Garmin acquires Tritronics

Post by **Az Draht** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 12:43 pm

Interesting development in the dog collar world

MEDIA CONTACT:
Ted Gartner
Garmin International Inc.
Phone | 913/397-8200
E-Mail | media.relations@Garmin.com
Garmin
® Acquires Tri-Tronics® Inc., Leader in Electronic
Dog Training Equipment

Schaffhausen, Switzerland and Tucson, AZ –/June 24, 2011/Business Wire — Garmin Ltd., (NASDAQ:
GRMN), the global leader in satellite navigation, today announced that one of its subsidiaries has signed
an agreement to acquire Tri-Tronics Inc., the leading designer and manufacturer of electronic dog
training equipment. The acquisition will allow the combined company to expand its leadership position in
both the tracking and training of sporting dogs and household pets alike.
“We are delighted to have Tri-Tronics join the Garmin family. Like Garmin, Tri-Tronics is a leading and
respected brand that is committed to designing, manufacturing, and marketing the highest quality, most
rugged, and easiest-to-use devices in the business,” said Cliff Pemble, president and COO of Garmin. “By
integrating the two companies, we believe we can leverage our areas of expertise into products that can
greatly enhance the way that dog owners interact with their canine companions. This acquisition should
demonstrate without a doubt that Garmin is fully committed to developing innovative products for the
canine market.”
“For more than 40 years, Tri-Tronics has been the leading brand of electronic dog training equipment.
Combined with Garmin, we can extend our leadership well into the future,” said Mike Romano, vice
president and general manager of Tri-Tronics. “Our combined team will work together to develop
cutting-edge products that will help dog owners more effectively train their dogs and keep them safer.
Together, we can bring these products to market quicker, with more features, and at a competitive
price.”
Innovation has made both Garmin and Tri-Tronics the choice of elite dog trainers and breeders as well as
amateur hunters and pet owners. Garmin revolutionized the sporting dog market when it entered the
market in 2007 with Astro
®, its highly-successful GPS dog tracking system, which pinpoints the exact
location of a dog for hunters. Earlier this year, Garmin introduced the cellular-based GTU 10 GPS locator
and web-based Garmin Tracker™ service for computers and smartphones.
For more than 40 years, Tri-Tronics has pioneered many innovative and patented features on e-collars
and bark limiters, including innovations in wireless signal transmission, variable stimulation, battery
technology, and numerous features that ensure dogs are safe when trained with an e-collar. This
consistent leadership in the industry has made Tri-Tronics one of the most trusted names in dog training.
Tri-Tronics will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Garmin Ltd. Its existing management team will
be retained and will continue operations at its headquarters in Tucson, Arizona. Financial terms of the
agreement will not be released. The deal is expected to close by June 30, 2011.

About Garmin Ltd.
The global leader in satellite navigation, Garmin Ltd. and its subsidiaries have designed, manufactured, marketed and sold
navigation, communication and information devices and applications since 1989 – most of which are enabled by GPS technology.
Garmin’s products serve automotive, mobile, wireless, outdoor recreation, marine, aviation, and OEM applications. Garmin Ltd. is
incorporated in Switzerland, and its principal subsidiaries are located in the United States, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. For
more information, visit Garmin's virtual pressroom at
www.Garmin.com/newsroom or contact the Media Relations department at

913-397-8200 . Garmin and Astro are registered trademarks and Garmin Tracker is a trademark of Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries.
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birddog1968 · Post by **birddog1968** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 1:49 pm

thats not necessarily good news......seems the more mega a coorp gets the more it looses contact with its customers.

Garmin makes quality products so lets hope nothing changes with tritronics collars.....

gonehuntin' · Post by **gonehuntin'** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 2:37 pm

I think it's a union made in Heaven. The leader in electronic navigation merges their technology with the leading mfg. of electronic training collars. Wow.

Siskiyou Blues · Post by **Siskiyou Blues** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 2:56 pm

Two of my favorite brands.

Don't let me down!

prairiefirepointers · Post by **prairiefirepointers** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 2:56 pm

Yep, its true. I had just walked in and opened my email and had one from my distributor about it.

Whether or not is good or bad, well, I guess it remains to be seen.

