Onelan bought by...

Digital signage manufacturer Onelan has been acquired by US-based cybersecurity company Uniguest.

The acquisition will strengthen Onelan's presence in the US, with customers and partners benefiting from Uniguest's team of 180 US-based staff and a further 75-person 24/7 call centre.

The acquisition presents Uniguest with the opportunity to become a global company, with its customers able to access Onelan's digital signage and visual communications systems as a natural extension to its current portfolio of products.

Onelans footprint spans across 6,000 projects in 50 countries and operates in the education, corporate, retail and hospitality sectors.

Speaking to InAVate, Onelans chief commercial officer Hugh Coghill Smith described how the deal came about: Uniguest reviewed the market, and were looking to find a digital signage company to add to their group, but also one that could help extend their reach as 95% of their turnover comes from the US. They looked at around 50 companies. We weren't up for sale, it was an unsolicited enquiry, and we've had a good few of those over the years and have always turned them down. But there is a great fit between the companies. We really liked their management team, there is a really good cultural fit there.

Going forward, what will the deal mean for Onelan? What we do is completely additional to what Uniguest is doing. Our vision matches their vision. To really go to the next level they can help Onelan do that. The opportunity to cross-sell is very attractive for us. They are looking to bring products out in the hospitality sector which hasn't been a big one for us historically. So it's a great marriage from that point of view. There is no change in operation, we are a bolt-on to the Uniguest Group, added Coghill-Smith. He confirmed to InAVate the Onelan name will remain globally.

Digital engagement is something we see as a crucial component to the future of the industries we operate in, Uniguest CEO Jeff Hiscox said. After doing a thorough review of the market, we realised Onelan's products are best in class and our combined solutions will drive a new digital infusion in the public use space of our customers.

For the near future, Onelan will continue to operate as a stand-alone business with its current team members out of the Reading, UK headquarters. Uniguest will add the signage offerings into its solution set, and the products will immediately be available to Uniguest clients.

LINK:	http://www.inavateonthenet.net/news/article/onelan-bought-by...
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