Strategy

In Note to Dealers on Supply Chain, Crestron Says It’s in a ‘Better Position’ Than Ever

May 25, 2022 by Ted Leave a Comment

For the last two and a half years, many industries have struggled with supply chain issues – especially Tech. During that period of time, I’ve heard over and over from integrators who were furious at one company or another for failing to deliver on their open orders. I’ve heard expletives hurled at pretty much every brand in the industry…including Crestron.

Now, in a letter to dealers from Crestron Chief Operating Officer Daniel Brady, dealers are being told that the company is “in a better position now than ever before.”

See more on Crestron’s letter to dealers

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Snap One Fiscal 1st Qtr Results Show Good Revenue Growth, But a Net Loss

May 19, 2022 by Ted 1 Comment

At the end of last week, Snap One Holdings Corp. released the results of their fiscal 2022 first quarter, a period which ended April 1, 2022, with comparisons to the same quarter last year, which ended on March 26, 2021. The company showed good revenue growth in the quarter but is still dealing with a net loss – albeit less of one than in 2021.

See the details on the Snap One fiscal Q1 results

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Final Curtain Falls as Main Onkyo Company Declares Bankruptcy

May 13, 2022 by Ted 17 Comments

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

BREAKING NEWS

Today in Osaka District Court in Osaka, Japan, Onkyo Home Entertainment Co. Ltd. (formerly Onkyo Corp.) filed for bankruptcy ending a long and storied history of innovative audio products. The action was taken less than a month after the company declared bankruptcy for two of its major subsidiaries in April. Now, the parent company has fallen as well…

See more on the Onkyo bankruptcy…

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Tech Takes a Trillion-Dollar Thumping

May 11, 2022 by Ted Leave a Comment

We’re ‘…Experiencing a Seismic Shift’ Says Uber CEO

More and more evidence continues to emerge suggesting that the economy is undergoing a fundamental shift, a turn if you will, that will at least slow economic growth – and may lead to recession. Perhaps the clearest indicator of that is the turn taken by tech, which has lost a trillion dollars in value in just three days of trading on the stock market. For the last two-plus years, tech was the driving force behind a dramatic economic expansion during the pandemic. What is happening now?

See more on what is happening with Tech

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Savant Powers Up Their Smart Energy Solutions, Putting Them Years Ahead of Others

May 5, 2022 by Ted Leave a Comment

‘Energy is the Next Big Frontier in Terms of Smart’

Savant offered industry media a presentation revealing their vision of the deep integration of energy sources (and uses) into a fully-fledged, well-thought-out, total smart home system. To drive the industry towards this future, Savant’s vision is expansive, intelligent, and in my mind, pretty exciting. It starts with a foundation of power and how to make it smarter.

Below, you’ll find some of the key highlights of Savant’s plans for smart energy.

More on Savant’s smart energy solutions

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AudioControl Upgrades to GaN ICs in New 70-Volt, Dual-Mode CM Amps

May 5, 2022 by Ted Leave a Comment

AudioControl, a specialty electronics manufacturer of innovative residential, commercial, and mobile audio products, revealed today that it has upgraded the semiconductor technology resident in its recently introduced 70-volt, dual-mode CM line of amplifiers. This upgrade, to Gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductors, offers many performance improvements over traditional silicon-based ICs and is said to take the performance of this category to a whole new level.

See more on the Audiocontrol GaN-based 70-volt amps

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Tampa Integrators Angered as Supplier Becomes Competitor

April 28, 2022 by Ted 8 Comments

Owners of Distributor DOW Technologies Launch Integrator SMARTSolutions

For years, many Tampa, FL-area integrators relied upon distributor Dow Technologies as a valued supply partner for the technology solutions they needed to complete their system designs and installations. But not long ago, the owners of Dow Technologies acquired an integration business and merged it with their existing satellite installation business to create a new Tampa integrator they call SMARTSolutions – and now many of those same integrators say a partner…has become a competitor. And they are quite angry about it…

See more on Tampa integrators and Dow Technologies

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Smart Savant 3-Point Strategy to Beat Supply Chain Shortages and Fill Orders

April 21, 2022 by Ted Leave a Comment

I’m not sure that anyone in Tech has done more than Strata-gee to report on the issue of the failing supply chain and its at times ruinous impact on our industry. My very first report on the supply chain – AKM Fire: 2020 was Almost Over, Then Disaster Struck Again – is the second most-read story I’ve ever written in my life. I had always assumed that the issue was so big that everyone was affected equally.

But then I discovered, almost by accident, that one company has a clever strategy to beat the shortages. That company is Savant, and their strategy is equal parts brilliant…and a bit insane.

See how Savant has mostly beaten the supply chain shortage that bedevils other brands…

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Osaka District Court Approves Onkyo Bankruptcy Petition for Two Subsidiaries

April 20, 2022 by Ted 4 Comments

Onkyo Home Entertainment Co. Ltd. (Onkyo) has announced that its two consolidated subsidiaries – Onkyo Sound Co. Ltd. (ONS) and Onkyo Marketing Co. Ltd (OMC) – have filed for bankruptcy. The company said that it had petitioned the court to begin bankruptcy proceedings for these divisions and has received judicial approval to begin the bankruptcy process from the Osaka District Court in Osaka, Japan.

See more on the bankruptcy of these Onkyo subsidiaries

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Snap One Says Selling to All 4 Buying Groups Shows Commitment to Integrators

April 14, 2022 by Ted Leave a Comment

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.”

Learn more about this strategy by Snap One

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Strategy