Cajun Casey · Post by **Cajun Casey** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 4:05 pm

Woot! Good move.

SHORTFAT · Post by **SHORTFAT** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 4:46 pm

I only hope that the service stays the same... decisions on things like returns and repairs come straight from the top via pressure policies... and in a matter of a few years the influence of the larger corp can change the way they treat their customers on the little things that tri-tronics has done so well!!!

I hope the change is for the better . only time will tell...

snips · Post by **snips** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 8:23 pm

Interesting..

prairiefirepointers · Post by **prairiefirepointers** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 1:07 pm

How much influence (if any) do you think SportDOG and their new TEK unit had on this aquisition?

Perhaps this is a haymaker swing to knock SportDOG out?

myerstenn · Post by **myerstenn** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 1:22 pm

You might think of it the other way around, how much influence has SportDog had on the market to make tritronics (privately held) think about selling out?????????????

Post by **kninebirddog** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 2:13 pm

myerstenn wrote:You might think of it the other way around, how much influence has SportDog had on the market to make tritronics (privately held) think about selling out?????????????

Monday is supposed to be the TRi Tronics side of announcement...And from what I can gather so far it sounds like a real potential Win Win. Looking forward to it...

shags · Post by **shags** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 2:27 pm

@ anyone who has any input with either of these two companies - could you please ask them to put good sturdy D rings on the handhelds so that we can ditch the stupid holsters and use our own lanyards? Good D rings like those on blank pistols, not the dinky little string things like on my little granddaughter's cheapo camera AKA the one that comes on the DC220? Please?

Post by **kninebirddog** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 2:39 pm

shags wrote:@ anyone who has any input with either of these two companies - could you please ask them to put good sturdy D rings on the handhelds so that we can ditch the stupid holsters and use our own lanyards? Good D rings like those on blank pistols, not the dinky little string things like on my little granddaughter's cheapo camera AKA the one that comes on the DC220? Please?

Check your email.....

tommyboy72 · Post by **tommyboy72** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 4:05 pm

I like Garmin. I have a Garmin automobile GPS. Much better than Magellan but I guess you can cross Tri-Tronics off the list of completely American made electronics.

Post by **kninebirddog** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 4:09 pm

tommyboy72 wrote:I like Garmin. I have a Garmin automobile GPS. Much better than Magellan but I guess you can cross Tri-Tronics off the list of completely American made electronics.

Don't know that Yet...on the E collars and stuff

displaced_texan · Post by **displaced_texan** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 5:58 pm

shags wrote:@ anyone who has any input with either of these two companies - could you please ask them to put good sturdy D rings on the handhelds so that we can ditch the stupid holsters and use our own lanyards? Good D rings like those on blank pistols, not the dinky little string things like on my little granddaughter's cheapo camera AKA the one that comes on the DC220? Please?

Zip ties...

http://i396.photobucket.com/albums/pp44 ... 234804.jpg

(I don't feel like resizing it)

phermes1 · Post by **phermes1** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 7:07 am

gonehuntin' wrote:I think it's a union made in Heaven. The leader in electronic navigation merges their technology with the leading mfg. of electronic training collars. Wow.

This was my initial reaction. Garmin products and customer service have always been stellar, same with Tritronics.
Garmin is a smart company - they didn't have the know-how in e-collar technology they needed to compete, so they went out and bought it.

I'll be very interested to see what they develop for an e-collar/GPS combo in response to the Sport dog product.

GBranch830 · Post by **GBranch830** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 8:15 am

From what i have seen and heard from my local distributor is that the new sportdog still isn't very good. The "gps" features aren't really even that. nothing compared to the astro at least. He said the sportdog just shows you where you are in relationship to your dog, no topo or real gps or anything else is available. Not sure if that is true or not. anyone know?

Post by **kninebirddog** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 9:07 am

Copied from their forum

Important News From Tri-Tronics!

Tri-Tronics has signed an agreement to be purchased by Garmin Ltd. This is really a combining of market leaders, and we hope that you’re as excited about it as we are.

As you probably know, Garmin is the pioneer in GPS dog tracking. What you may not realize is that their navigation systems are also found in airplanes, boats, cars, and many other devices, all over the world. They’ve been at it as long as just about anyone in the GPS business.

