutions in one of our newest sites will meet the needs of this world-class wearable that elevates the Princess Cruises guest experience," said Mike Mahaz, vice president of global business units at Jabil. "Our facility in Santo Domingo is the ideal location to support this exciting new product, given its proximity and high-caliber talent pool."
In addition to the new manufacturing initiative, Princess Cruises is also growing the number of ship visits to the Dominican Republic during the 2021-22 season by 250%, compared to 2019.
Share on:
Suggested Items
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
04/04/2025 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007There was big news throughout the week on a global economic scale. Everything is moving so fast it’s hard to follow. I sat in on a webinar about the U.S. tariff changes announced on April 2, and even the policy wonks, whose life’s purpose is to be expert in these things, couldn’t keep up. One speaker was checking government information websites, and listening to the news on the television even as she gave her update.
Bridging the Gap Between PCB Designers and Fabricators
04/03/2025 | Stephen V. Chavez, Siemens EDAWith today’s advanced EDA tools, designing complex PCBs in the virtual world does not necessarily mean they can be built in the real world. This makes the relationship between a PCB designer and a fabricator pivotal to the success of a project. In keeping with solid design for manufacturing (DFM) practices, clear and frequent communication is needed to dial and lock in design constraints that meet expectations while addressing manufacturing concerns.
Tata Electronics Appoints KC Ang as President and Head of Tata Semiconductor Manufacturing
04/03/2025 | PRNewswireTata Electronics Private Limited, a pioneer in the Indian electronics and semiconductor manufacturing sector, announced the appointment of KC Ang as President and Head of its Foundry business - Tata Semiconductor Manufacturing Private Limited reporting to Dr. Randhir Thakur, CEO & MD of Tata Electronics.
Statement from IPC on ‘Liberation Day’ Pressing for Domestic Manufacturing Strategy
04/03/2025 | IPCIPC, a global electronics association dedicated to furthering the competitive excellence and financial success of more than 3,200 members, shared the following statement today on U.S. tariffs and their implications on the global electronics industry. It can be attributed to Richard Cappetto, IPC senior director of North American government affairs:
Connect the Dots: Stop Killing Your Yield—The Hidden Cost of Design Oversights
04/03/2025 | Matt Stevenson -- Column: Connect the DotsI’ve been in this industry long enough to recognize red flags in PCB designs. When designers send over PCBs that look great on the computer screen but have hidden flaws, it can lead to manufacturing problems. I have seen this happen too often: manufacturing delays, yield losses, and designers asking, “Why didn’t anyone tell me sooner?” Here’s the thing: Minor design improvements can greatly impact manufacturing yield, and design oversights can lead to expensive bottlenecks. Here’s how to find the hidden flaws in a design and avoid disaster.