Dutch CMS NDS Merges With Longtime French Partner To Chase Smart Digital Buildings Business

October 19, 2020 by Dave Haynes

The Dutch digital signage CMS software firm NDS (Net Display Systems B.V.) has merged with a longtime partner, France’s LCS, to go after the smart building market.

The French partner of NDS for more than 20 years, LCS has been developing and marketing a software platform for Smart Digital Building management, called Crystal, since 2017. The platform is integrated with NDS’s flagship software, PADS4.

Says the PR on the merger:

Both companies have recently decided to merge with the intention to become a major player in the global market of Smart Digital Building.

As part of this operation, LCS has opened its capital to Turenne Capital as a minority shareholder, and raised €4 million to support its growth and business demand.

In the new situation Philippe Bonnargent, leading LCS from day one, will take the position of CEO at NDS. Former CEO of NDS, Willie Jan Bons will remain with the company as CTO.

 “As NDS we have seen a trend of consolidation in digital signage with acquisitions and mergers under global digital signage software companies during the last few years. To secure our position and accelerate growth we decided last year to start looking for a strong partner,” says Bons. “I am glad that with LCS we have found the ideal partner for us. Their expertise and products for workspace management enable us to extend our product portfolio. Moreover, because we already had a long-term business relationship, it feels like a natural fit.”

Adds Bonnargent: “With our joined focus on Smart Digital Building we are going to operate in a market which is much bigger than just digital signage and is expected to show substantial growth in the coming years. By combining our products and services we will be able to re-position PADS4 and Crystal as one unique solution on the Digital Smart Building market: both single platform (SAAS or On Premise) and modular.”

“Through the joint forces of NDS and LCS, PADS4 offers the most complete answer in the field of workspace, wayfinding, IOT, and digital signage. Furthermore, the expertise and international experience of NDS will enable us to act as a global player in this market. And I would like to emphasize that we will keep supporting our worldwide partner network with their current and future PADS4 projects, despite the new focus on Smart Digital Building.”

NDS has been big on data integration for some time now, and choosing a vertical makes a bunch of sense in a crowded software market. The workplace vertical has a LOT of companies competing for attention and business, but a company that can offer a broader range of tools – like sensors – may generate more interest than those focused just on the information display component. 

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