Zebra Technologies

Zebra Technologies Corporation
Company typePublic
IndustryComputer hardware, Manufacturing, Retail, Health care, Transportation and logistics
Founded1969; 55 years ago (1969)
Founders
  • Ed Kaplan
  • Gerhard Cless
HeadquartersLincolnshire, Illinois, U.S.
Key people
  • Anders Gustafsson (chair)
  • William Burns (CEO)
ProductsRFID printers/encoders, barcode printers, mobile printers, card imaging printers, kiosk printers, real-time locating systems, UWB and related supplies and services, rugged mobile computers and tablets, scanners, software
RevenueDecrease US$4.58 billion (2023)
Decrease US$481 million (2023)
Decrease US$296 million (2023)
Total assetsDecrease US$7.31 billion (2023)
Total equityIncrease US$3.04 billion (2023)
Number of employees
9,750 (2023)
Websitezebra.com
Footnotes / references
[1]

Zebra Technologies Corporation is an American mobile computing company specializing in technology used to sense, analyze, and act in real time.[2] The company manufactures and sells marking, tracking, and computer printing technologies. Its products include mobile computers and tablets, software, thermal barcode label and receipt printers, RFID smart label printers/encoders/fixed & handheld readers/antennas, autonomous mobile robots (AMR’s) & machine vision (MV), and fixed industrial scanning hardware & software.

History

Zebra was incorporated in 1969 as Data Specialties Incorporated, a manufacturer of high-speed electromechanical products. The company changed its focus to specialty on-demand labeling and ticketing systems in 1982 and became Zebra Technologies Corporation in 1986. Zebra became a publicly traded company in 1991.

In 1986, Zebra (then Data Specialties Incorporated) acquired Qwint Systems (formerly Martin Research), an early microcomputer pioneer which had restructured as a teletypewriter manufacturer at the beginning of the 1980s.[3][4]

In 1998, Zebra Technologies merged with Eltron International, Inc.[5] In 2000, Comtec Information Systems was acquired by Zebra Technologies,[6] followed in 2003 by the acquisition of Atlantek, Inc., which was a manufacturer of photo ID printers.[7]

In 2004, the company expanded into RFID smart label manufacturing.[8][9] In the following years, Zebra also acquired Swecoin, WhereNet Corp,[10] Proveo AG,[11] and Navis Holdings (later divested in 2011).[12]

The company bought the Enterprise Solutions Group (ESG) in 2008 and renamed the group Zebra Enterprise Solutions in 2009. In the same year, Multispectral Solutions, Inc. was acquired.[13] In 2012, the companies LaserBand,[14] and StepOne Systems were purchased with a cash price of $1.5 million.[15]

In 2013, the company acquired Hart Systems for $94 million in cash from the private equity firm Topspin Partners LBO.[16]

In 2014, Zebra acquired Motorola Solutions' Enterprise Division in a $3.45 billion transaction, providing mobile computing and advanced data capture communications technologies and services. Zebra's acquisition of the Enterprise Division included the Symbol Technologies and Psion product lines.[16][17] Also in 2014, Zebra provided its real-time location system (RTLS) in NFL stadiums to track players and officials and provide location-based data for the NFL's Next Gen Stats program.[18][19] Zebra’s partnership with the NFL extends through the 2025 football season.[20]

In 2018, the company acquired Xplore Technologies, a maker of ruggedized tablets and other hard-wearing hardware.[21]

In 2019, Zebra acquired Temptime Corporation, a provider of temperature monitoring devices to the healthcare industry.[22] That same year, Zebra also acquired Profitect, a retail software company that developed a product line used for tracking and identifying inventory losses.[23][24]

In 2020, Zebra acquired Reflexis Systems, a provider of workforce scheduling and task management software to the retail, food service, hospitality, and banking industries[25] for $575 Million.[26]

In 2021, Zebra acquired Adaptive Vision (provider of graphical MV software), Fetch Robotics (manufacturer of autonomous mobile robots) and Antuit.ai (provider of AI-powered SaaS solutions specific to forecasting and merchandising for the retail and CPG industries).[27][28][29]

In 2022, Zebra acquired Matrox Imaging, a developer of machine vision components and systems.[30]

In December 2023, Zebra partnered with Verizon Business to create a software package that will allow for a faster private 5G network. Zebra tablets and computers will work on Verizon's private network, allowing for more network capacity and fast communication.[31][32]

In 2023, Zebra unveiled Zebra Workcloud - its purpose-built suite of enterprise software applications, primarily serving in retail, banking and healthcare industries.[33] Zebra also introduced the WS50 powered by Workcloud, the first wearable Android touch computer.[34][35]

Locations

Zebra Technologies has more than 128 offices in 55 countries,[36] including Australia, Poland, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.[37][38] The company also has over 10,000+ partners[clarification needed] across 180 countries.[36] In the 2021 annual report, Zebra stated that it traded in 180 countries, with approximately 128 facilities and 9,800 employees.[2][36]

