Intermec was founded in 1966 as Interface Mechanisms, a Washington state start-up company developing dual-image tape, a machine readable code used to compile data for the phototypesetting industry. One of the company’s early leaders, Dr. Dave Allais, went on to invent Code 39, still one of the world’s most widely used bar code symbologies.
Today Intermec is a $900 million company doing business in more than 80 countries. It is the largest public company based in Snohomish County, with more than 2,600 employees worldwide.
During Intermec’s 40 years as a leading company in the automatic data capture industry, the company has invented technologies that touch literally billions of people every day. In addition to the development of Code 39, Intermec invented the first on-demand bar code printer in 1971; “smart battery” technology that makes the batteries in laptops and other electronics last longer; wireless local area network (WLAN) communication systems; and the company holds a vast portfolio of RFID patents.
In the past 18 months, Intermec has introduced two industry-changing innovations under the newly launched Intellibeam™ brand: laser scanning technology based on MEMS (micro-electromechanical systems) and the first near-far-auto-focus area imager (EX25)capable of reading 1D and 2D bar codes at distance of 6 inches to over 50 feet.
The company will be demonstrating the long range scanning capabilities of its area imager by attempting to scan a barcode at a range of 100 feet.
Typical scan systems read and decode barcodes at distances between 6 inches and 10 feet.
“While we’re all proud of what Intermec has accomplished in the past 40 years, what I’m most proud of are the technological innovations that continue to flow from this company,” Winter said. “This company has a rich history of innovation yet; Intermec is a company that has just begun creating its best technologies to help our customers be more successful.”
