AIDC provider Barcoding Inc. goes mobile by acquiring an AGV vendor

Data capture and analytics provider Barcoding Inc. is going mobile, announcing today that it has acquired the automated guided vehicle (AGV) vendor Fred Automation Inc.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Baltimore-based Barcoding said the acquisition will help it to target both manufacturing facilities and warehouses that have repeatable material handling processes.

Philadelphia-based Fred Automation was spun out of the electric wheel drive maker ASI Technologies Inc. in 2021. Fred says its AGVs are designed to eliminate the barriers to automation by providing simple, affordable vehicles. The firm’s Fred model has a 2,500-pound payload and its smaller Freddie model has a 400-pound payload.

The move is Barcoding’s latest growth investment, following a move to expand into Canada in 2019 and to acquire mobile data collection specialist Danforth Systems LLC in 2018. More recently, Barcoding joined Zebra Technologies’ partner program in 2022, gaining access to Zebra's portfolio of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs).

“Barcoding continues to focus on growth and innovation for our customers,” Shane Snyder, president of Barcoding, said in a release. “With today's labor challenges, AGVs like FRED and AMRs like those from Zebra Technologies are the right automation solutions to drive productivity and customer satisfaction. With our acquisition of FRED Automation, Barcoding is now the top solution provider for industrial automation in the AIDC space."