April 18, 2014

Motorola Solutions’ handheld unit acquired by Zebra Technologies

It was announced recently that Zebra Technologies is acquiring a handheld unit from Motorola Solutions. Zebra Technologies acquired the unit in a $3.45 billion deal.

Zebra Technologies makes printers for receipts, RFID, barcodes and kiosks. The company has already worked with Motorola Solutions for years, according to TechCrunch. This acquisition strategy will allow the two companies to join forces and continue providing the services they have previously worked on together. Previously, Motorola Solutions' handheld scanners were used to scan codes manufactured by Zebra Technologies.

"I am excited to share with you that Zebra Technologies has entered into an agreement to acquire the Enterprise business of Motorola Solutions. Zebra's acquisition of the Enterprise business will combine the complementary offerings of two industry leaders in asset tracking solutions to create a market leader in enterprise asset intelligence for the Connected Age," said Anders Gustafsson, CEO, Zebra Technologies, in an announcement on the company's website. 

The move is also beneficial to Motorola because the company is shifting its focus toward customers in government and public safety. 

"Our Enterprise business is an ideal fit for Zebra," stated Greg Brown, Motorola Solutions chairman and CEO, in a press release on the company's website. "This transaction will enable us to further sharpen our strategic focus on providing mission-critical solutions for our government and public safety customers. Upon closing of the transaction, we intend to return the proceeds to our shareholders in a timely fashion."

In 2013, Zebra Technologies launched a unit to help companies incorporate the Internet into their operations. The Zatar unit is based on cloud computing technology, and, according to TechCrunch, the Motorola unit acquisition could potentially help drive these efforts. The acquisition has the potential to increase efficiency and extend Zebra's geographic reach.