Zebra Technologies and Trimble Collaborate on Internet of Things Solution

Companies to integrate RFID into Zatar, Zebra's cloud-based platform for Internet of Things

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Apr 07, 2014, 04:01 ET

LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill., April 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Zebra Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: ZBRA) a global leader in products and solutions that provide real-time visibility into organizations' assets, people and transactions, today announced it will integrate Trimble's ThingMagic® Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) readers and devices enabled with ThingMagic embedded RFID technology into Zebra's Zatar platform. Zatar is a cloud-based, multi-sensor integration Internet of Things (IoT) platform for connecting legacy and smart devices, such as iBeacons, printers and RFID readers to the Internet and enabling third-party applications to easily work with the devices over an open source API.

RFID systems enable many organizations such as retailers, manufacturers and healthcare providers to understand the location of their assets and inventory. By integrating RFID into Zebra's Zatar platform, RFID systems become Internet connected, and their data can be shared globally with any application. For example, a car manufacturer in the US can receive real-time information about its tools directly from the production floor in India, ensuring the tools in use are within compliance and certification.

"Internet-connected devices and sensors can provide valuable identity, location and condition information which allow companies to make better decisions in real-time, improve operations and enhance the customer experience," said Tom Grant, general manager of Trimble's ThingMagic Division. "We're pleased to join Zebra in the ecosystem of innovative companies contributing to the evolution of the Internet of Things."

"We are excited to partner with Trimble to bring RFID technology into IoT and allow organizations to take advantage of its accuracy, security and automation for their businesses," said Phil Gerskovich, senior vice president of New Growth Platforms for Zebra Technologies. "Zatar is a simple and powerful IoT solution that makes it easy for organizations and device manufacturers like Trimble to easily get their devices connected and become part of the IoT ecosystem."

In a recent survey commissioned by Zebra Technologies and conducted by Forrester Consulting on enterprise adoption of IoT, more than 70 percent of surveyed enterprise decision-makers identified barcodes or active RFID tags as important or very important devices for enabling IoT solutions, while 58 percent of respondents included passive RFID tags in this category. Zebra's Zatar solution provides collection, control, collaboration and management of thousands to millions of devices such as RFID tags and readers in a simple and easy manner.

Zebra and Trimble's ThingMagic division are both exhibiting at the RFID Journal Live! 2014 conference and exhibition beginning on April 8, 2014.

To learn more about how you and your organization can harness the value of a RFID and IoT through ThingMagic and Zatar visit www.ThingMagic.com or www.zatar.com.

About Trimble's ThingMagic Division

Trimble's ThingMagic Division is a leading provider of UHF RFID reader engines, development platforms and design services for a wide range of applications. ThingMagic develops products for demanding high-volume applications and provides consulting and design services to create solutions for challenging applications. ThingMagic's customers include some of the world's largest industrial automation firms, manufacturers, automotive companies, retailers, and consumer companies. Located in Woburn, Massachusetts, the ThingMagic business was founded in 2000 by a group of visionary PhD graduates from Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab. ThingMagic is "The Engine in RFID™".

About Zebra Technologies
A global leader respected for innovation and reliability, Zebra Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: ZBRA) offers technologies that give a virtual voice to an organization's assets, people and transactions, enabling organizations to unlock greater business value. The company's extensive portfolio of marking and printing solutions, including RFID and real-time location solutions, illuminates mission-critical information to help customers take smarter business actions. For more information about Zebra's solutions, visit www.zebra.com.