ViaMichelin acquires Kirrio
| Buyer | Via Michelin |
| Seller | Kirrio |
| Business | GPS Software |
July 2005 - ViaMichelin acquires Kirrio
ViaMichelin speeds up its development within the personal navigation market in Europe
ViaMichelin, a subsidiary of the Michelin Group, specialising in digital travel assistance services and products, has just acquired Kirrio, a specialist company in GPS accessories for PDAs and mobile terminals.
This acquisition is the logical outcome of a successful collaboration, which dates back to 2003, with Kirrio, based close to Bordeaux in France.
A major player in the personal navigation market
With this acquisition, ViaMichelin is strengthening its position within the fast-growing personal navigation market (estimates have the market doubling in size in 2005). ViaMichelin will now be able to supply complete navigation solutions, providing not only the ViaMichelin Navigation software but also the hardware (GPS receivers and vehicle integration systems).
Ranked third with a market share of 10% in Europe in 2004 (source: Canalys), ViaMichelin aims to feature as one of the major players in the navigation market in the long-term.
“Our www.ViaMichelin.com website is presently the undisputed leading travel assistance website in Europe and we are tackling the rapidly-expanding navigation market with the same determination” says Alain Cuq, ViaMichelin Chairman and Managing Director.
Combining team spirit and innovation
As a result of this acquisition, ViaMichelin is also reinforcing its ability to innovate within a highly competitive market, a fact reaffirmed by its partnerships with the most important players in the PDA market.
PalmOne and Hewlett Packard testify to this, having respectively just launched their “Tungsten E2 Navigation Companion” and “HP iPAQ rz1710 Navigator” products, GPS solutions comprising of the new navigation hardware developed by Kirrio and the latest ViaMichelin Navigation software.
“This acquisition is the natural outcome after a long period of successful collaboration” stresses Alain Cuq, who adds “the quality and motivation of the teams combined with the complementary nature of each company’s professional experience is the best guarantee that we will achieve our objectives quickly”.
All Kirrio employees will be integrated within the ViaMichelin teams.