Tri-Tronics, of course, is a pioneer and market leader in its own right. Taken together, the strengths of the two companies are highly complementary, and together we believe that we can better serve the broader sporting dog market with the best products, service, and customer support.

The combination of our respective product lines will result in more choices, more innovation, and better value and service for our dealers, customers and supporters.

So as a practical matter, what does this mean for our customers, users, and supporters?

In a nutshell, it’s business as usual.

Tri-Tronics will continue to be responsible for supporting its own products just as Garmin will be for its own products. Tri-Tronics will continue to offer high quality products and stand behind them. We will continue to honor our product warranties and service products in Tucson. Our office in Tucson will remain open and your Tri-Tronics contacts will remain the same as before; the same people, phone number and email address. The current Tri-Tronics management team will stay in place through the transition period at which time a decision will be made about how the overseeing process will be handled.

We will continue to provide updates to you as developments warrant.

birddog1968 · Post by **birddog1968** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 9:15 am

I see Chinese made TT collars in the future......

Post by **kninebirddog** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 9:28 am

birddog1968 wrote:I see Chinese made TT collars in the future......

I think it will be business as usual for the TT collars but there should be some interesting products coming in the future..That is what I see...

birddog1968 · Post by **birddog1968** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 1:03 pm

That next to the last sentence in the press release speaks volumes to me.....prepare for change.

The current Tri-Tronics management team will stay in place through the transition period at which time a decision will be made about how the overseeing process will be handled.

Vonzeppelinkennels · Post by **Vonzeppelinkennels** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 1:11 pm

From experience I kinda hate to see companies get bigger but we will see.
It has cost over 1600 employees there job at one plant here in Ohio,my wife being one of them after 34 yrs but I guess that's life.
Was the biggest employer in Clermont county now in CHINA.

Chukar12 · Post by **Chukar12** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 1:48 pm

I want to jump in on some speculation here...it seems like fun and my Panda Express isn't tasting all that good.
I would imagine a number of things will change, though I doubt the quality of the product will be one. We have now way of knowing if Tri-Tronics was distressed and looking for a partner to get out? They are privately held and my internet search shows a maximum revenue of $2.5 million for this company. that would make them about .1% (I edited this so it was more clear this is 1/10 of 1%) of the $2.5 billion that Garmin produces. There are any number of ways this could have been structured; private ownership sells the assets and the name and takes a consulting gig for a few years for anything over the asset value...stc..

The point is most assuredly, Garmin will cut some administrative costs by eliminating duplication in HR, Accounts Payable, Receivable, etc... As Tommy said above, I doubt that assembly will stay in the U.S. that would make very little sense. It will be interesting to see how big they think the market can be? This is a small acqusition that is slightly out of their "core" business I wonder if they will use an improved cost structure and their behemoth marketing machine to make e-collars more main stream? In looking at Garmins Financials they spend 10% of their total revenue on research and development. I wonder if that will spill over in e-collars? We never will but I would love to know what drove this acquisition from Garmin's side.

brad27 · Post by **brad27** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 2:38 pm

We never will but I would love to know what drove this acquisition from Garmin's side.

my guess, a larger piece of the dog world pie.

and garmin being the company it is, i have no problem with that.

ben33127 · Post by **ben33127** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 3:12 pm

prairiefirepointers wrote:How much influence (if any) do you think SportDOG and their new TEK unit had on this aquisition?

Perhaps this is a haymaker swing to knock SportDOG out?

I would hope being the billion dollar comapny Garmin is they would understand aquiring Tri-Tronics would not knock out Sport dog. SD has their niche just like Garmin and Tri-Tronics has theirs. Example being when I attended Auburn we had a huge dog park, and 80% of the ecollars were SD yard trainers, I suppose because they are inexpensive. Just my take.

Chukar12 · Post by **Chukar12** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 3:25 pm

How big is the whole e-collar industry, does anyone know or have an educated guess?

Prariefire?

