Strategy in TECH...
At the urging the industry minister of Japan, the country’s Fair Trade Commission will look at a new program announced by Amazon Japan that some suggest may be anti-competitive in nature. Depending on the Commission’s findings, Amazon may be forced to abandon the idea, which is a form of a consumer rebate program.
I arrived at my destination, Amtrak’s South Station in Boston, right on time. As I approached the doors to exit the station, my eyes suddenly focused on a shocking scene. Not only was there a torrential downpour – that was not a surprise, it had been raining as I departed New Jersey early that morning as well – but added to that downpour were gale force winds. It was like something out of a cheesy Hollywood disaster movie. I saw debris flying by horizontally, people struggling with popped-inside-out umbrellas as they attempted to fight the winds and stinging rain to remain on their feet.
Just then, my cell phone rang. It was an irrepressably jovial Charlie Porritt, CEO of Russound, telling me cheerfully he was only a couple of blocks away and would be there to pick me up in a couple of minutes. I pushed the disconnect button and said out loud to no one in particular – “I’m not going out there!”
James Loudspeaker came out with multiple announcements this week that give a strong indication that the company is growing. Not only has the manufacturer of high-quality residential and commercial architectural and landscape products added a new President, but also a new Director of Marketing and even announced a new headquarters and production facility in Nevada.
We have followed Foxconn for years now, first picking up on them in 2012 when news had emerged that a significant Apple supplier was having problems with employees committing suicide – eventually forcing the company to install ‘suicide nets’ on their taller factories and offices to help thwart further suicide attempts. Foxconn has continued on to become one of Apple, Inc.’s largest iPhone supplier of parts and assembly.
I had barely lit up the pixels with my post on Nortek’s holiday termination of their remaining independent sales representative groups, when I began hearing from a number of other sources about high-end specialty brand Bryston terminating their rep force as well. It’s like a New Year’s assault on sales representative groups…and they aren’t happy about it…
Our phones and email lit up over the last few days as word spread that Nortek Security and Control has fired all of the remaining Core Brands reps in the U.S., according to multiple sources. The timing of the terminations over the holidays only seems to add a sense of heartlessness to the action….a real-life ‘bah humbug’ that leaves the reps feeling cold.
Just a matter of months ago, Gibson Brands management assured the town elders of Memphis, TN that the company remained committed to the vibrant music community in Memphis and that they were looking for new digs somewhere within that community. But that was then and this is now – the company was basically taken over by KKR and now the company has decided to vacate Memphis, moving their group there to Nashville.
The Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA), held their annual member’s webinar where association staff and board representatives review the “State of the Association” for those members tuning in to the webcast. The polished, prepared presentation offered an upbeat assessment on the organization’s accomplishments in 2018. But, as you might suspect, I uncovered a couple of interesting issues in which I’m seeking some follow-up clarification.
Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) announced today it has restructured its company in order to further its research and development initiatives. In a brief announcement, only four paragraphs long, new CEO Gregory Lee (former CEO of Samsung North America) said a new, larger research facility will open in 2019.
When we last left Tivoli, the company created many years ago by Tom DeVesto who is now the CEO of Como Audio, it was 2015 and they had just been sold by one private equity company, with the help of another private equity company, to a third private equity company. Now word comes that the third private equity company, Serruya Private Equity of Toronto, which Strata-gee wrote about in June 2015, has sold Tivoli in a buyout to the company’s management in conjunction with a financial backer.
