This week the company DIGITAL MARINE SOLUTIONS announced it has signed a purchase agreement to acquire the marine division of JEPPESEN. The acquired division will then operate as its own company under the name C-MAP. The rest of Jeppesen remains under ownership of THE BOEING COMPANY.
Confused by all those name? It gets better.
Digital Marine solutions is owned by the ALTOR 2003 FUND. That fund is a private equity fund of the Altor family. They also own the majority of NAVICO. The family tree now looks like this:
The Altor Family
--> owns the Altor 2003 Fund which
----> owns majority stake in NAVICO and also
----> owns DIGITAL MARINE SOLUTIONS which now
------> owns the new C-MAP company (which was part of Jeppesen owned by The Boeing Company)
The real effect of this acquisition is to bring the electronic global cartography of C-Map into the Navico sphere of influence. On that note, I would expect that the Navico brands of electronic chart plotters such as LOWRANCE, SIMRAD, and B&G will add or continue to have the ability to use C-Map charts.
The full press release can be found at PR Newswire.
About two years ago Navico acquired Minnesota-based CONTOUR INNOVATIONS, the company that developed the product which is now known as Navico Insight Genesis, a tool for map-making.
This all looks like the case of the big fish swallowing the little fish.
According to the press release, the new acquisition "...will ensure that Navico and other [third] party electronic manufacturers continue to have access to the C-MAP portfolio for both recreational and commercial marine." That sounds like the C-Map charts won't become just for Navico-branded chart plotters.
If I fully understand who owns whom, I believe that NAVIONICS remains under independent ownership. Navionics has partnered with most major electronic chart plotter makers, and they provides electronic charts in formats that can be used with chart plotters made by RAYMARINE, HUMMINBIRD, and the Navico brands LOWRANCE, SIMRAD, and B&G.
An earlier article reported on the takeover of DeLorme, another chart publisher, by Garmin.
More Consolidation in Marine Electronics
Re: More Consolidation in Marine Electronics
A recent announcement from Johnson Outdoors reveals they have acquired NORTHPORT SYSTEMS, perhaps better known under the Fugawi branding. Again, we see the marine electronics industry is consolidating, with the large players taking ownership and control of the small players. Here are some excerpts from the press release:
Under the Fugawi branding, Northport Systems was publishing marine charting software applications called Fugawi Marine 5, Fugawi Global Navigator, and Fugawi Global Navigator Military Edition. It also had some mapping applications for iOS and for topographic mapping.
Johnson Outdoors is better known by their many product line brands HUMMINBIRD (electronics), MINN-KOTA (trolling motors), OLD TOWN (canoes), CANNON (downriggers), SCUBAPRO (diving gear), and--my favorite--JETBOIL (cooking systems).
April 5, 2106
RACINE, Wisconsin—Johnson Outdoors Inc. announced yesterday the acquisition of the key assets of Northport Systems, Inc., specialists in the development and application of unique digital cartography technologies and solutions. Northport Toronto-based operations will be integrated into the Company’s fishing business which manufactures and markets the industry powerhouse Minn Kota® and Humminbird® brands. The parties have agreed that financial terms of the transaction will not be disclosed.
Under the Fugawi branding, Northport Systems was publishing marine charting software applications called Fugawi Marine 5, Fugawi Global Navigator, and Fugawi Global Navigator Military Edition. It also had some mapping applications for iOS and for topographic mapping.
Johnson Outdoors is better known by their many product line brands HUMMINBIRD (electronics), MINN-KOTA (trolling motors), OLD TOWN (canoes), CANNON (downriggers), SCUBAPRO (diving gear), and--my favorite--JETBOIL (cooking systems).