Tri Tronics has to be gigger than 2.5 million they have over 100 employees?

ben33127 · Post by **ben33127** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 3:58 pm

Sport Dog also does Special Make Ups for the big box pet stores. I think the name is Pet Safe.

tommyboy72 · Post by **tommyboy72** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 3:59 pm

In any case Garmin does and I am sure always will make a quality product even if the circuitry and internal components are manufactured and assembled overseas as are most circuitry and electronics in the world today. I stand by statements I have made in the past that even so called " wholly American made" ecollars have oriental circuitry and internal components even if they are assembled in the U.S. and marketed by a U.S. company.

gittrdonebritts · Post by **gittrdonebritts** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 4:15 pm

Sport Dog still sucks Tommy

displaced_texan · Post by **displaced_texan** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 5:42 pm

tommyboy72 wrote:In any case Garmin does and I am sure always will make a quality product even if the circuitry and internal components are manufactured and assembled overseas as are most circuitry and electronics in the world today. I stand by statements I have made in the past that even so called " wholly American made" ecollars have oriental circuitry and internal components even if they are assembled in the U.S. and marketed by a U.S. company.

Well said...

I've got a Hilit 4.5" grinder, paid like $130 for it. Well worth it, even though it was made in China. Because it was still made to Hilti standards.

If Tritronics moved manufacturing overseas it would not necessarily mean a drop in quality, as long as they demanded it from the manufacturer...

Ahumphers91a · Post by **Ahumphers91a** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 7:37 pm

think prices may drop some??

Ahumphers91a · Post by **Ahumphers91a** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 7:37 pm

think prices may drop some??

birddog1968 · Post by **birddog1968** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 8:46 pm

servicing equipment is what worries me......bigger usually means worse service, lets hope that doesn't become the case.

brad27 · Post by **brad27** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 9:08 pm

servicing equipment is what worries me......bigger usually means worse service, lets hope that doesn't become the case.

garmin's customer service is excellent.

birddog1968 · Post by **birddog1968** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 9:12 pm

brad27 wrote:
servicing equipment is what worries me......bigger usually means worse service, lets hope that doesn't become the case.
garmin's customer service is excellent.

Have you used it? and how long did it take to get your device back?

nikegundog · Post by **nikegundog** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 9:19 pm

Haven't warrantied anything from TT in the last 10 years, do they still mail out a replacement collar, then you mail yours back in the same box?

phermes1 · Post by **phermes1** » Tue Jun 28, 2011 6:15 am

I've used Garmin customer service twice. The first time was on my car GPS. Forget the details, but they were very easy and turnaround on the repair was quick.
The second time was on my Astro. The battery stopped holding a charge - apparently leaving the collar in high temps all the time can affect battery life.

Anyway, it was still in warranty, I sent it to Garmin on a Tuesday. I got a replacement collar in the mail the following Monday, no charge.
Both times were very easy, very quick, no struggle, no questions asked. I could not have asked for a better experience.

brad27 · Post by **brad27** » Tue Jun 28, 2011 8:24 am

Have you used it? and how long did it take to get your device back?

yep, used it once for a device and called a couple times trying to get other things straightened out.(software) I was having trouble with my rhino 530, called customer service, they said send it in, we'll replace it. a week later, new unit.

snips · Post by **snips** » Tue Jun 28, 2011 11:21 am

Wondering if they will continue the Influencials Club...??//

Post by **kninebirddog** » Tue Jun 28, 2011 12:23 pm

snips wrote:Wondering if they will continue the Influencials Club...??//

Yes

phermes1 · Post by **phermes1** » Tue Jun 28, 2011 2:36 pm

kninebirddog wrote:
snips wrote:Wondering if they will continue the Influencials Club...??//
Yes

Good! I like all my free stuff, wear it all the time!

northern cajun · Post by **northern cajun** » Tue Jun 28, 2011 3:54 pm

This is what was sent to Influential club members.

Dear Club Member:

I have some important information to share with you. Earlier today, Tri-Tronics signed an agreement to be purchased by Garmin Ltd. This is really a combining of market leaders, and I hope that you’re as excited about it as we are.

As you probably know, Garmin is the pioneer in GPS dog tracking. What you may not realize is that their navigation systems are also found in airplanes, boats, cars, and many other devices, all over the world. They’ve been at it as long as just about anyone in the GPS business.

Tri-Tronics, of course, is a pioneer and market leader in its own right. Taken together, the strengths of the two companies are highly complementary, and together we believe that we can better serve the broader sporting dog market with the best products, service, and customer support.

