Interphase FLS

[mcerdos]

A String of emails between myself and Garmin:

>> To: product.support@garmin.com
>> Subject: Interphase SE-200B
>> Sent: 06/12/2014 10:27 AM

Subject: Interphase SE-200B
>> Message: I understand you purchased the Interphase FLS company. Where on your web site is information and tech specs about these products?

Garmins Reply:

From: Product.Support@garmin.com [mailto:Product.Support@garmin.com]
Sent: Friday, June 13, 2014 3:17 PM
To: xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: Interphase SE-200B <Q#:1000071> << Reference ID: 2555214 >>

Dear Mark,

Thank you for contacting Garmin International.
It is correct that Garmin purchased Interphase. However, we have discontinued production on all of their products. The Garmin website does not have any technical specs for these products because they have all been discontinued. If you need specific information about a product, I'd be glad to provide you with what I can, but at this point in time the Interphase product line is not available for purchase.

With Best Regards,
Lucas
Customer Care - Marine Team
Garmin International
913-397-8200
800-800-1020
913-440-8280 (fax) Att: Lucas 5847
Garmin | United States | Home


My Response:


To: 'Product.Support@garmin.com'
Subject: RE: Interphase SE-200B <Q#:1000071> << Reference ID: 2555214 >>

Thank you. That sounds very logical; buy a company and then discontinue all their products. You must have a crack management team running that joint. Decisions like this is what drives up the cost of your core product line and then you expect your existing customer based to pay the price. Brilliant!

Please do us all a big favor. Next time you wish to buy a company, just give them the money and go away. Let them continue to make their products. Garmin destroyed a great product line. You should be ashamed of yourselves.


Best regards,

Mark
Skipper
Sailing Yacht Cream Puff
Cream Puff






It makes you scratch your head, doesn't it?

[skipmac]

Not saying this is the case here, but there are usually good reasons for doing something like this. For example, Garmin might have purchased the company to get rights to their patents and technology. They might have discontinued the Interphase line because they will be coming out with a new, improved version under the Garmin name or may integrate the Interphase technology in existing Garmin products.

Whatever the reason, I'm willing to bet they didn't do it just to get rid of extra cash they had sitting around. There was some logic behind the decision.

[mcerdos]

Originally Posted by skipmac

Not saying this is the case here, but there are usually good reasons for doing something like this. For example, Garmin might have purchased the company to get rights to their patents and technology. They might have discontinued the Interphase line because they will be coming out with a new, improved version under the Garmin name or may integrate the Interphase technology in existing Garmin products.

Whatever the reason, I'm willing to bet they didn't do it just to get rid of extra cash they had sitting around. There was some logic behind the decision.

I spent many years in a fortune 500 exec role. This stuff happens more than one would think. But giving the benefit of doubt and assuming they did just want to acquire the patents, it would still make more sense to keep production going until the Garmin product was ready for market. The only reason this would make any financial sense was if they wanted the patents and Interphase was loosing money. But if this was the case then why did Garmin pay top dollar for the acquisition. This is just plain a simple poor management.

And, what about the jobs of the people making the Interphase products. Oops sorry, we don't need you any more. More American jobs gone. Thanks Garmin!

Oh, and what about the people who have purchased the product. Oops sorry, we don't care about you either!

[Jim Cate]

I am a long time (almost 20 years) user and supporter of the Interphase FLS units. I still have one on my current yacht, and use it daily. I appreciate the advantages it offers to those of us who navigate and anchor in poorly or uncharted waters.

BUT, Interphase's technology hadn't been much improved in recent years, and they certainly have places where simple upgrades would have been appreciated. Examples: my Probe unit does not offer a keel/transducer offset adjustment, nor a dimmer for the very bright display. Neither of those changes would have been very taxing for such a hi tech outfit.

So, I'm living in hope that Garmin will be introducing an improved FLS in the future. Time will tell! If they don't, then I will join in with those criticizing their purchase and destruction of INterphase.

Cheers,

Jim

[Albro359]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

I am a long time (almost 20 years) user and supporter of the Interphase FLS units. I still have one on my current yacht, and use it daily. I appreciate the advantages it offers to those of us who navigate and anchor in poorly or uncharted waters.

BUT, Interphase's technology hadn't been much improved in recent years, and they certainly have places where simple upgrades would have been appreciated. Examples: my Probe unit does not offer a keel/transducer offset adjustment, nor a dimmer for the very bright display. Neither of those changes would have been very taxing for such a hi tech outfit.

So, I'm living in hope that Garmin will be introducing an improved FLS in the future. Time will tell! If they don't, then I will join in with those criticizing their purchase and destruction of INterphase.

