Planar Systems, Inc. announced today that it has agreed to be acquired by Leyard Optoelectronic Co., Ltd., a leading Chinese provider of fine pitch LED video wall systems. Leyard will purchase all outstanding shares of Planar stock paying $6.58 per share, valuing the deal at $156.8 million. This represents a 42% premium over the value of the stock at closing before the deal was announced.
Manufacturers
TiO Turns On Next Color of ‘Belt’ in Ninja Training Program
Turn It On (TiO), the affordable wired and wireless multiroom home automation solution from Anuva Automation, announced on Wednesday that the next level in their comprehensive training program – known as the yellow belt level – is now live. TiO training, called “Ninja” training follows the conventions typical of martial arts programs, where each program level connotes to a different colored “belt” and dealers earn multiple colors of belts as they progress through the program. The first level of training, called the white belt, debuted in March and now the company has released the yellow belt level.
See more on TiO’s unique training solution… [Read more…] about TiO Turns On Next Color of ‘Belt’ in Ninja Training Program
Nortek Management Scrambles in Wake of Troubling Q2 Results
Company Loses Almost 6% of Total Market Value in Just a Few Hours
Nortek, Inc. released the results for its fiscal second quarter after the market’s close on Monday and took the unusual step of issuing optimistic performance guidance for the remainder of the year. The company does not typically release future performance guidance as a matter of policy, but did so in an apparent attempt to calm investor reaction to their troubling report. It didn’t work – investors reacted strongly on Tuesday by driving Nortek’s stock to a close of $75.23 per share, down sharply from the previous close of $79.88. In just a matter of hours, the total market value of Nortek collapsed almost 6%.
Why did investors react so strongly?… [Read more…] about Nortek Management Scrambles in Wake of Troubling Q2 Results
Bluesound to Offer iHeartRadio Streaming Internet Radio
Bluesound, a line of high performance wireless multi-room music components offered by specialty supplier Lenbrook America, announced this week that it has added iHeartRadio to the list of streaming services its line offers. iHeartRadio, one of the more popular Internet radio solutions, joins a growing list of cloud-based music services offered by the industry’s first high performance wireless multi-room system.
See more about this announcement from Bluesound… [Read more…] about Bluesound to Offer iHeartRadio Streaming Internet Radio
Investigators: Toshiba Over-Inflated Profits; Top Execs Knew
BREAKING NEWS
Company Schedules Press Conference Tuesday; President Expected to Resign
The Japan Times is reporting today that investigators looking into potential accounting malfeasance at Toshiba Corp. for the five-year period ending March 31, 2015 have released summary findings that confirms that the company management was directly involved in misreporting profits. The news exploded in Japan, as one of its most venerated companies has lost all credibility.
The company has scheduled a press conference for Tuesday in which it is widely anticipated that Toshiba’s President Hisao Tanaka will resign.
But the damage to the company, doesn’t end with Tanaka…see more… [Read more…] about Investigators: Toshiba Over-Inflated Profits; Top Execs Knew
After 1-Year Delay, Artison Ships Pint-Sized Powerhouse
Artison announced last week the availability of a new freestanding subwoofer called the RCC Nano 1. This seemingly mighty miniature looked appealing on several fronts and we were curious to learn more. We read the release with interest…something about the Nano looked and sounded familiar to us. Then we remembered…we’ve seen it before!
See where we – and our loyal readers – saw the remarkable Artison Nano before… [Read more…] about After 1-Year Delay, Artison Ships Pint-Sized Powerhouse
Stressing the Industry, LCD Panel Prices Collapse 10% in 2015
In a sign of continuing struggles in the TV business, reports out of Japan indicate that LCD panel prices continue to decline. So far in 2015, the average price of LCD panels have dropped 10%…and show no sign of slowing down.
See what’s driving the decline in sales of LCD panels… [Read more…] about Stressing the Industry, LCD Panel Prices Collapse 10% in 2015
Toshiba’s Troubles Hit Tipping Point
BREAKING NEWS
Reports Say CEO is Out; Board of Directors Faces Massive Overhaul
When Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced an initiative to tighten up corporate oversight he couldn’t possibly have known that his administration’s first catch might be his biggest – Toshiba Corp. Toshiba, one of the largest and most respected companies in Japan, is being investigated for what many sources are calling one of Japan’s worst accounting scandals.
See what is coming for this titan of Japanese industry… [Read more…] about Toshiba’s Troubles Hit Tipping Point
Reps – Hire Them? Or Fire Them?
GUEST POST
Manufacturers in the CE industry have bantered this question about since the industry began. Should we establish factory direct sales teams or use independent sale representatives? Or maybe a hybrid of both? Varied levels of success and failure with any of these models riddle the history of our business. What works for one vendor may not work for another. Get 10 vendors and 10 dealers in a room and you’ll get 30 answers as to the most effective sales strategy, many of which would be valid. Which is one reason why the debate continues as to which selling strategy is best.
Let’s break down the many issues surrounding sales force strategy… [Read more…] about Reps – Hire Them? Or Fire Them?
Apple Watch Sales Drop 90% Since Intro
It is not unusual for a hot new product to launch with huge demand, only to see unit sales taper down to more sustainable levels after the initial launch demand is fulfilled. Surely, Apple, Inc. was expecting just this type of behavior after the launch of their long-awaited Apple Watch wearable. However, new data from Slice Intelligence shows that sales of the Apple Watch have plummeted by 90% – an amount well beyond Apple’s typical experience.
