Codan to buy Zetron for $45 million cash, will keep Zetron brand

[blantonl]

Codan Limited has signed a definitive agreement to pay $45 million cash to acquire 911 solutions provider Zetron that will enable the merger of Codan’s Critical Communications unit and Zetron into a new company that will operate under the Zetron brand, according to multiple sources.

Codan to buy Zetron for $45 million cash, will keep Zetron brand - Urgent Comms

Codan Limited has signed a definitive agreement to pay $45 million cash to acquire 911 solutions provider Zetron that will enable the merger of Codan’s Critical Communications unit and Zetron into a new company that will operate under the Zetron brand, according to multiple sources...

urgentcomm.com

 

[xmo]

Just for a sense of scale - there's probably $45 million worth of dispatch consoles in just one of several Motorola state-wide P25 public safety systems.

 

[Jl942264]

Wondering if they'll continue to support what they already produce, and have produced over the years.

 

[FireMarshalRob]

Just for a sense of scale - there's probably $45 million worth of dispatch consoles in just one of several Motorola state-wide P25 public safety systems.

Only difference is most of the Motorola stuff is pure crap.... Just saying the obvious

 

[902]

I always thought Codan and Telex-Vega were a better match for DFSI/CSSI, but Codan and Zetron are two respectable players in the industry LMR industry.

 

[902]

Only difference is most of the Motorola stuff is pure crap.... Just saying the obvious

Do they still make their console products, or is GAItronics still OEMing them?

 

[PACNWDude]

Heard this a few days ago, and when I worked for Zetron, they were still worth about $148 million. Zetron has been cutting support for many older products, or has been trying to charge $180 per hour for technical support for legacy hardware. They still make dispatch products, with the high end tier being Acom-Novus, and the MAX-Dispatch and MAX-Call Taking suite picking up the lower end market. Being bought by Codan may help them, as being part of the JVC/Kenwood group was causing a lot of radio shops to steer clear or risk losing their Motorola Service Shop status.

I currently administer a nationwide ASTRO/TRBO radio network that could only be held together with Zetron 6300 IP interface products, and hope they keep that product in some shape and form in the future. (Raven, Motorola, and Telex/Bosch Communications products all had their own issues.) Most likley they will, as it is the basis of many other products, with specific models for Harris, Kenwood, and EF Johnson radio versions.

Toward the end of my time with Zetron, I did see a lot of products also being re-badged as Kenwood.....repeater controlllers for example. It will be interesting see what they continue to support under Codan. Their first job should be to destroy any IP camera projects that have been taking time, money, and effort away from bug fixes. nobody is going to buy an IP camera system from them, when there are better options available already int he market.

 

[12dbsinad]

Heard this a few days ago, and when I worked for Zetron, they were still worth about $148 million. Zetron has been cutting support for many older products, or has been trying to charge $180 per hour for technical support for legacy hardware. They still make dispatch products, with the high end tier being Acom-Novus, and the MAX-Dispatch and MAX-Call Taking suite picking up the lower end market. Being bought by Codan may help them, as being part of the JVC/Kenwood group was causing a lot of radio shops to steer clear or risk losing their Motorola Service Shop status.

I currently administer a nationwide ASTRO/TRBO radio network that could only be held together with Zetron 6300 IP interface products, and hope they keep that product in some shape and form in the future. (Raven, Motorola, and Telex/Bosch Communications products all had their own issues.) Most likley they will, as it is the basis of many other products, with specific models for Harris, Kenwood, and EF Johnson radio versions.

Toward the end of my time with Zetron, I did see a lot of products also being re-badged as Kenwood.....repeater controlllers for example. It will be interesting see what they continue to support under Codan. Their first job should be to destroy any IP camera projects that have been taking time, money, and effort away from bug fixes. nobody is going to buy an IP camera system from them, when there are better options available already int he market.

There are still TONS of 4000 series Intergrator RD console systems still in service in my area. A lot of smaller centers still run them. It will be interesting to see what happens, but like you said, getting away from JVCKenwood probably is a good thing.

Heck, we still have a fair share of model 250 tone remote adapters still in service.

 

[902]

I bought 3 4010 consoles from the Z back in the day and put them into a mobile command center vehicle. It worked extremely well. I also have a bunch of LMR accessories, like the Model 39 tone panel and a few Model 25 tone encoders. I was a very big fan of their products and spec'ed them as often as I could. I suppose the time for those things has gone. Maybe 30 years ago I wanted to install a POCSAG paging encoder on our fire department alerting transmitter and do alphanumeric paging. It probably would have been nifty, but we never did anything with it, and now there are much different (I hesitate to use the word "better") systems to leverage. It's hard to be an accessory manufacturer when so much is migrating away from LMR for connectivity. I'm thinking if they want to remain relevant, they need to do some form of LTE to LMR bridge product. I have a Codan control station tied to a Telex-Vega C-Soft console and a Motobridge. What's probably helpful anymore is something that could fuse the Codan's DFSI with a talkgroup over cellular.

 

[kayn1n32008]

Just spit balling, but could Codan want Zetron to be able to market a total system solution geared to the forestry/parks sector? Especially with their conventional P25 offerings, and ability to build linked systems over LMR.

Codan(Daniels) is THE infrastructure for off grid radio systems. They really have no peer in this sector.

 

[902]

Just spit balling, but could Codan want Zetron to be able to market a total system solution geared to the forestry/parks sector? Especially with their conventional P25 offerings, and ability to build linked systems over LMR.

Codan(Daniels) is THE infrastructure for off grid radio systems. They really have no peer in this sector.

Forestry is a really focused niche market, though. Part 90 is much less flexible than the NIRSC configurations and allotments. I can't see them getting much traction from that.

 

[PACNWDude]

Forestry would be an interesting direction for them. As for Zetron, I could not convince them to even acknowledge Motorola Trbo radio interfaces. Everything was geared toward Public Safety Answering Points (PSAP's), and APX series Motorola radios. However, the 6300 IP interface manual does state that they interface with Trbo series radios, although do not expect any technical support from that angle. Going that direction may have made the company worth more than $45 million, as my current employer uses them to integrate Trbo to Astro nationwide. Niche markets can be very lucrative if you market toward that. The future will tell what their plans are.

 

[radioman2001]

I have just let my big bosses know about this, as we are in a evaluation period of our entire system with a systems intergrator. We have as part of our next 5 year plan to replace a 15 year old Zetron console system, along with all bases stations.
Presently we are using RTL lines to our roughly 80 base stations, but plans are going to IP based stations. We have been playing with RAD IP to 4 wire boxes in the meantime.
This can actually be a game changer as we might go with a forklift replacement of our system using Codan instead of our piecemeal mix of Zetron Consoles, Harris,and Icom bases. The big M is out as a vendor for now by not building a NXDN product, which will be ultra narrow mandated sometime in the future.

 

[kayn1n32008]

Forestry is a really focused niche market, though. Part 90 is much less flexible than the NIRSC configurations and allotments. I can't see them getting much traction from that.

I agree, it is a niche market, BUT it also tends to be a market that has relied on off grid infrastructure, which is the bread and butter of Codan stations. Super reliable, very fuel efficient. Even their modern synthesized gear is much more fuel efficient than most anything available on today's market.

 

[kayn1n32008]

Forestry would be an interesting direction for them... Niche markets can be very lucrative if you market toward that. The future will tell what their plans are.

Pretty sure this is what built the customer base for Daniels before Codan bought them. When I say forestry, I'm referring to government departments focused on forestry/natural resources, not private industry.