Datamars

The story of Datamars begins in 1988 in Switzerland, born from a joint venture between barcode specialist Datalogic and watch-component maker Audemars. This unique combination of data expertise and precision manufacturing set the stage for a company that would soon become a quiet giant in identification technology. Their first major innovation wasn't in agriculture, but in industrial laundries with the invention of the LaundryChip™, the world's first RFID tag for tracking textiles. From there, Datamars applied its RFID knowledge to animal management, a move that would define its future. The company developed solutions for both livestock and companion animals, establishing a strong global footprint. The real inflection point, however, began in 2011 when it was backed by private equity firm Columna Capital. This led to a period of strategic acquisitions, including Temple Tag in 2012 and Zee Tag in 2014, expanding its animal identification portfolio. A more significant event occurred in 2017 when the Canadian pension fund Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) became the largest shareholder, signaling a new phase of ambitious growth. This backing fueled a series of major acquisitions in 2018, including Simcro, a leader in animal health delivery systems, and a major part of Tru-Test, a global leader in agri-technology like weighing and identification systems. These moves transformed Datamars from an identification-focused company into an integrated animal intelligence platform, combining tracking with health and productivity data.