Lockheed Martin has signed an agreement with Zebra Technologies Corporation to jointly market products relating to the U.S. Department of Defense's (DoD) unique identification (UID) initiative.

Lockheed Martin offers a Web-based software application, I-GUIDES(TM) that streamlines the management of the UID process, while Zebra provides a full line of thermal label printers that offer the durability and precision resolution required to create UID-compliant labels in a production environment.

"Together these complementary products provide an integrated solution for UID compliancy and label production," said Richard Erickson, program manager for I-GUIDES at Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems & Sensors' Tactical Systems line of business. "Zebra's specialized printing capabilities and Lockheed Martin's I-GUIDES(TM) software support the Department of Defense's goals of improved logistics at lower cost while also providing a solution that can withstand some of the harsh conditions under which military equipment is used."

I-GUIDES is a flexible and easy-to-install software application that meets the needs of large and small businesses alike. Lockheed Martin, which last year became the first DoD contractor to deliver a product with UID, has been using I-GUIDES in a production environment since 2003, and has adopted the tool as its corporate standard for UID compliancy. Lockheed Martin released I-GUIDES for commercial sale in early 2005.

"Zebra is extremely pleased to be working with Lockheed Martin," said Dave Crist, vice president of sales for Zebra. "I-GUIDES software easily enables both suppliers and DoD agencies to quickly generate UID-compliant labels as mandated by policy. I-GUIDES also allows the many companies and agencies that use Zebra printers and the powerful ZPL programming language to expand the use of their applications without the need for deploying new hardware."

I-GUIDES is available for sale nation-wide through a network of system integrators and hardware manufacturers, including label printer and direct part-marking device manufacturers and reader/verifier system manufacturers supporting defense industry UID implementation.

Zebra Technologies Corp. delivers innovative and reliable on-demand printing solutions for business improvement and security applications in 100 countries around the world. More than 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies use Zebra-brand printers. A broad range of applications benefit from Zebra-brand thermal bar code, "smart" label, receipt, and card printers, resulting in enhanced security, increased productivity, improved quality, lower costs, and better customer service.

The company has sold more than four million printers, including RFID printer/encoders and wireless mobile solutions, and also offers software, connectivity solutions, and printing supplies. Information about Zebra bar code and RFID products can be found at http://www.zebra.com/ .

Headquartered in Bethesda, MD, Lockheed Martin employs about 130,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced technology systems, products and services.

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin