Mobotix Sold to Japanese Manufacturer Konica Minolta

By John Honovich, Published Mar 25, 2016, 08:16pm EDT

Smart move Mobotix.

Taking a page out of the Axis / Milestone playbook, Mobotix has found themselves a Japanese company to pay them top dollar in a commoditizing market.

** **** ****, ** examine****** *******'* ********* ** buy * *********** ******** in *******.

Mobotix ****

******* "***** ***** *******", including *******'* *******, *** selling **% ** ***** shares ** ****** *******. This ** *********** ***** Mobotix's ******* *** **** the ******* ****** ** Mobotix's **** ** ***** in *** ***** *** as **** ** ***** decline ** *** *****.

"*** **** ** ********* at ******* ** ******* yen *** ** ******* yen ($*** ******* ** $265 *******)"********* ** *** ****** Asian ******. ******* ****** ****** 17.5% ** *** *** of *** ************, ****** the ***** ***** ** still *** ***** *******'* peak **** * *** years ***:

** *** **** ****, it ** * ***%+ recovery **** ***** ********** nadir * ***** *** during *********** *******.

*******and *******

******* *** ** ******* Euros ($** ***) ******* in *** **** ****** fiscal ****. *************, ***** revenue *** **** **** for *****, ** *** chart ***** *****:

*** ************, ******* **** been ********* ** ****. In *** **** **% net ******* **** ******, now ** ** ** the *% *****.

Valuation ******

******* *******' ********* ********, the ********* ** ****** strong. *** ***** ****** is *** *****, *** even ** ** ** the *** ******* ***** of ***** ******* ***** price, **** ** *.** revenue, * ******* ****** for **** * ****** company.

Konica *******

****** ******* ** * ~$9 ******* ******* ************ primarily ** *** ****** equipment ******** (*.*. ************). They **** ** **** cameras, *** **** ******** was ****** **** **** years ***.

**** ** * ********* of ***** ********** ***** to *** ******* ****:

******* ***** ********* * tiny ******** ** ****** Minolta's ******* ** *** ~1% *****.

Fit **** ****** *******

********* ***** ****** ***** ******, who *** ****** **** Konica, ****** *** ********** in *******'*:

"******* ******** **** *** "brains," ** *** ******** capacity, **** *** ****** itself ** ****** * suspicious ****** ** ***, among ***** ******."

********* **** ** *****, many ******* **** **-***** analytics (********* ****** **** Axis *** ********). ** just ** *** ***** whether ****** ** *** Nikkei ***** ****** **** not ********** ****. *** Review *********:

"****** ******* ******* ** broaden *** *********** ** Mobotix's ***** ******** ************ to ***** *****, **** as ********** ** *** elderly ** **** **********."

**** ***** ********, ** Konica *** ******** *** own ***** *******, *.*., in *****.

Direct ***** *** *******

****** ***************:

"****** ******* **** ******* the ************ ** ******* products *** ***** ******** services ** ********** *** global ****** ***** ******* and *****-***** ******* *** services *******."

** **** ** *********** to *** *** **** impact / ********* **** Mobotix's *** ***********.

~600% ******* Growth ********

**** *********, *** ****** declares:

"****** ******* ***** ** increase ***** **** ******** utilizing *******'* ************, ********* 70 ******* *** ** 80 ******* *** **** the **** **** *****. The ***** ********** ****** 10% ** *** ********* group ***** *** **** fiscal ****."

**** ***** *** ** be ~*** ******* *****, compared ** *******'* **** recent ****** ******* ** 90 ******* *****.

Mobotix **** ** ********** ******

******* *** ******* **** as * ********** ******, with ***** *+ *********** / ***** ******* industry ********* **** *.*** and *****. ******* **** **** the ****** ** ******* low **** ********* *** Mobotix's ***** ** ******* its *** ***-**-*** ********, Mobotix's **** ** ****** underscores *** *** ******* has ******* ************ ******.

***, ***** ********** ** Konica, ** ***** ****** that ** ******** ** Konica ********** ******* ** within *** *** ******* / ****** / *************.

Upside *** ******

******* **** **** ******** impressive ***** ******** ******** that *** **** **** to ******** ********* *** want ******** ******* *** are ******* ** *** Mobotix's ******* ******. ** that ***, ****** *** wind ** ***** ***** with *** ****, ** long ** **** ** not ********* ****** ** grow ******* ******* ***% in *** **** * years.

UPDATE: ******* ****** ** ********

** ***** ****, *********** * ****** ** its ********, *** **** ******* 3 ****** ***** *******:

  • ******* ****-********** ******** ********* including ****** *******'* ********** optical *******. ****** *******'* 3D-LiDAR *** ******** ***** wide ***** ** * high ********* *****. **** laser ****** **** ** able ** ******** ** images, ********* *** ********, the **** *** **** the ***** ** * moving ******.
  • ******* *********** ********* *** specific ******** *******, *** instance * "**** ******* Solution" *** ********** ********* at ******* **** *****, combining *** ************ ** both *********.
  • ******** ** ***** *** user ******. *** **** benefit **** ******* ***** resulting **** *** **** customer **** ******** ******* (global ********).

