ATHENS, Ohio -- Ohio University has announced that Milwaukee, Wis.-based Brady Corporation (NYSE:BRC) donated new and refurbished automatic identification equipment, including a variety of barcode software, scanners and printers, and optical character recognition devices at a total value $675,000, to the university's Center for Automatic Identification. A large portion of the equipment was distributed to professors attending the Center's 16th Annual Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC) Technical Institute to enable them to more effectively integrate AIDC programs into their institutions and potentially set up small labs. The remaining equipment was kept for use in the Ohio University center's lab.

Assistant Director for the Center for Automatic Identification Todd Myers said, "At the Institute, we are educating professors from colleges around the world regarding AIDC content so that, in turn, they can incorporate this money and time-saving technology into their curricula. This donated equipment will go a long way toward giving students in their respective classes hands-on lab time to better understand this technology."

With a corporate giving focus on education, Brady sought out organizations to which they could donate surplus equipment. The match with a university that both teaches and presents an institute on AIDC technologies was an ideal way to introduce students and professors to this niche in the industry.

Brady Corporation Vice President and General Manager Matt Williamson said, "Brady has always been interested in helping communities, particularly in the area of education. We recognize that education is the key to developing a strong and productive workforce, and we are delighted to share our products with Ohio University's Center for Automatic Identification."

An entity of the Russ College of Engineering and Technology, the center is the nation's first university-based research and education center devoted solely to the study of AIDC. The facilities allow students and Center staff to study technologies of bar coding, magnetic stripe, radio frequency identification and biometrics. The annual institute offers professors and professionals an opportunity to learn more about the practices of AIDC through hands-on applications and exchange of ideas.

Brady is an international manufacturer and marketer of identification and materials solutions, with products including labels, signs, precision die-cut materials, printing systems, software and label-application and data-collection systems for electronics, telecommunications, manufacturing, electrical, and a variety of other markets. Founded in 1914, Brady is headquartered in Milwaukee and employs about 3,000 people in operations in the United States, Europe, Asia/Pacific, Latin America and Canada.