Strategy in TECH...
Snap One announced today that they are now selling to all four major custom integration buying groups (they called them “all four major CEDIA U.S. buying groups”) and that fact shows their commitment to their “integrator partners.” The company says it is now allied with Azione Unlimited, HTSA, HTSN, and ProSource “…as a key part of its long term strategy to help dealers succeed.”
With COVID now seemingly in decline, on Monday Google employees (Googlers?) began the process of returning to work at the company’s various headquarter and other office locations around the country. The company is requiring they work at least three days a week in the office, continuing to work remotely for the other two.
Google is hardly alone in pulling employees back to the office, Apple employees return next week and most major companies have announced dates for office life to begin again. Will this kill remote work and have an impact on the custom integration business?
AAMP Global, a leading global manufacturer of a wide array of technology products for the personal and commercial vehicle markets, announced today the strategic acquisition of AudioControl – the well-known specialty manufacturer of electronics products for the automotive, residential, and commercial audio channels. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed, but AAMP says that AudioControl’s Seattle, WA-based operations and team will continue to operate as an independent facility under the AAMP Global umbrella.
I spoke with top executives of both companies to learn more about what drew the parties together and just what is meant by a “strategic” acquisition.
When Daryl Friedman was hired to become Global President and CEO of CEDIA, he was already aware of the fact that the organization was facing some heavy challenges and really needed someone ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work. It was a challenge he says he was both ready for and was uniquely qualified to address, based on his previous association experience. Then he went to work digging up more evidence of the challenges ahead.
In order to get a sense of Friedman’s thinking and process, I spoke with him via Zoom for nearly an hour. It was a wide-ranging discussion on many key issues for an association that I’ve had some issues with over the years. This article is Part 2 of that interview.
In a Zoom interview last week, I sought to take more of a measure of the man who now runs CEDIA, its new Global President and Chief Executive Officer Daryl Friedman. We first met, and I first told you about Friedman, back when his selection was first announced to the world just a little over 100 days ago. Friedman was in a series of round-robin press interviews and we only had a few minutes to interact. Now, 106 days later (at the time of this interview) he’s traveled the country, gotten his feet wet, and had much more depth of thoughts to share with Strata-gee readers.
Crestron Electronics announced today that it is acquiring 1 Beyond, an innovative provider of intelligent video products that enable more effective meetings – especially meetings that blend in-office and remote participants, known as hybrid meetings. The company said that the 1 Beyond team will stay at their existing base in Boston, MA. The terms of the deal were not released.
So Sony has just pulled a major donut – finally coming full circle. Sony Group’s CEO stood alongside Honda Motor’s CEO as the two companies announced that they were forming a joint venture with automotive manufacturing powerhouse Honda agreeing to partner with the sensor and mobile entertainment electronics king Sony to actually manufacture electric vehicles (EVs) – or what we’ve known up to this point as the Sony Vision-S vehicles. At last, our trip down the long and winding (and confusing) road has arrived at a final destination.
And with this announcement, we now have tech’s newest power couple…
Russound announced today that it is partnering with D-Tools, a leading software provider of system design tools, to offer a new productivity solution to its dealers. The company says this new program will turbocharger their dealers’ productivity.
Last Friday, Snap One held a Virtual Partner Summit in which they unveiled a whole roster of new products to dealers participating in the online event. It was an impressive launch in key product areas for the company including OvrC, audio, new controllers, new soundbar and wireless sub, new architectural speakers, a major new operating system upgrade called OS 3.3.0, and more.
Elmo Company, a 101-year old global technology company predominantly in the education, professional, and enterprise channels, is now entering the residential space with a unique dedicated room control solution that features ease of installation and an intuitive user experience. This new system, called the CVAS Room Control System, is just the first of what will be an expanding line of bullet-proof, daily use products that offer an optimal blend of performance and value.