*** ** **** *** niche *******, ********** **** historic ******* **********.

Comments (29)

Avatar

Luis Carmona

IPVMU Certified | 03/30/16 02:25am

Wow! What could possibly be their motivation? Is it just "sexy" to have security products in your portfolio?

John Honovich

IPVM | In reply to Luis Carmona | 03/30/16 11:01am

Looking at Konica Minolta's 10 year financial history, revenue is essentially flat. There's clearly a lot going on (e.g., withdrawing from the camera business) but overall the company is trying to find new growth.

Mobotix has its issues but it may very well have a higher growth profile than most of what is inside Konica.

Undisclosed #1

IPVMU Certified | In reply to Luis Carmona | 03/30/16 06:40pm

Is it just "sexy" to have security products in your portfolio?

The "sexiest" thing about Mobotix is probably the X in mXpeg.

Avatar

Paul Grefenstette

03/30/16 02:45am

On the bright side if you buy 3 Mobotix cameras you get a free copier now. Their current vms interface reminds me a bit of a copier interface so maybe they are on to something here ;)

Undisclosed #1

IPVMU Certified | 03/30/16 02:50am

Domo arigato, Mr. Moboto

Avatar

Jon Dillabaugh

Pro Focus LLC
In reply to Undisclosed #1 | 03/31/16 05:45pm

Unhelpful? Did you miss the "Funny" button by accident?

Undisclosed Integrator #2

03/30/16 03:06am

WOW!! What a shock! I'm disappointed.

Jeremy Ellis

03/30/16 04:21am

A lot of promise, but never the breakthrough. There are a few great employees that seem to keep it afloat in the states, so I will be curious to see if they stick around.

Gautham Gopalakrishna

03/30/16 07:24am

Smart move indeed! Agree with you that 600% upside betting on geriatric care using Mobotix seems far fetched idea to me.

John Honovich

IPVM | 03/30/16 11:19am

Update: Konica Minolta declared:

"Konica Minolta will broaden the distribution of MOBOTIX products and their solution services by leveraging its global direct sales network and after-sales support and services systems." (emphasis added)

It will be interesting to see how this impact / conflicts with Mobotix's own integrators.

Eddie Perry

03/30/16 12:16pm

Normally I don't just dont put laughter in a comment but,

bhwuhahahahahahahahahaahaha

seriously they could have went to china bought a copy of hikivison tech, re branded and pushed that and come out better.

I thought mobotix stopped being relevant a couple years ago after H264 and cameras in general added tons of analytics and features built into the camera.

On a personal note they will hold the record of the most hideous cameras I have ever seen.

Undisclosed #1

IPVMU Certified | In reply to Eddie Perry | 03/30/16 01:46pm

On a personal note they will hold the record of the most hideous cameras I have ever seen.

Yes.

Rumor has it that they were intentionally designed that way to thwart knock-offs. Whether that explanation was post-hoc or not, their visual distinctiveness has remained to this day, and likely makes up a good part of the Japanese valuation.

Undisclosed End User #5

In reply to Eddie Perry | 03/30/16 11:48pm

I really like the appearance of the S15 flexmount. It seems a very low profile automotive camera.

Undisclosed Integrator #3

03/30/16 06:01pm

I need to clarify that it was not a purchase per say but a stock exchange. This is from Minolta..."Konica Minolta, Inc. (Konica Minolta) today announced that the company entered into share transfer agreement with the major shareholder Dr. Ralf Hinkel Holding GmbH, and other shareholders of MOBOTIX AG, a German manufacturer of video surveillance systems (MOBOTIX), regarding the acquisition of the MOBOTIX shares held by them comprising approximately 65% of the share capital of MOBOTIX"

With that being clarified, those of us who are "Mobotix integrators" can only hope this benefits us and our clients in the future....only time will tell and all other is pure speculation and guessing....

John Honovich

IPVM | In reply to Undisclosed Integrator #3 | 03/30/16 06:07pm

acquisition of the MOBOTIX shares held by them comprising approximately 65% of the share capital of MOBOTIX

That's corporate speak for "We bought Mobotix". Seriously, once you hold a majority of the stock, the company is yours to do what you please.

Even with less than a majority (the Hanwha / Samsung / Techwin situation), the largest stock holder is generally the controlling entity / decision maker.

I do agree that it is unknown what exactly Konica Minolta will do with Mobotix, but they have definitely bought the company, not simply transferred stock.

Undisclosed #4

03/30/16 08:45pm

I am guessing the channel will go away and they will focus on internal sales solutions and or push to wide distribution

Undisclosed Integrator #6

03/31/16 04:39pm

I am an integrator and use the Mobotix platform. I have tried others such as Axis, Bosch, Hik, and many others in lab and field tests for what we and our customers demand. What we have found is that when you compare cost of ownership over 2, 5, 10 years Mobotix outperforms on many levels. We are considered a small shop but we engineer and install approximately 1,000 unites per month. Our client base has used the aforementioned products and found them to be "lacking" as they often tell us.

