Strategy in TECH...
Moody’s Investors Service, one of the top credit rating agencies in the world, said this month that DEI Sales, Inc., dba Sound United, has been assigned a credit rating of B2 and a probability of default rating of B2-PD. In addition to this, they are assigning another B2 rating to Sound United’s proposed $380 million senior secured first lien term loan due in 2028. The forward looking “outlook” for Sound United and this rating is “stable.”
I’ve been thinking about leadership a lot lately. A subject of endless interest for me, the pandemic in 2020 really brought the topic of leadership to the forefront, as we all faced unprecedented and upsetting times. Those dark days in early spring last year were truly scary times – people were getting sick and dying, local governments were forcing us all into lockdown, all businesses stopped functioning, the economy crashed like never before…and no one knew how this story was going to end.
Recently, I ran across content from a leader that I am familiar with, whom I have been following for a long time. This content was what looked to be a painful video for him to make. His discomfort was visible…palpable. And yet in so doing, the video he created was a raw and powerful demonstration of what I would suggest are the genuine traits of a true leader. I wanted to share this with you in case you missed it.
LWith great fanfare, Crestron kicked off their annual festival of all things Crestron – Crestron Masters 2021 – with a keynote address titled “Innovation Fuels Us.” And in a bit of irony, Mother Nature, or should I sway Mother Internet, reminded us all of who’s in charge by causing the program to suddenly stop at about five minutes in. About fifteen minutes or so later, the program started again and, save for a couple of stutters later, attendees were entertained with an impressively professional and compelling pre-recorded video presentation that celebrated Crestron’s history of innovation and set the tone for the week of education and conversation to come.
If you read my report on the sale of Nortek Air Management on Monday, you know that Melrose sold off the division in a deal valued at approximately $3.6 billion. But in my discussion of the deal, I expressed some skepticism about the metrics the company was using to tell investors what a great deal it was. I don’t claim to be some kind[1] of a financial expert, but something smelled fishy to me.
Now we know what investors think of that deal…and it isn’t good for Melrose.
Melrose Industries PLC announced this morning that they have entered into an agreement to sell off the Nortek Air Management business – the most valuable part of the company – to Madison Industries of Chicago, Il. The cash deal is valued at approximately $3.625 billion. Melrose refers to this transaction as the “Disposal.”
Industry audio/visual manufacturer ClearOne [NASDAQ: CLRO] has filed an application to register a trademark on the characters “MAGA.” According to multiple comments on Twitter on the matter, ClearOne apparently intends for MAGA to represent Make Audio Great Again. This is very close to a political slogan that has became quite controversial in America. From the looks of the comment stream I saw on Twitter…this is going to be the topic of a lot of discussion.
LVMH, the global owner and marketer of luxury goods carrying some of the most prestigious brands, reported on Tuesday strong first quarter 2021 sales growth that handily exceeded even the most optimistic forecasts of market analysts. This is yet another encouraging sign of a significant rebound in consumer spending – especially with the type of consumer who tends to be the primary customer base for the custom integration channel.
Last Thursday, Onkyo notified the Tokyo Stock Exchange that its latest forecast for fiscal 2021 results shows that – despite their best efforts – the company remains insolvent. It was a disappointing announcement, as it means that the company’s well thought-out plans to return to solvency failed. So what happens now?
SnapAV announced today that they have acquired HCA Distributing, expanding their footprint of local distribution outlets around the country. HCA was founded in Denver, CO and eventually expanded to a second outlet in Salt Lake City, UT. The announcement of the acquisition was made by Trevor Hansen, SnapAV’s manager of their Volutone business unit.
Foxconn, a Taiwanese company said to be the world’s largest contract manufacturer of electronics and Apple’s biggest supplier, announced on Tuesday that due to the global shortage of semiconductors they have been forced to reduce production of iPhones. It was a surprising admission of just how extensive the chip shortage has become – that it is impacting Apple, one of the biggest companies in the world with virtually unparalleled buying power.
