Acer Expanding Digital Signage Activity Via Majority Owner Position In Old Subsidiary Aopen

November 11, 2017 by Dave Haynes

Acer is taking on 51% ownership in another Taiwan tech company, Aopen, in what is described as a core strategy to expand its digital signage business.

Acer will participate in a private placement of 36.5 million new common shares of AOpen at a price of $0.38 per share USD.

This is a bit of a back to the future thing since Aopen was originally a subsidiary of Acer, going back to the ’90s.

Digitimes reports:

By participating in this private placement, Acer will be able to share resources with Aopen and allow both sides to better complement one another to create synergy. The move will help integrate Acer’s cloud, display devices, digital signage platform, and various software application services with AOpen’s expertise in media display hardware and software solutions, according to Acer. Through the leveraging of combined global resources and channels, Acer and AOpen will be able to create a bigger economy of scale and strengthen the development of Acer’s digital signage business.

Acer said this development comes at a time when the company is ready to speed up the expansion of digital signage as part of its new businesses. This latest move follows the success of its digital signage solution in Germany, provided through Acer Being Signage, said Acer, adding that the solution has been well received by clients, including those in retail and fastOW  food, and is now deployed at motorway service areas.

AOpen began restructuring its organization in 2017 in order to accelerate its transformation to become a key player in digital signage platform product and solutions segment. Meanwhile, to strengthen its financial structure and promote business growth, AOpen’s 2017 annual shareholders’ meeting passed the resolution for a capital reduction to offset accumulated deficits, and to seek strategic investors through a private placement of shares.

Here’s the press release …

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