Sonos, Inc. this week reported a strong first quarter for their 2020 fiscal year. In fact, the company says it had a record quarter with strong revenue and profit gains.
Sonos Reports Record Fiscal First Quarter 2020 Results
Strata-gee Survey Shows Coronavirus Response Places Supply Chain in Jeopardy
No Need to Panic Now, But Maybe Soon
I received a tip from a tech supplier here in the U.S. that the Coronavirus epidemic impacting China is a big problem getting bigger every day…and that our industry needs to think about – and prepare for – the impact on our supply chain. This week, Strata-gee surveyed several brands to learn their status on product supply…and what their perspective was on the near-term future impact of this epidemic taking place in China.
What top brands say about supply chain risk…
[Read more…] about Strata-gee Survey Shows Coronavirus Response Places Supply Chain in JeopardyBIG Strata-gee News to Share
I wanted to take a moment to share with you a little bit of news about emerging developments taking place at Strata-gee. There are some significant things in the works – many yet to come – but a few we can talk about now.
Read on to see the latest Strata-gee news…
[Read more…] about BIG Strata-gee News to ShareNew Home Sales Decline in December 2019
Last week, Strata-gee reported that housing construction starts jumped mightily in December 2019 – but now we learn in a new report from the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that new home sales actually declined at the same time. Typically, analysts like to see both home sales and construction starts increase together as an indicator of a healthy economy.
See more on this latest economic data…
[Read more…] about New Home Sales Decline in December 2019Growth of Smart Speakers & IoT a ‘Frenzy,’ Says New Reports
Two new research reports from two different research groups came to basically the same conclusion – smart speakers (and IoT devices) show no signs of slowing down with eye-popping growth rates in just the last two years. One of the researchers, Comscore, is calling the trend, “The Smart Speaker Frenzy.”
See the latest smart speaker & IoT data…
[Read more…] about Growth of Smart Speakers & IoT a ‘Frenzy,’ Says New ReportsRMR – Want Recurring Monthly Revenue But Don’t Know Where to Begin?
By now, most integrators have heard the siren call that they should launch a recurring monthly revenue program (RMR) to add profits and deepen their relationships with their clients. But to many of them, this is an idea that is easy to say…but hard to do. Quite literally, it can be hard to figure out just where to begin.
There are resources within the industry that can step up and help your integration company offer an RMR or service contract program to your clients. Some of them can even offer to take and handle your service calls on a 24×7 basis. However, those services can be fairly expensive. But one service I’ve learned about, MC Group, tells me that they have assisted hundreds of integrators with an affordable program they call “Turnkey RMR.”
Learn about RMR and MC Group…
[Read more…] about RMR – Want Recurring Monthly Revenue But Don’t Know Where to Begin?Huge Jump in End-of-2019 Housing Starts Startles Economists
Like at the end of the Christmas movie, Miracle on 34th Street, it appears that Santa brought new homes for all the good little girls and boys at the end of last year. New government data on residential housing construction starts for December 2019 startled economists, jumping an unexpected 16.9% for the highest rate of construction in 13-years.
See more on this unexpected jump in housing starts…
[Read more…] about Huge Jump in End-of-2019 Housing Starts Startles EconomistsMSE Audio to Launch SoundTube’s STNet Soundbar at ISE 2020
MSE Audio will launch the SoundTube STNet Soundbar at ISE 2020 in Amsterdam next month, running from February 11-14. This innovative soundbar solution is enabled for IP-based PoE for really convenient hookup.
Learn more about the MSE Audio, Dante-enabled soundbar…
[Read more…] about MSE Audio to Launch SoundTube’s STNet Soundbar at ISE 2020Savant Sister Company Racepoint Energy Acquires NOON Home
Racepoint Energy, sister company of Savant Systems LLC, announced this week that it has acquired innovative residential lighting control provider NOON Home. Based in Campbell, CA, NOON offers an impressive array of intuitive lighting and intelligent control solutions.
Learn more about NOON & Savant…
[Read more…] about Savant Sister Company Racepoint Energy Acquires NOON HomeOnce Again, Melrose Considers Disposing of Nortek; This Time It’s Serious
Melrose Industries plc, the British turnaround specialist who acquires underperforming companies to improve their operations and management for resale, is now actively considering selling off the bulk of Nortek in a deal that could be worth $3 billion, according to reports from Bloomberg News and the Financial Times. If they actually execute this sale, it will be a relatively early exit from their ownership of Nortek which they purchased in 2016 for $2.8 billion.
