1972. Founded by Romano Volta, Datalogic is born in a room in the rectory of the Parish in Quarto Inferiore, an area on the outskirts of Bologna. Initially, production is centred on electronic devices, but soon there is a change of direction towards the design and production of photoelectric sensors for the textile, ceramic and packaging industries. Soon a larger plant is required, marking the beginning of Datalogic’s base in Lippo.

1974. Expansion into the international arena begins, with the opening of a small office in Nürtingen, Germany, for the distribution of Datalogic products.

1976. Datalogic starts selling its products in Japan.

1978. Given the importance of the American market, the first commercial company in the United States is established.

By the end of the 70s, Datalogic strengthens its sales and customer service network with the creation of subsidiaries in all principal European countries.

1980. There is a strong drive towards research in the field of optical bar code readers. Important industrial applications are achieved in Europe with the exclusive laser scanners for which Datalogic becomes a technological leader and benchmark for the sector.

1984. The first airport application of a bar code reader takes place, at Linate airport in Milan.

1988. Pursuing its policy of international expansion, Datalogic opens new research, production and sales centres, and during this year acquires Escort Memory Systems in California, active in the electronic tag and RFID market

In this decade, Datalogic has plants, subsidiaries and distributors in the five continents of Europe, America, Oceania, Asia and Africa.

1993. Romano Volta steers Datalogic towards a new managerial organisation. An ambitious 3-year (1993–1995) Strategic Improvement Plan is launched, to transform Datalogic into “an industrial reality, with steady and sustained growth, internationally known for results, reputation and image”. A real turning point for the company.

1995. A new production plant opens at Pescara.

1995. A joint venture is established with the Japanese Izumi group, to develop commercial activity in Japan and the Far East.

1997. Datalogic acquires IDWare Mobile Computing & Communications, the largest European producer of portable terminals.

1999. Datalogic achieves the world’s first application of RFID technology in a post office.

2000. Creation of the first self-shopping solution (ShopevolutionTM), which forecasts the use of small hand-held computers with integrated bar code readers that allow shoppers to make their purchases quickly, enjoyably and above all without having to queue.

2001. Datalogic is listed on the New Market of the Milan stock exchange.

2002. Meanwhile, the company’s expansion continues with the acquisition of Minec, a Swedish producer of portable terminals.

2004. Datalogic acquires Laservall, a company dealing with laser marking.

2005. In March, Datalogic acquires Informatics, an American company active in online sales of Automatic Identification products.

2005. A milestone is reached in Datalogic’s development, with the acquisition in October 2005 of the American company PSC, based in Eugene, Oregon. Datalogic thereby becomes the third company in the world market for bar code readers, doubling its turnover. The acquisition of PSC allows Datalogic to affirm its status as a true pioneer in the field of bar code readers. It was on 26 June 1974, in fact, that for the very first time, the bar code on a pack of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit was read in the Marsh store in Troy, Ohio, using the world’s first counter-top scanner, the Magellan Model A. This early scanner can now be found in the museum at the entrance to the Datalogic plant in Eugene.

2006. The new factory in Trnava, Slovakia is complete, covering an area of 5,400 m2.

2008. Datalogic announces the acquisition of Datasensor, a transaction of great industrial value that consolidates Datalogic’s position in the industrial automation sector.

2009. The ultimate accolade for Datalogic: on 8 June, Romano Volta receives the “Premio Imprese per l’Innovazione” (Business Prize for Innovation) from the President of Italy, Giorgio Napolitano. This award recognises that the company has grown both in Italy and the world by investing in innovation.

2009. After Europe and the United States, Datalogic’s expansion continues in Asia: on 10 July, the Group opens a new plant in Vietnam, situated in the Saigon High-Tech Park (SHTP). So continues the evolutionary strategy of Datalogic’s internationalisation, with global expansion into strategic geographical areas with local resources and facilities to see a product through its entire life cycle, from design to production and finally to distribution and aftersales service.

2010. Datalogic announces the acquisition of Evolution Robotics Retail, a Californian company equipped with state-of-the-art technology in the field of visual pattern recognition.

2011. Datalogic acquires PPT Vision, a US company with a 30 year experience in the vision sector, thus completing Datalogic’s range of high-end solutions and services in the innovative technological field of machine vision.

2012. Datalogic completes the acquisition of Accu-Sort Systems Inc., a company leading the US market in the design, production, integration and maintenance of automatic identification systems, based in Telford, Pennsylvania. The acquisition of Accu-Sort Systems Inc. allows the Datalogic Group to double its presence in the industrial automation market.

Today, Datalogic is a global leader in Automatic Data Capture and Industrial Automation markets, with 12 research and development centres worldwide, 300 engineers, and over 1000 patents to its name.
Datalogic’s innovative solutions and products are used in over a third of supermarkets and points of sale worldwide, as well as in a third of airports and shipping and postal services.
In 2012, Datalogic reached revenues of 462.25 million Euros, of which 8,4% was in Italy, 37,3% in Europe, 34,5% in North America, 11,4% in AsiaPacific, and 8,4% in the rest of the world. It has about 2400 employees spread throughout 30 countries across Europe, Asia Pacific, and the United States.