CE Pro January 2023 - 25

Networking+Home Control
SECURITY CORNER
ASSA ABLOY Sells
Yale, August to Avoid
Antitrust Claims;
Acquires DoorBird
FORTUNE BRANDS Home & Security, an industry-leading
home and security products company, announces it has
entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Emtek
and Schaub premium and luxury door and cabinet hardware
business, as well as the U.S. and Canadian Yale and August
residential smart home locks business from ASSA ABLOY.
The transaction is valued at $800 million, or approximately
$700 million net of tax benefits, in cash on a cash-free, debtfree
basis, subject to customary adjustments.
" Yale and August will bring two great brands and significant
engineering expertise into our already powerful security
portfolio. Emtek and Schaub allow us to enter a branded,
growing and highly profitable category in a leadership position, "
says Fortune Brands CEO Nicholas Fink.
The acquisition is conditioned on the successful closing
of the acquisition by ASSA ABLOY from Spectrum Brands
of its Hardware and Home Improvement business following
a favorable resolution of the court proceedings with the
Department of Justice.
In September, the DOJ filed a civil antitrust lawsuit to
block ASSA ABLOY's proposed $4.3 billion acquisition, citing
the merger would eliminate important head-to-head competition
between ASSA ABLOY and Spectrum, risking higher
prices, lower quality, reduced innovation and poorer service
in the sale of at least two types of residential door hardware.
In an effort to assuage the DOJ's concerns, ASSA ABLOY
DoorBird showcased its video doorbells and intercoms at
CEDIA Expo 2022 in Dallas.
later announced it had initiated a sales process of its Emtek
and Yale smart residential business in the U.S. and Canada.
Meanwhile, ASSA ABLOY Group announced it has acquired
100% of the shares in Bird Home Automation GmbH,
the makers of the DoorBird video doorbell. Terms were not
disclosed.
The company says it has the size and scale to further invest
in the relevant market sector and further expand the DoorBird
brand as part of its smart home and access control offering.
Bird Home Automation develops and manufactures IPbased
video door intercoms, access control devices, indoor
stations and accessories under the trademark " DoorBird. "
The company's headquarters and production plant are in
Berlin, Germany, with a sales office in San Francisco and
Jacksonville, Fla.
Axis Opens Experience Centers in Houston & Vancouver
AXIS Communications
celebrated the opening of
its newest Axis Experience
Center (AEC) in Vancouver,
British Columbia, in mid-November.
It marked the third
AEC opening for Axis in the
second half of 2022, while
being its second Canadian
location.
A month prior, Axis had
launched its Houston Excepro.com
perience
Center. In recognition
of the city's deeply
rooted connection to the
space industry, the new
4,800-square-foot facility
embodies a 'Space City'
theme, according to Axis.
As a focal point, the
state-of-the-art facility
features a 'Launch Pad' with
a large circular truss system
that displays Axis Communications'
core suite of endto-end
solutions, including
the latest innovations in
video, access control, audio,
and intercom, all working
together on Axis Camera
Station software platform.
The Vancouver and Houston
experience centers will
give local customers, partners
and business leaders
the opportunity to interact
with Axis' latest and most
innovative network technologies
in real-world scenarios
before deploying within
their own organizations.
The latest AECs join New
York City, Boston, Atlanta,
Chicago, Dallas, Fort
Lauderdale, Los Angeles,
San Jose, Washington D.C.,
Toronto, Mexico City and
Sao Paulo locations.
January 2023 CE Pro | 25
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CE Pro January 2023

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