Daniel J SaitSnapAV, manufacturer of AV, surveillance, networking and remote management products, and Control4 Corporation, provider of smart home solutions, have announced the successful completion of their merger.
Now unified into a single organisation, Control4 becomes a professional smart home brand in the company portfolio, whilst SnapAV continues to bring technology professionals a trusted, end-to-end partner that invests relentlessly in growing the industry and helping their businesses succeed.
The major change installers in the UK will see is a larger presence from SnapAV.
Speaking to EI, John Heyman, CEO of SnapAV, explained that the plan is to use Control4’s established networks and boots on the ground to increase the presence of SnapAV products in the UK and indeed Europe.
SnapAV plans to increase its UK presence in the later half of this year, with a really significant impact expected and planned for the next 18 months.
The plan is also to make Control4 more attractive, as installers will be able to cross pollinate complementary products from the two brands.
In terms of the market in general, John believes the ‘smart home market’ is only just getting started, and that the joining of the two brands should make it easier to create compelling joined up services and experiences that end users want. Logistical and combined training initiatives will also be featured in the new set-up.
SnapAV firmly believes that as the market develops, users will increasingly realise that, whilst DIY products can be a nice starting point, it needs a professional to really deliver the services and abilities they want in the home. Far from the DIY market damaging the sector, the company believes it is doing it a favour.
“The smart home industry is poised for massive growth, and much of that growth will be driven and satisfied by professionals. Our team shares a passion to deliver fantastic experiences to homeowners and businesses,” says John.
“Through this combination of industry leaders, we have organized ourselves around delivering a unified and integrated company that gives dealers one place to go for the best and broadest selection of products, greatest technical support, most rewarding sales programs, robust training resources, and more.”
The SnapAV product development team, led by Charlie Kindel as Chief Product and Technology Officer, envisions a roadmap that blends deep innovation with simplicity, interoperability, and quality. “We know this to be true: the number of connected devices in the home will continue to increase. Homeowners want help removing complexity so they can enjoy life at home more and manage technology less,” says Charlie.
“We’re focused on the vision of making end-customers rave about our fantastic products and the great living experiences our dealers create with those products. Through this merger, we will fulfill the true promise of the smart home.”
Together, the combined company offers a broad product portfolio. Adding the Control4 Smart Home OS makes SnapAV one of the most connected product portfolios, with interoperability across nearly 14,000 devices from hundreds of manufacturers.
Control4 will continue to be available only through Control4 Authorized Dealers, and the standards required for dealer certification will not change.
All brands in the combined product portfolio – including Pakedge and Araknis, OvrC and BakPak, Triad and Episode – continue to be supported, and dealers can use the solution that best fits their needs.
John concludes, “Today is day one of this journey, and we are just getting started. SnapAV is committed to investing relentlessly in the success of its dealers and fueling broad industry growth to better serve our shared customers. We believe in the importance of professionally installed systems, and we are laying the groundwork to ensure those businesses succeed long into the future.”
As well as John in the role of CEO, former Control4 CEO Martin Plaehn joins the board of directors of SnapAV’s parent company. Jeff Hindman joins the executive team as Chief Revenue Officer, while former Amazon Alexa executive and Control4 SVP of products and services Charlie Kindel is Chief Product and Technology Officer. Mike Carlet will serve as the Chief Financial Officer.
Additional executives of the combined company include Jeff Dungan, G Paul Hess, JD Ellis, Barrett Schiwitz, Bryce Judd, Carmen Thiede, Graham Jaenicke, and Wally Whinna. The company will have headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Salt Lake City, Utah, with offices and local facilities around the world.