Reception

Newsweek included Zebra on its 2023 America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity list.[39]

References

  1. ^ "Zebra Technologies Annual Report 2023 (Form 10-K)". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. February 15, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "FORM 10-K" (PDF). UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION. 2020-12-31.
  3. ^ Loboyko, Steve (April 29, 2006). "Qwint Teleprinter!". Juliepalooza. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023.
  4. ^ Industrial Research Laboratories of the United States. Vol. 17. Jaques Cattell Press. 1982. ISBN 9780835213608 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ "Zebra : Zebra Technologies Corp.'s shareholders..." 26 October 1998.
  6. ^ "History of Zebra Technologies Corporation – FundingUniverse". www.fundinguniverse.com.
  7. ^ "Zebra to maker of photo ID card printers". 20 November 2003.
  8. ^ "RedPrairie Provides Support for Zebra RP4T Mobile Thermal RFID - Bloomberg". Bloomberg (Press release). 24 September 2015. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015.
  9. ^ "Form 10K SEC Filings". 25 September 2016.[dead link]
  10. ^ Journal, RFID (12 January 2007). "Zebra Active RFID Provider WhereNet - 2007-01-12 - Page 1 - RFID Journal". www.rfidjournal.com.
  11. ^ Journal, RFID (16 October 2007). "Zebra Navis, Proveo - 2007-10-16 - Page 1 - RFID Journal". www.rfidjournal.com.
  12. ^ "Zebra Technologies sells Navis unit for $190M". Crain's Chicago Business. 31 January 2011.
  13. ^ "Zebra Technologies acquires Multispectral Solutions". DQ Channels. 15 May 2008.
  14. ^ Barr, Diana (13 July 2012). "LaserBand sold to Zebra Technologies". St. Louis Business Journal.
  15. ^ "Retail Touch Points". EWEBsite. 19 January 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
  16. ^ a b Osborne, Charlie. "Zebra Technologies Motorola enterprise unit for $3.5bn - ZDNet". ZDNet.
  17. ^ "Zebra". BIAS Tech. 19 March 2020.
  18. ^ Belzer, Jason. "NFL Partners With Zebra Technologies To Provide Next Generation Player Tracking". Forbes.
  19. ^ "NFL Next Gen Stats".
  20. ^ "Zebra Technologies extends partnership with NFL through 2025 season". SBJ.
  21. ^ Lunden, Ingrid (July 5, 2018). "Zebra Technologies is buying rugged tablet maker Xplore for around $90M in cash". Tech Crunch.
  22. ^ "Zebra Technologies to Temptime Corporation". www.businesswire.com. 2019-01-28. Retrieved 2019-04-30.
  23. ^ Denman, Tim (May 20, 2019). "Zebra Technologies to Acquire Profitect". RIS.
  24. ^ Yablonko, Yasmin (May 22, 2019). "Zebra buys Israeli retail analytics co Profitect for $100m". Globes.
  25. ^ "Zebra Technologies Completes Acquisition of Reflexis Systems, Inc". www.businesswire.com. 2020-09-02. Retrieved 2020-12-18.
  26. ^ "Zebra Technologies to Acquire Reflexis Systems, Inc". businesswire.com (Press release). 28 July 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-18.
  27. ^ "Zebra Technologies makes acquisition, launches machine vision and fixed scanning solutions". Modern Materials Handling. 18 May 2021.
  28. ^ Allinson, Mark (25 October 2021). "Zebra Technologies expands Fetch Robotics portfolio with solution to optimize fulfillment workflows". Robotics & Automation.
  29. ^ Kanaan, Maha (4 November 2021). "Zebra Technologies' Acquisition of Antuit Group". Global Legal Chronicle.
  30. ^ "Zebra Technologies Completes Acquisition of Matrox Imaging". Zebra Technologies. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  31. ^ "Verizon Business and Zebra Technologies launch device & software solutions to accelerate private 5G". www.verizon.com. 2023-12-06. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
  32. ^ Meyer, Dan (6 December 2023). "Verizon herds Zebra into its private 5G pen with an eye on enterprise". sdxcentral. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  33. ^ "Zebra Technologies unveils reimagined software portfolio at ZONE Customer Conferences". Edge. October 13, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  34. ^ "Zebra Technologies to Unveil New Solutions at NRF 2024 Advancing the Modern Store". Nasdaq. January 11, 2024. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  35. ^ "StayLinked supports Zebra Technologies ground-breaking WS50". DC Velocity. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  36. ^ a b c "Zebra Technologies Annual Report 2022" (PDF).
  37. ^ "Zebra Technologies Inc". Esri.
  38. ^ "Zebra Headquarters and Locations". Craft.
  39. ^ "America's Greatest Workplaces for Diversity 2023". Newsweek. 9 December 2022.

External links

  • Business data for Zebra Technologies Corporation:
    • Bloomberg
    • Google
    • Reuters
    • SEC filings
    • Yahoo!
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