Wireless systems maker Symbol Technologies has bought into the radio frequency Identification industry, buying Matrics for $230 million in cash.

The deal is expected to close in the third quarter, pending regulatory approval.

The acquisition gives Symbol a presence in a hot technology area that uses wireless chips to relay inventory quantities at the individual-item level directly to store owners and warehouse managers. Currently, major retailers like Wal-Mart are in field tests to figure out the best way to implement the technology, which promises to cut down on supply chain management (SCM) inefficiencies.

Several factors inhibit RFID's use by retailers, governments and other institutions. One is a standard method of data collection between different RFID systems, though electronic product code (EPC) has started to emerge as a de facto specification within the retail industry. The standard is being used by companies like Wal-Mart, Target, Home Depot and Procter & Gamble.

Symbol, which styles itself as a mobility enterprise solution provider, targeted Matrics for its EPC-compliant line of products, which range from RFID chip readers to antennas to the chips themselves. To date, the only RFID technology in the Symbol portfolio is bar-code scanners that can also read RFID tag information.