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Da-Lite Merges with Chief, Sanus
Merger combines leading manufacturers of home A/V accessories including mounts, furniture and projector screens; parent company Milestone AV is owned by Duchossois.
Milestone AV Technologies, the parent company of mount manufacturers Sanus and Chief, announced a merger today with Da-Lite Screen Company, a manufacturer of video projection screens.
Both companies make products primarily for the middle market and “both of our businesses today are very dealer-centric,” said Milestone CEO Scott Gill in an interview with CE Pro.
Even though the companies are calling the transaction a “merger,” Da-Lite will operate under the Milestone umbrella. Milestone has been on a quest to acquire companies since Chief and Sanus merged into Milestone AV in 2004, and Duchossois acquired that company 2008. Duchossois also owns AMX and AutoPatch.
“We look for market-leading presence in a particular product segment, and businesses and brands that are differentiated,” says Gill, calling Da-Lite a “great, market-leading brand with an exceptional reputation for customer service.”
In the 2010 CE Pro brand awareness and usage study, Da-Lite was the second-most used projector screen brand after Stewart Filmscreen. Chief and Sanus topped the list in the mount/lift category.
HOW MUCH IS DA-LITE WORTH?
We reveal the valuation of this convoluted merger agreement (Plus subscription required).As for potential synergies, it’s too soon to tell. Gill says both companies are “doing well in Europe,” although Da-Lite “has been there a little bit longer.” The merger includes Da-Lite’s European brands Projecta and Procolor.
On the retail front, Milestone has a substantial presence, primarily with the Sanus brand, whereas Da-Lite does not. “They don’t have a huge presence at retail,” Gill says. When prompted, he replied, “That’s something we would look at.”
The Milestone/Da-Lite merger has little to do with cost-cutting, the company says. Rather, “We become a more important partner to our customers,” Gill says.
That’s what happened in the unusually successful merger between Chief and Sanus. Today, dealers can buy both brands on a single purchase orders.
Will they be able to add Da-Lite to their orders? It’s too soon to tell.
“This is day one” of the merger, Gill says.
Da-Lite will continue to operate independently at its Warsaw, Ind., headquarters under the current president Richard Lundin. Milestone, including both Chief and Sanus, is based in Savage, Minn. A definitive merger agreement has been signed, and the transaction is expected to close within the next 30 days.
Please see the complete press release on the next page.
Both companies make products primarily for the middle market and “both of our businesses today are very dealer-centric,” said Milestone CEO Scott Gill in an interview with CE Pro.
Even though the companies are calling the transaction a “merger,” Da-Lite will operate under the Milestone umbrella. Milestone has been on a quest to acquire companies since Chief and Sanus merged into Milestone AV in 2004, and Duchossois acquired that company 2008. Duchossois also owns AMX and AutoPatch.
“We look for market-leading presence in a particular product segment, and businesses and brands that are differentiated,” says Gill, calling Da-Lite a “great, market-leading brand with an exceptional reputation for customer service.”
In the 2010 CE Pro brand awareness and usage study, Da-Lite was the second-most used projector screen brand after Stewart Filmscreen. Chief and Sanus topped the list in the mount/lift category.
HOW MUCH IS DA-LITE WORTH?
We reveal the valuation of this convoluted merger agreement (Plus subscription required).
On the retail front, Milestone has a substantial presence, primarily with the Sanus brand, whereas Da-Lite does not. “They don’t have a huge presence at retail,” Gill says. When prompted, he replied, “That’s something we would look at.”
The Milestone/Da-Lite merger has little to do with cost-cutting, the company says. Rather, “We become a more important partner to our customers,” Gill says.
That’s what happened in the unusually successful merger between Chief and Sanus. Today, dealers can buy both brands on a single purchase orders.
Will they be able to add Da-Lite to their orders? It’s too soon to tell.
“This is day one” of the merger, Gill says.
Da-Lite will continue to operate independently at its Warsaw, Ind., headquarters under the current president Richard Lundin. Milestone, including both Chief and Sanus, is based in Savage, Minn. A definitive merger agreement has been signed, and the transaction is expected to close within the next 30 days.
Please see the complete press release on the next page.
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Article Topics
News · Displays · Mounts and Lifts · Projectors and Screens · Mergers and Acquisitions · Chief · Sanus Systems · Da-lite · Duchossois · M&a ·About the Author
Julie Jacobson, Editor-at-large, CE Pro
Julie Jacobson is co-founder of EH Publishing and currently spends most of her time writing for CE Pro, mostly in the areas of home automation, networked A/V and the business of home systems integration. She majored in Economics at the University of Michigan, earned an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin, and has never taken a journalism class in her life. Julie is a washed-up Ultimate Frisbee player with the scars to prove it. Follow her on Twitter @juliejacobson.
5 Comments (displayed in order by date/time)
If this trend continues, CEPRO Magazine will have only one page of advertising in each issue, with 100 different logos on it!!
OHBOY, Oh no!
@Details Matter,
Please get your paranoid rhetoric straight…
Furman and Panamax were relocated into two sides of the same building, and both are owned by Linear/Nortek… as is Lite Touch.
@Artie
Furman / Panamax (formerly two seperate, smaller companies) have “combined operations” with LiteTouch (not my words).
http://www.cepro.com/article/panamax_furman_litetouch_merge_operations/
Take a look around you. There are small to mid-sized companies all over the place “joining forces” to try and survive. Right now It’s a race to the bottom and these small / mid level companies can’t afford to operate on those lowest of margins. The very small and the very large can afford it - in fact, some will thrive there - , but the tweeners just can’t. It’s not rhetoric. It’s today’s business reality. You’re certainly welcome to ignore it if you prefer.
And by the way, just because I’m paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get me.
Page 1 of 1 comment pages
Another one bites the dust. It’s like the economy right now - the middle class is shrinking at a high rate. So is the middle of the AV business. The mid-sized companies like DaLite have to gang together with other mid-sized or bigger companies to survive. Look at Denon and Marantz. If they didn’t end up together I’m not sure either would be around at this point. More recently, Furman and LiteTouch. Up next: C4 & Atlona? Geffen & Savant? These guys are getting killed in the market by the big boys. We’ll see how long they can survive as small-mid sized “also-rans”.