Strategy in TECH...
We live in interesting times! In a news report out of Japan that is, shall we say, unusual – proxy investment advisory firm ISS is recommending that Japanese shareholders vote against the reelection of the top executives at both Sony Corp. and Sharp Corp. at upcoming annual shareholders meeting for the firms. Coming from the land of consensus and support for local brands, this news is quite surprising.
An independent commercial finance company, Siena Lending Group, announced last week that it has worked with North Mill Capital to close on a three-year asset-based revolving credit facility in the amount of $25 million with D&M Holdings, Inc. and D&M Canada, Inc. Siena says that the funds will support D&M’s growth and their “seasonal working capital requirements.” It will also, apparently, help Denon grow their HEOS line. Why do we say that? Read on…
HiFiMan, an independent manufacturer of high-end headphones, portable music players, and associated accessories, announced on Wednesday a new top-of-the-line, full-sized headphone – the HE1000. Featuring the company’s preferred planar magnetic technology and a breakthrough diaphragm design, these headphones are for serious music listening, or as the company puts it, “intended for reference use in home or studio.”
Sharp Corp., as we have previously reported, is going through some seriously tough times. Earlier this month, company-connected sources had told the Japanese media that the company would announce drastic restructuring measures, including significant staff cutbacks – not just in export markets, but on their home turf of Japan as well. And while the company went on to officially announce these cuts, it did not take any additional steps to fundamentally restructure their company, disappointing investors who were looking for much more.
Osaka, Japan-based Funai Electric announced earlier this month that it will release a line of inexpensive 4K televisions in the North American market this fall, in time for the region’s major selling season. The company expects this year to be the year when 4K UHD TVs hit it big and they want to be ready to grab market share with their lineup.
Soundcast, a marketer of primarily wireless outdoor speaker products, announced on Tuesday that it has been acquired by Hancock Park Associates, a private equity company out of Los Angeles, with offices in Houston and Denver. The announcement says that the new owners have also appointed The OAC Group “to manage and run Soundcast.”
Savant, a leading home control & automation company, announced today that it is making an app available for the Apple smart watch – called, logically enough, the Savant App on Apple Watch. Since Savant is one of the only home automation companies to base their control systems on the Apple operating system, it only makes sense that they would be one of the first in the tech business to offer an Apple Watch app.
Last month, Toshiba Corp. warned the financial markets in Japan that they were launching an internal investigation into “possible problems” with its accounting. The stock exchange’s reaction to the announcement was swift, with the company’s stock price having its biggest one-day drop in value in more than a year. Now unnamed sources are telling the media that the company will have to restate its profits…for a three-year period.
“The bigger they are, the harder they fall.” This old saying will likely resonate with many Sharp Corp. employees who are about to learn that the company is planning major job cuts – far greater than originally rumored – as it tries to turn around its struggling operations and cut its losses. The company’s management – whether voluntarily or forced by their banks – seem to be finally ready to take the drastic steps necessary to make a meaningful change at the company.