While Mobotix has had some minor issues in management I have always found the product itself to be superior to others we have used. We do not sell on price we sell on value and Mobotix has been part of that value we bring to our clients.

John Honovich

IPVM | In reply to Undisclosed Integrator #6 | 03/31/16 04:42pm

6, thanks for the feedback!

Do you then use Mobotix end to end or do you use it with a third party VMS? I am trying to understand better how reach that TCO. In my experience, usually integrators favoring Mobotix are using it end to end, to get the cost savings of eliminating the third party VMS.

Undisclosed Integrator #6

In reply to John Honovich | 03/31/16 05:01pm

In 99% of all applications we do not use a third party VMS. Most of our installs are in regulated type of facilities or industry sensitive. In some cases when a client has already spent untold amounts of money on other systems and then want to upgrade but keep existing systems we then utilize Milestone. Milestone does make a superior VMS and when you throw a issue at them the engineers at Milestone are very good in working with others and creating the solution.

In most cases we will utilize the QNAP NAS devices for video storage and playback when the client requires longer term storage.

I have never had an issue with the Mobotix platform their analytics or even camera failures. In the years I have been using Mobotix we have had one camera that was defective out of the box in which Mobotix was quick to replace. In the field we have had zero failures to date. I know of no other manufacturer that can say that.

I hope KM maintain the high standards. I do know personally some of the new firmware and processors that are going to be deployed in the next few months and those will keep Mobotix as the true security system platform.

Undisclosed Integrator #3

In reply to John Honovich | 03/31/16 05:11pm

We use it end to end......we know the new management center isn't perfect but with that being said, its improving....but even Microsoft Windows wasn't complete overnight....still isn't....

Jeremy Ellis

In reply to Undisclosed Integrator #6 | 03/31/16 04:47pm

Why do you choose to use the "undisclosed" feature? Be proud of your numbers! They are impressive!

Undisclosed Integrator #6

In reply to Jeremy Ellis | 03/31/16 05:03pm

Because of the sensitive work we do and who we work for. My clients do not want their business on the street. Defeats the purpose. That is why we drive all black surbans.

Jeff Sandine

RadiusVision
In reply to Undisclosed Integrator #6 | 03/31/16 11:56pm

You install 1000 units per month? And you are a small shop? Really?

John Honovich

IPVM | In reply to Jeff Sandine | 04/01/16 12:15am

1000 Mobotix cameras per month is ~5% of Mobotix's total revenue, so pretty big. (Mobotix annual revenue ~$90m, assume $500 average price, 12,000 cameras per year).

FRANK FISHMAN

04/03/16 07:19pm

Fortunately I have been our the wonderful security industry for a long time and its been good to me. Unfortunately these mergers and acquisitions are the downfall of our industry. I did see it happen in the the Alarm industry sector of our business and now CCTV. What will be the next niche industry is the question. The big problem we face now is who is going to install the equipment. The now generation does not want to work with their hands. They all want to sit in front of a PC and get paid. Who wants to join me in figuring out how we can recruit the younger generation to see a reason to work with your hands. The pride in workmanship in our new generation is almost non existent.

Undisclosed #1

IPVMU Certified | In reply to FRANK FISHMAN | 04/04/16 07:31pm

The pride in workmanship in our new generation is almost non existent.

Every new generation has to figure it out the hard way.

And even though I can't imagine how the latest graduates from Entitlement University are going to keep this world afloat, they will. I hope...

John Honovich

IPVM | 04/28/16 05:54pm

Update:

Mobotix sent a letter to its partners, the most notable 3 future plans include:

  • Provide next-generation security solutions including Konica Minolta's industrial optical systems. Konica Minolta's 3D-LiDAR for instance scans wide areas at a high precision level. This laser sensor will be able to generate 3D images, determine the distance, the size and even the speed of a moving object.
  • Develop intelligent solutions for specific vertical markets, for instance a "Care Support Solution" for monitoring residents at nursing care homes, combining the technologies of both companies.
  • Continue to drive end user demand. You will benefit from project leads resulting from the huge customer base ofKonica Minolta (global accounts).

All of them are niche efforts, consistent with historic Mobotix approaches.

Rashid Khan

08/18/16 02:44pm

Can we please have a more recent review if Mobotix MXManagementCentre 1.2 as the review you have is very old and outdated. Thanks

John Honovich

IPVM | In reply to Rashid Khan | 08/18/16 02:52pm

Rashid, We do not plan to review Mobotix's VMS any time soon. The company's competitiveness has fallen significantly and it makes it a lower priority.

We did test a new Mobotix camera (P25) last year but do not have any immediate plans to test anything else Mobotix.

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