Attendees were surprised to see AMX‘s signature logo atop the SVSi booth at InfoComm 2015 in Orlando, Fla. Even SVSi dealers didn’t know the company had been acquired by Harman, which only just acquired AMX a little over a year ago.
SVSi manufactures products designed to deliver a complete AV experience over an IP network. The portfolio includes high performance encoders and decoders, windowing/wall processors, an audio transceiver, video recorder, and management software.
SVSi will join Harman Professional’s Video and Control Strategic Business Unit (SBU) led by Rashid Skaf and marketed under the AMX by Harman brand.
On the show floor, the discussion of the acquisition touched upon two important points: dealers’ reactions and the fact that SVSi specializes in video-over-IP, making it a good addition to the Harman/AMX family.
Andy Whitehead, president of SVSi, took some time to speak to CI at the show about what the acquisition means for both companies, and why they chose day one of InfoComm to break the news.
“This is the best place to make an announcement like this,” says Whitehead. “And really, the ink just dried on the contract last week.”
The buzz at InfoComm was whether dealers knew this announcement was coming, and Whitehead confirmed that it was news to everyone. The reaction, he says, has been overwhelmingly positive.
“To our larger dealers, this is the best thing since sliced bread,” says Whitehead. “AMX is a big brand name, and this acquisition will help SVSi stand out in the market. Some of our smaller dealers may be worried, but our message to them is that it’s business as usual. We will still work with all our dealers; nothing will change in that arena.”
InfoComm attendees note that this is a good move for AMX as well. The control, automation and video company has purchased other smaller IP video firms before, explains one attendee, but the company may have been focused on the wrong technology in past acquisitions. Attendees suspect this decision will have a much better outcome.
It’s great for SVSi too, says Whitehead. “A lot of consultants were still hesitant about SVSi. AMX is a brand they recognize, well-versed in control and automation as well as video distribution. This will help put SVSi on the map.”
More information on SVSi and its products can be found at www.amx.com/svsi or svsiav.com.
