Barcode printer and reader maker Zebra Technologies buys the Motorola Solutions enterprise scanner business-- an acquisition worth $3.5 billion, higher than its market value.
Zebra might be a little known name, but the company is actually one of the biggest in the barcode business, and counts big name customers such as WalMart and Amazon. It develops own software (ZPL) and its technology finds retail, health care, government and other specific applications.
Recently the company has been prodding Internet of Things waters in effort to replace the traditional bar code with (pricier) RFID tags.
Meanwhile the Motorola enterprise unit makes everything from barcode scanners to WLAN technologies, making it an ideal fit for the company. However Motorola retains the iDen wireless and 2-way radio unit.
"Both companies are at the forefront of emerging technology trends like the IoT," Zebra CEO Anders Gustafsson says. "Zebra will now hold 1000s of patents, and we will strengthen our leadership in defining and growing IoT enabled solutions."