The combination of our respective product lines will result in more choices, more innovation, and better value and service for our dealers, customers and supporters.

So as a practical matter, what does this mean for our Club members?

In a nutshell, it’s business as usual.

Tri-Tronics will continue to be responsible for supporting its own products, sales, and marketing, just as Garmin will be for its own products. We will continue the Club and the benefits that come your way because of your membership. The dedicated Club website will continue to be available to you. Our office in Tucson will remain open and your Tri-Tronics contacts will remain the same as before; the same people, phone numbers and email addresses. The current Tri-Tronics management team will stay in place through the transition period at which time a decision will be made about how the overseeing process will be handled.

We will continue to provide updates to you as developments warrant. Thank you for your time, and we look forward to continuing to provide the products and services you want and need.

The announcement is below.

Schaffhausen, Switzerland and Tucson, AZ –/June 24, 2011/Business Wire — Garmin Ltd., (NASDAQ: GRMN), the global leader in satellite navigation, today announced that one of its subsidiaries has signed an agreement to acquire Tri-Tronics Inc., the leading designer and manufacturer of electronic dog training equipment. The acquisition will allow the combined company to expand its leadership position in both the tracking and training of sporting dogs and household pets alike.

“We are delighted to have Tri-Tronics join the Garmin family. Like Garmin, Tri-Tronics is a leading and respected brand that is committed to designing, manufacturing, and marketing the highest quality, most rugged, and easiest-to-use devices in the business,” said Cliff Pemble, president and COO of Garmin. “By integrating the two companies, we believe we can leverage our areas of expertise into products that can greatly enhance the way that dog owners interact with their canine companions. This acquisition should demonstrate without a doubt that Garmin is fully committed to developing innovative products for the canine market.”

“For more than 40 years, Tri-Tronics has been the leading brand of electronic dog training equipment. Combined with Garmin, we can extend our leadership well into the future,” said Mike Romano, vice president and general manager of Tri-Tronics. “Our combined team will work together to develop cutting-edge products that will help dog owners more effectively train their dogs and keep them safer. Together, we can bring these products to market quicker, with more features, and at a competitive price.”

Innovation has made both Garmin and Tri-Tronics the choice of elite dog trainers and breeders as well as amateur hunters and pet owners. Garmin revolutionized the sporting dog market when it entered the market in 2007 with Astro®, its highly-successful GPS dog tracking system, which pinpoints the exact location of a dog for hunters. Earlier this year, Garmin introduced the cellular-based GTU 10 GPS locator and web-based Garmin Tracker™service for computers and smartphones.

For more than 40 years, Tri-Tronics has pioneered many innovative and patented features on e-collars and bark limiters, including innovations in wireless signal transmission, variable stimulation, battery technology, and numerous features that ensure dogs are safe when trained with an e-collar. This consistent leadership in the industry has made Tri-Tronics one of the most trusted names in dog training.

Tri-Tronics will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Garmin Ltd. Its existing management team will be retained and will continue operations at its headquarters in Tucson, Arizona. Financial terms of the agreement will not be released. The deal is expected to close by June 30, 2011.

About Garmin Ltd.
The global leader in satellite navigation, Garmin Ltd. and its subsidiaries have designed, manufactured, marketed and sold navigation, communication and information devices and applications since 1989 – most of which are enabled by GPS technology. Garmin’s products serve automotive, mobile, wireless, outdoor recreation, marine, aviation, and OEM applications. Garmin Ltd. is incorporated in Switzerland, and its principal subsidiaries are located in the United States, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit Garmin's virtual pressroom atwww.Garmin.com/newsroom or contact the Media Relations department at 913-397-8200. Garmin and Astro are registered trademarks and Garmin Tracker is a trademark of Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries.

All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

Notice on forward-looking statements:
This release includes forward-looking statements regarding Garmin Ltd. and its business. All statements regarding the company’s future product introductions are forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on management's current expectations. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release may not occur and actual results could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting Garmin, including, but not limited to, the risk factors listed in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 25, 2010, filed by Garmin with the Securities and Exchange Commission (Commission file number 0-31983). A copy of such Form 10-K is available at www.Garmin.com/aboutGarmin/invRelations/finReports.html. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and Greyhound undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.