Honeywell Technologies has officially closed the all-cash sale of its Productivity Solutions and Services (PSS) business to Brady Corporation. The deal marks the final chapter in Honeywell’s multi-year transformation into a focused automation company, shedding its legacy hardware lines that included barcode scanners, mobile computers, and RFID-enabled data capture devices.
The PSS division had long been a fixture in warehouse and logistics environments, supplying handheld scanners and label printers used across retail, manufacturing, and supply chain operations. Brady Corporation, already a major player in identification solutions and workplace safety, now absorbs that portfolio, strengthening its position in the automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) market.
Honeywell CEO Vimal Kapur confirmed the significance of the transaction, noting that the PSS divestiture completes the company’s transition to what it calls a “pure-play automation” enterprise. The company will now channel its resources exclusively into building automation, industrial controls, and process technology sectors.
This sale follows a series of similar moves over the past two years. Honeywell offloaded its Warehouse and Workflow Solutions business in July 2026 and divested its Personal Protective Equipment division back in 2025. Each move has trimmed the company’s hardware-heavy segments in favour of software-driven automation and autonomy platforms.
For the RFID and barcode industry, the shift is significant. Honeywell was once a dominant supplier of UHF RFID readers, fixed and handheld barcode scanners, and mobile computing terminals that formed the backbone of warehouse inventory management systems. With those product lines now under Brady’s ownership, customers and integrators will be watching closely to see how Brady maintains product roadmaps and support agreements for Honeywell-branded devices already deployed in the field.
Meanwhile, Honeywell is doubling down on higher-margin technology. Since 2023, the company has completed roughly $11.5 billion in acquisitions, snapping up firms like Compressor Controls Corporation, SCADAfence, Carrier’s Access Solutions business, Air Products’ LNG technology, Sundyne, Li-ion Tamer, and Johnson Matthey’s Catalyst Technologies division. These purchases point squarely toward industrial process control, cybersecurity, and energy technology rather than the data capture hardware that built its earlier reputation.
Honeywell Technologies now employs over 50,000 people worldwide and operates through its Accelerator operating system and Forge intelligence platform. The company’s stated goal is to lead the industrial sector’s shift from traditional automation toward full autonomy capabilities, a vision that leaves barcode and RFID hardware firmly in the rear-view mirror.
For Brady Corporation, the acquisition represents an opportunity to expand its reach into logistics and warehouse environments where Honeywell’s PSS products already hold significant market share. Whether Brady can capitalise on that installed base while investing in next-generation identification technology will be a story worth following in the months ahead.
