An Exciting Week

21 November 2016
Acquisitions

In the last few days, we passed an important milestone in Abaco’s development. We have always been clear that we plan to become the recognized leader in mission ready systems (MRS), and to achieve that both organically and by acquisition.

On November 17, we acquired the innovative Micro Mezzanine System (MMS) product range from Technobox, Inc. This is a remarkable and flexible approach to I/O that enables our customers to choose exactly the I/O they need for their application—or to design it themselves, but without the cost and leadtime associated with a custom development. The acquisition goes beyond filling a gap in our product line—it gives us leadership in an area that can be a significant challenge for our customers.

And then, today, we announced that we had acquired 4DSP

Why 4DSP? As we looked at what we needed to do to achieve our plans for MRS, we recognized that advanced data acquisition and digital signal processing were a key gap in our portfolio. That resulted in us proactively seeking a relationship with 4DSP, given their outstanding reputation in the marketplace for world class products and our perception of a strong cultural fit between us. Luckily, Pierrick Vulliez—4DSP’s CEO—and his team shared our vision and enthusiasm for a future together.

Compelling proposition

4DSP is headquartered in Austin, TX. The company designs and manufactures commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products for digital signal processing and data acquisition. Their offering includes intellectual property for FPGAs (IP cores), boards in different form factors, packaged products and custom systems—and gives us an even more compelling proposition in radar, sonar, electronic warfare, surveillance, signals intelligence and much more, all of which are key applications for mission ready systems.

The acquisition of 4DSP isn’t just about our ambitions for MRS, though. We also recognize that many of our customers plan to continue purchasing our products at a board level and pursue their own integration path. The capability and expertise that 4DSP brings will enable us to significantly enhance that part of our offering too.

The 4DSP team and its products will be fully integrated within Abaco, and 4DSP’s existing facilities and people will become our new Advanced Data Acquisition and Digital Signal Processing Innovation Center. 

We couldn’t be more excited about 4DSP becoming part of Abaco, nor about the addition of the MMS product line. What’s most exciting, though, isn’t what 4DSP or MMS bring to us—it’s what the acquisition allows us to bring to our customers in support of our mission to deliver them innovative products, solutions and mission ready systems that can help them succeed. 

Bernie Anger

I am accountable for the overall performance of our company – to investors, to our employees and most importantly to our customers. Prior to Abaco I spent 18 years in a progression of technology and business leadership roles at General Electric, most recently as General Manager of GE Intelligent Platforms, from where Abaco was spun off. I am proud of a successful track record as an innovator.