In spite of the RFID industry’s recent growth, for the most part, the industry has been relatively quiet in terms of mergers and acquisitions in the last few years. That changed suddenly in the first half of 2022 as a trio of mergers occurred that will shake up the industry.

In late March, the first acquisition came when the Fedrigoni Group became the new majority shareholder of Tageos. This is interesting, as the Fedrigoni Group is a specialist in value-added special papers for packaging and publishing while also supplying and self-adhesive materials. Fedrigoni Group was itself acquired by Bain Capital in 2018, and Fedrigoni will have the possibility to purchase the remaining shares in Tageos in the future.

Tageos has reportedly been growing rapidly, and Fedrigoni Group will be able to help Tageos expand its production capabilities. Meanwhile, the acquisition allows Fedrigoni Group to develop smart labels and move into RFID.

“Tageos is a company with excellent growth prospects and operates in sectors that are definitely interesting for us, with a technology and customer base that is very complementary to ours,” said Marco Nespolo, CEO of the Fedrigoni Group in the announcement of the acquisition. “Thanks to this acquisition, we are entering the ‘smart label’ market, pursuing our strategy of continuously widening our offer in all the most attractive and promising adjacent segments.”

In mid-April, Confidex, a leader in RFID, was acquired by Beontag, which reports that it is the second-largest RFID supplier worldwide. Confidex is focused on industrial RFID applications, including logistics, as well as mobility, where it notes it has more than 120 fare and toll collection operators as customers.

The most recent occurred on May 17, as HID Global, a subsidiary of ASSA ABLOY, announced it acquired Vizinex RFID. In addition to adding Vizinex RFID’s tag portfolio, including its customization capabilities, the acquisition also strengthens HID Global’s stake in North America. Vizinex RFID was particularly well positioned in a number of markets, including healthcare, manufacturing and oil and gas.

“Bringing Vizinex into the HID family strengthens our position in the RFID market, especially in North America,” said Björn Lidefelt, EVP and head of HID Global, in announcing the acquisition. “This strategic acquisition exemplifies our commitment to extending our leadership in the RFID portfolio by providing a comprehensive suite of technology and services to customers across key markets.”

The RFID market is enjoying growth; the recent announcement that Walmart is expanding its usage of RFID is just one sign that RFID is becoming more ubiquitous. These moves all position the acquiring company to increase its geographic presence and add new markets. It also indicates that the RFID field is beginning to consolidate.