Strata-gee.com

Strategy in TECH...

You are here: Home / Archives for Asian Connection

Asian Connection

VOXX Finally Speaks: We Have an Agreement to Purchase Only Onkyo

by 1 Comment

onkyo logo

Well after much coverage on the VOXX/Onkyo deal by Strata-gee, in which VOXX remained strangely silent, the company finally issued a press release today in which they acknowledged that they had signed an asset purchase agreement (APA) with Onkyo for $30.8 million. The deal remains subject to approval by Onkyo shareholders in a vote scheduled to take place on June 25, 2021.

This news was likely not a surprise to Strata-gee readers. But what was a surprise is that this purchase does NOT include the Pioneer and Pioneer Elite brands.

See more on the latest news out of VOXX about Onkyo

[Read more…] about VOXX Finally Speaks: We Have an Agreement to Purchase Only Onkyo

Onkyo Directors Vote to Authorize the Sale of the Company in $30.3M Deal

by 9 Comments

On Wednesday, at a specially convened meeting of the Board of Directors for Onkyo Home Entertainment Co. Ltd. (Onkyo), company directors formally voted to authorize the transfer of Onkyo’s home AV division to the partnership of VOXX, Intl. and Sharp Corporation, in a deal valued at $30.3 million. The transaction is pending shareholder approval. This development represents real progress on a deal that had appeared to be bogged down recently.

See more on this deal as it gets back on track

[Read more…] about Onkyo Directors Vote to Authorize the Sale of the Company in $30.3M Deal

Sony Doubles-Down on Transformation from CE to Gaming, Media, & Services

by Leave a Comment

sony invests

Company Plans to Invest $18 Billion in ‘Strategic Investments’; See What Segments are Targeted

Sony Group announced yesterday that it will invest no less than ¥2 trillion ($18 billion) over the next three years to turbo-charge the company’s transition from a consumer electronics powerhouse to a global leader in gaming, media, and services. The only hardware they are looking to equally dominate is the sensor business – and a potential entry into the general chip-making business (more on this later).

More on the remarkable Sony global transformation

[Read more…] about Sony Doubles-Down on Transformation from CE to Gaming, Media, & Services

Trying to Avert Disaster, Onkyo Signs Preliminary Deal to Sell to Voxx/Sharp

by 1 Comment

Onkyo system on display in Japan
Onkyo system on display in Japan
[PHOTO: The Nikkei]

I can’t say this news from Onkyo Home Entertainment comes as much of a surprise. And based on conversations I’ve had with many of you over the last week or so, my reference a couple of weeks back to the growing romance between Onkyo and Voxx was clearly a wink-nod signal that I saw this coming. Onkyo has signed a preliminary agreement to sell their largest, but not their only, remaining division – the home audio/video division – to a partnership consisting of Sharp Corp. and Voxx Intl. The deal includes the Onkyo, Integra, Pioneer, and Pioneer Elite brands.

But after the abject failure of three previous attempts to sell the troubled company, will this deal actually close? See my thoughts…

Will deal between Onkyo and VOXX/Sharp close?

[Read more…] about Trying to Avert Disaster, Onkyo Signs Preliminary Deal to Sell to Voxx/Sharp

Budding Onkyo & Voxx Romance Grows, Adds Teac & Esoteric to 11 Trading Company

by Leave a Comment

photo of teac component once part of Onkyo now to be distributed by 11 Trading Company

This week we learned that 11 Trading Company…part of Premium Audio Company…which itself is part of Voxx International (love those big corporate structures), has added the only remaining Onkyo brands – Teac & Esoteric – to their distribution line list. They did not include these brands in the original announcement of their agreement with Onkyo, but most people expected it to be added in time. With this new development we get a nice progression of the budding relationship between the companies – Voxx distributing Onkyo, Integra, Pioneer, Pioneer Elite, Teac & Esoteric – while Onkyo Corp. becomes the Klipsch distributor in Japan. Where could this be heading?

See more on Onkyo & Voxx/11 Trading Company partnership…

[Read more…] about Budding Onkyo & Voxx Romance Grows, Adds Teac & Esoteric to 11 Trading Company

Onkyo Corps’ Struggle to Survive: The Situation has Become Dire

by Leave a Comment

photo of Onkyo component system
Onkyo turntable and component system from days gone by…

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?

What happens to Onkyo now?

[Read more…] about Onkyo Corps’ Struggle to Survive: The Situation has Become Dire

Disaster Strikes Supply Chain Again – Another Chip Factory Destroyed by Fire

by Leave a Comment

Photo of fire damage at Renesas Naka factory in Japan

Once again, disaster strikes at the heart of the supply chain as reports are only now emerging about another factory destroyed in a major fire on March 19th that forced yet another semiconductor (chip) fabrication plant (fab) off-line. The fire took out the first floor of the Renesas Electronics factory in Hitachinaka, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan – just north of Tokyo, according to a report by the Nikkei.

See more on another factory destroyed by fire…

[Read more…] about Disaster Strikes Supply Chain Again – Another Chip Factory Destroyed by Fire

Samsung Warns Chip Shortage Now Impacting Mobile Phone & Computer Biz

by 1 Comment

samsung chip factory in Austin, TX
Samsung’s Austin, TX chip factory remains idle with no announced restart date

Supply Chain Problems are Expanding into More Products

More evidence is emerging of the possibility of an economically significant impact from a stressed supply chain that has hit the global supply of integrated circuits (chips) hard. First felt in the automotive segment, now Samsung is warning that the global chip shortage is impacting smartphones and personal computers.

See more on the Samsung warning…

[Read more…] about Samsung Warns Chip Shortage Now Impacting Mobile Phone & Computer Biz

Let the Chips (Supply Chain) Fall Where They May

by Leave a Comment

An earthquake in Fukushima, Japan will cause further supply chain problems
Boulders dislodged by the quake blocked a road in Soma, a city in the Japanese prefecture of Fukushima, on Sunday morning. Credit…NY Times via Hironori Asakawa/Kyodo News, via Associated Press [Click to enlarge]

Earthquakes & Snowstorms Hit an Already Stressed Supply Chain

Since Strata-gee began tracking the story of our stressed-to-the-brink supply chain last year, the situation has only become more dire. Not only has the pandemic caused a once-in-a-hundred-years impact on the supply chain, but adding to that whipsaw from the collapse of demand to then off-the-charts demand, we can now add fires, earthquakes, and snowstorms to the mix.

It all adds up to a concerning level of stress to our supply chain that will impact product availability in multiple product segments, including residential and commercial technology.

Mother Nature mauls the supply chain…

[Read more…] about Let the Chips (Supply Chain) Fall Where They May

Sony’s Strategic Shift From Hardware to Services Pays Off; It Now Projects Record Profits

by Leave a Comment

Like the hero in their anime movie Demon Slayer, Sony has blown away investors with their latest (and probably last) revision to their fiscal year net profit estimate. Announced on Wednesday, the company now says that it forecasts that it will set a new all-time record net profit for the fiscal year that ends in March. The major reason? A shift in focus away from hardware to services and content revenues and profits.

See more on this latest report from Sony…

[Read more…] about Sony’s Strategic Shift From Hardware to Services Pays Off; It Now Projects Record Profits