In an unusually breathless and overstimulated report out of Japan, we learn that Funai Electric Co., Ltd. – a large, global OEM manufacturing company of mostly AV gear – has filed a $400 million damage claim in their battle with Philips over the loss of a deal with the European giant for its Woox audio business. Not only that, but the report from the Nikkei also revealed that – at the same time – Funai’s President and CEO of less than 9-months has abruptly resigned in a dispute with upper management on the future direction of the company.
Brands
Big Changes at Core Brands: Pollock Retires & Keller is Out
BREAKING NEWS
We received word late today of big changes taking place at Core Brands as the company announced that President Bill Pollock will retire “after 27-years leading Panamax-Furman” and Core Brands. Pollock’s retirement becomes effective at the end of the year and he will be replaced by Joe Roberts, currently Core Brands Vice President of Products and Marketing.
The company also announced that Senior Vice President of Sales Dave Keller will be also leaving the company “before the end of the year.” Interestingly, there was no reason given for Keller’s departure.
See more on these dramatic developments… [Read more…] about Big Changes at Core Brands: Pollock Retires & Keller is Out
CEDIA Expo Shorts
As we perused the hallowed halls of last month’s CEDIA Expo, we ran across of lot of stories – great and small. Below you will find a selection of some of the stories and photos we haven’t yet posted about, but felt you should know… (All photos can be clicked to be enlarged)
See our CEDIA Expo shorts, below… [Read more…] about CEDIA Expo Shorts
Sharp to Close European Operations; Licenses Brand to UMC of Slovakia
3,000 Sharp European Employees to be Cut
Sharp Corp. said late last week that it has reached an agreement with Universal Media Corp. of Slovakia to license its brand and market Sharp branded products in Europe. As part of this strategy, Sharp will either sell or close its factory in Poland, cutting approximately 3,000 employees in total between their company-owned factory and European operations.
See more on this development, as Sharp pursues a new business strategy…. [Read more…] about Sharp to Close European Operations; Licenses Brand to UMC of Slovakia
On Controls is On Fire
On Controls launched their new On Controls Connect at last month’s CEDIA Expo and we received an impressive demo of this little remote access device. On Controls – a cloud-based home automation system – makes it easy for installers to add remote connectivity to their On Controls-based system – a capability that is sure to delight clients.
See more on this new On Controls Connect solution… [Read more…] about On Controls is On Fire
OmniMount Continues to Expand Its Role as the Strong, Silent Type
In the days leading up to last month’s CEDIA Expo, we were persistently cajoled by certain OmniMount folks to visit the display mount manufacturer’s booth…and we’re glad we did. While integrators have an almost dizzying array of mount brands to choose from – only a handful are truly prime designers and manufacturers of high quality mounting solutions.
And one new OmniMount model at Expo, clearly positions them as the strong, silent type… [Read more…] about OmniMount Continues to Expand Its Role as the Strong, Silent Type
With New Funding & New CEO…TiO is Finally Ready for Takeoff
“I have a very high regard and respect for the product,” Vinu Patel, CEO of Anuva Automation told us he said to Mike Anderson earlier this year as they discussed a possible buyout. Patel was sharing the story of how he came to know – and ultimately buy – Anderson’s home automation and control company Turn It On (TiO). As we reported earlier this year, TiO had run into trouble and out of money when financial backing fell through. The situation quickly became dire.
Then, Anuva entered the scene… [Read more…] about With New Funding & New CEO…TiO is Finally Ready for Takeoff
With Pyng, Crestron Zings the Integration Community
At the CEDIA Expo earlier this month, Crestron surprised many in the integration community by offering a new, friendly, easy-to-program and easy-to-use, app-driven home automation system they call Pyng. In fact, at a presentation to the press during CEDIA Expo earlier this month, Crestron staff referred to Pyng as “the app for your home.”
But does Pyng’s ease of programming & use cut the integrator out of the picture? See more… [Read more…] about With Pyng, Crestron Zings the Integration Community
Pioneer Says Merger Talks with Onkyo Continue; But Equity Partner Appears Sidelined
Pioneer Corporation released an interesting document on September 12th – while much of the tech media was in Denver for CEDIA – titled Notice with Respect to Basic Agreement for the Integration of Pioneer’s Home AV Business and Onkyo. This curious document, six pages long, gives an update as to the state of the discussions between the parties in the previously announced “basic agreement” between Pioneer, Onkyo, and Baring Private Equity Asia for a “Capital/Business Alliance” related to Pioneer’s Home AV business.
Now, apparently, the deal’s changed…with Baring PE pushed to the sidelines… [Read more…] about Pioneer Says Merger Talks with Onkyo Continue; But Equity Partner Appears Sidelined
How Secure Would You Feel if You Could Remotely See 720-Degrees?
IC Realtime, a manufacturer of video surveillance gear, showed their new IC720 remote viewing platform that can “see” a fully seamless 720º with no blind spots. It is a remarkable capability which basically opens up the whole world to be viewed remotely with the ability to look up, down, and all around and see…everything.
