V-am spus acum cateva zile ca Garmin ar putea achizitiona compania Navigon si iata ca astazi intelegerea dintre cele 2 companii a fost parafata. Garmin, unul dintre ce mai mari producatori de softuri de navigatie prin GPS, a achizitionat compania Navigon ale carei aplicatii de navigatie prin satelit sunt disponibile si in App Store de mai bine de un an de zile. COO-ul Garmin Cliff Pemble a anuntat printr-un comunicat de presa ca astazi cele 2 companii au semnat actele de achizitie si in curand probabil brandul Navigon va fi dat uitarii iar aplicatiile din App Store vor fi redenumite in Garmin.
Pentru noi este o stire extrem de importanta deoarece acum vom putea beneficia de sistemul de cartografiere avansat al celor de la Garmin si poate in viitor vom avea chiar si o aplicatie ROAD in App Store. Eu unul abia astept o aplicate pentru Romania cu harti actualizate la zi dar astept totodata si un sistem de monitorizare a traficului sau a conditiilor atmosferice insa pana una alta ramane de vazut cum va gestiona Garmin portofoliul Navigon. Achizitia trebuie insa aprobata de autoritati pentru a deveni valida deci pana una alta asteptam decizia lor.
Garmin® Ltd. Announces Signing of Agreement To Acquire Navigon® AG
Schaffhausen, Switzerland and Hamburg, Germany /June 14, 2011/Business Wire — Garmin Ltd. (Nasdaq: GRMN) and Navigon AG announced today that Garmin Ltd. and the shareholders of Navigon AG have signed an agreement for a subsidiary of Garmin to acquire privately-held navigation provider Navigon AG (“Navigon”).
“This acquisition is a great complement to Garmin’s existing automotive and mobile business. Navigon has invested significantly in the European automotive OEM business, and we feel that we can rapidly expand our automotive OEM footprint and capabilities through this transaction,” said Cliff Pemble, Garmin’s president and COO. “With Navigon, we are also acquiring one of the top-selling navigation applications for the iPhone and Android platforms – something that we expect will help drive revenue for the combined company going forward. Combining Navigon’s and Garmin’s strength also improves our competitiveness and standing particularly in Europe.”
Navigon is headquartered in Germany. In addition to its automotive OEM and navigation application for smartphones, the company has an estimated seven percent share in portable navigation devices (PNDs) in Europe. In regards PNDs, Navigon’s products are known for their compelling design, performance, and innovative software features.
“We look forward to sharing expertise, technologies, and relationships between Navigon and Garmin in order to serve more customers, expand product offerings, and lead the market in hardware and software innovation,” said Egon Minar, CEO of Navigon. “Our two companies each bring complementary strengths to the table, but what we share is a passion for customer satisfaction through innovation.”
Navigon will operate as a subsidiary of Garmin Ltd. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. Financial terms of the transaction will not be released.