Cheers,

Jim

Agree with most of that, but when I had a problem with my Probe, the Interphase guys at Garmin were very helpful in diagnosing the problem. I got a new through hull transducer from them ...delivery was quick and inexpensive. That fixed the problem - re running the cable was another story.
They even followed up a few weeks later to ask if the problem was resolved.
So, they may not be making the Interphase product anymore, but the support is still there...or at least it was 3 months ago.

[JRM]

Originally Posted by Albro359

Agree with most of that, but when I had a problem with my Probe, the Interphase guys at Garmin were very helpful in diagnosing the problem. I got a new through hull transducer from them ...delivery was quick and inexpensive. That fixed the problem - re running the cable was another story.
They even followed up a few weeks later to ask if the problem was resolved.
So, they may not be making the Interphase product anymore, but the support is still there...or at least it was 3 months ago.

My boat came with the Interphase unit, but with a remote transducer on a stick. I looked online and the only places that claimed to have them wanted $900 or so. I called up Garmin just to check, and the tech was super helpful, and they still had the transducer I was looking for in the neighborhood of $200.

I think Garmin was looking for an answer to the SS and down looking stuff. I have their black box sounder unit and while decent, it's a console TV in a 4K HD flatscreen world.

JRM

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by mcerdos

I spent many years in a fortune 500 exec role. This stuff happens more than one would think. But giving the benefit of doubt and assuming they did just want to acquire the patents, it would still make more sense to keep production going until the Garmin product was ready for market. The only reason this would make any financial sense was if they wanted the patents and Interphase was loosing money. But if this was the case then why did Garmin pay top dollar for the acquisition. This is just plain a simple poor management.

And, what about the jobs of the people making the Interphase products. Oops sorry, we don't need you any more. More American jobs gone. Thanks Garmin!

Oh, and what about the people who have purchased the product. Oops sorry, we don't care about you either!

I'm curious about what information you have about the deal which would be sufficient to form an opinion that the deal was "poor management" on Garmin's part. I've read a fair amount about the deal and have not uncovered anything which would allow one to reach such a conclusion.

How do we know that Garmin paid "top dollar"? I have not seen the price, but I doubt it was "top dollar", as Interphase was a small, struggling company with I think 9 employees and an increasingly obsolete product. The price might well have been one dollar, not top dollar, plus maybe jobs for a couple of Interphase people.

As others have said, companies have all kinds of reasons for this kind of acquisition, both good and bad -- getting people they want, eliminating competition, getting something to put on their annual report which they hope will give a boost to share price, acquiring patents or know-how, getting a piece of real estate they want, getting a trademark they want, etc., etc., etc. None of these possible purposes necessarily requires continuing the product line.


I am myself a victim of the darker flavor of this kind of acquisition -- I own a pair of Simpson davits. The Simpson company was acquired by Cooney, who incorporated modified versions of some of the Simpson davits into their product line, but promptly discontinued all the rest, shredded all the product documentation, trashed the inventory of parts, and ended any kind of support. They did it to eliminate competition and keep prices up. It certainly affected me and other Simpson davit owners negatively, but you can't say it was "bad management" on their part -- I'm sure, on the contrary, that it improved their business, giving them a virtual monopoly in this type of davit.

[osirissail]

Interesting - this thread seems to report that Interphase FLS has ceased to exist yet here is a link to an article about the product dated June 15, 2014 ??????????
Forward-Looking Sonar

[StuM]

Originally Posted by osirissail

Interesting - this thread seems to report that Interphase FLS has ceased to exist yet here is a link to an article about the product dated June 15, 2014 ??????????
Forward-Looking Sonar

Last line of that article:

This article originally appeared in the January 2013 issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.

[Hud3]

Looks like Garmin is offering tech support for Interphase products, even if not marketing them...

Interphase Technologies, Inc.

In 2012, Garmin acquired Interphase Technologies Inc. We now offer technical support for every Interphase product. In addition, we will offer repair services and accessories for some Interphase products.

We offer technical support, accessories and repair services for the following models:

Color Twinscope SE
Escort
iScan 180 SE
iScan v90 SE
UltraScan PC180
UltraScan PC90
We offer technical support only for the following models:

Chart Master (any models)
Color Twinscope (non-SE version)
CRT or LCD FishFinders
Echo series
Interphase Radars
iScan 180 (non-SE version)
iScan V90 (non-SE version)
Matrix
Outlook
PC 180
PC View
Pilot series
Probe
SeaScout
Spectra
Sportsman
Twinscope (black and white model)
Vista