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Platform Science to Acquire Trimble’s Global Transportation Telematics Business Units to Drive the Future of Transportation In-Cab Technology

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Partnership will Accelerate Global Expansion of Virtual Vehicle

Trimble to Become a Shareholder in Platform Science’s Expanded Business

WESTMINSTER, Colo. and SAN DIEGO, Sept. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Trimble (NASDAQ: TRMB) and Platform Science announced today they are partnering to transform the transportation industry through a definitive agreement for Platform Science to acquire Trimble’s global transportation telematics business units. As part of this agreement, Trimble will become a shareholder in Platform Science’s expanded business.

The proposed transaction aims to enhance driver experience, fleet safety, efficiency, and compliance by combining two cutting-edge in-cab commercial vehicle ecosystems, which will give customers access to more applications and offerings. Upon closing of the proposed transaction, Trimble’s global transportation telematics customers will continue to enjoy the benefits of their Trimble solutions, with the added flexibility of the Virtual Vehicle platform from Platform Science. Virtual Vehicle-enabled fleets will receive access to the Virtual Vehicle Marketplace, offering hundreds of new and expanded applications, software and solution providers focused on innovating and improving drivers’ quality of life and fleet performance. Platform Science customers will enjoy the added choice of Trimble’s remaining portfolio of transportation solutions which will be available on the Virtual Vehicle platform.

“We believe combining our global transportation telematics portfolio with Platform Science’s will further advance fleet mobility and provide our customers with a broader portfolio of solutions to solve industry problems,” said Rob Painter, president and CEO of Trimble. “Increased collaboration between the new Platform Science business and Trimble’s remaining transportation businesses will enhance our ability to provide positive outcomes for our global customers of commercial mapping, transportation management, freight procurement and visibility solutions. This deal will result in significant synergies along with tremendous opportunities for employees to continue to grow in a more-competitive business.”

“This partnership marks the inflection point for a true platform approach to transportation technology. Now, powered by OEM-native software services, we will deliver unprecedented choice,” said Jack Kennedy, co-founder and CEO of Platform Science. “We are confident choice will expand exponentially as existing providers and new developers now see the opportunity to reach vehicles everywhere with high quality OEM data delivered in a consistent, reliable way. This finally empowers developers to easily address the endemic inefficiencies that have plagued transportation across vehicles globally.” 

Transaction Details

Upon the closing of the proposed transaction, Trimble will have a 32.5 percent stake in the newly expanded global Platform Science business and will receive a Platform Science board seat. Trimble joins C.R. England, Cummins, Daimler Truck, PACCAR, Prologis, RyderVentures, and Schneider as a key strategic investor in Platform Science along with financial investors 8VC, Activant Capital, BDT & MSD Partners, Softbank, and NewRoad Capital Partners.

Trimble’s global telematics business units are reported within Trimble’s Transportation & Logistics reporting segment. On a trailing twelve-month basis, the businesses generated approximately $300 million of revenue and approximately $30 million of operating profit. Annualized recurring revenue (ARR) for the businesses was approximately $200 million in the second quarter of 2024. The divestiture is expected to be accretive to Trimble’s organic revenue growth rate, organic ARR growth rate, gross margin and operating profit margin. For definitions of ARR and organic ARR, please see below under “Certain Performance Measures”.

Trimble’s other core transportation business units — Enterprise, Maps, Vusion and Transporeon — are not included in the proposed transaction and will remain part of Trimble’s Transportation & Logistics segment, with a continued focus on priority growth areas following completion of the proposed transaction.

Trimble’s ownership in Platform Science is expected to be accounted for under the cost method of accounting. 

Additional slide materials are available at investor.trimble.com/events-and-presentations.

Timing and Approvals

The proposed transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2025, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals and any delayed closings that may be required in certain foreign jurisdictions.

Certain Performance Measures

Annualized Recurring Revenue:  Trimble provides an ARR performance measure in order to provide investors with a supplementary indicator of the value of the Company’s current recurring revenue contracts. ARR represents the estimated annualized value of recurring revenue. ARR is calculated by taking our subscription and maintenance and support for the current quarter and adding the portion of the contract value of all our term licenses attributable to the current quarter, then dividing that sum by the number of days in the quarter and then multiplying that quotient by 365. ARR should be viewed independently of revenue and deferred revenue as it is a performance measure and is not intended to be combined with or to replace either of those items.

Organic Annualized Recurring Revenue:  Organic annualized recurring revenue refers to annualized recurring revenue excluding the impacts of (i) foreign currency translation, and (ii) acquisitions and divestitures that closed in the prior 12 months

Advisors

Centerview Partners LLC and Goldman, Sachs & Co. LLC are acting as financial advisors to Trimble, and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is serving as legal counsel to Trimble.

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC is acting as exclusive financial advisor to Platform Science and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, Fenwick & West LLP and Fish & Richardson LLP are acting as legal advisors to Platform Science.

About Trimble

Trimble is transforming the ways people move, build and live. Core technologies in positioning, modeling and data analytics connect the digital and physical worlds to improve our customers’ productivity, quality, safety, transparency and sustainability. For more information about Trimble (NASDAQ: TRMB), visit:  www.trimble.com.

About Platform Science

Platform Science is transforming transportation technology by empowering enterprise fleets with a unified, user-friendly technology platform. Platform Science makes it easy to develop, deploy, and manage mobile devices and applications on commercial vehicles, giving fleets an edge in efficiency, flexibility, visibility, and productivity. The customizable platform delivers an unlimited canvas to fleets and developers seeking to innovate and create new solutions as customers’ needs, businesses, and industries evolve. Platform Science was named by Fast Company as one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies and has twice been ranked #2 in the FreightTech 25 Awards by industry news leader FreightWaves. For more information, please visit www.platformscience.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, statements regarding the proposed transaction and the timing thereof, the value and benefits to Trimble of its equity stake in Platform Science and the commercial agreements to be entered into in connection therewith, and the development of technology, delivery of services and the business performance of each of Trimble and Platform Science following the transaction. These forward-looking statements are subject to change, and actual results may materially differ from those set forth in this news release due to certain risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause or contribute to changes in such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to (i) the failure to realize the anticipated benefits of the proposed  transaction, (ii) that the closing of the proposed transaction is subject to conditions which may not be satisfied or may take longer to be satisfied than expected, including the failure to obtain governmental or regulatory approval that may be required for the proposed transaction, or that, if such approval is obtained, the approval is obtained subject to unexpected conditions, (iii) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the definitive agreement relating to the proposed transaction, (iv) the effect of the announcement, pendency or completion of the proposed transaction on the ability of the parties to retain customers and retain and hire key personnel and maintain relationships with their counterparties, and on their operating results and businesses generally, (v) matters related to the proposed transaction diverting management’s attention from other ongoing business operations, (vi) unanticipated risks, costs or difficulties in separating Trimble’s global transportation telematics business, (vii) that the benefits from the anticipated commercial agreements with Platform Science will be dependent upon its performance following the closing of the proposed transaction, and (vii) the failure to realize the anticipated benefits of Trimble’s equity stake in Platform Science. The foregoing review of important factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements set forth in reports filed with the SEC, including Trimble’s current reports on Form 8-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and its annual report on Form 10-K, such as statements regarding changes in economic conditions and the impact of competition. Undue reliance should not be placed on any forward-looking statement contained herein. These statements reflect Trimble’s position as of the date of this news release. Trimble expressly disclaims any undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any statements to reflect any change in Trimble’s expectations or any change of events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

FTRMB

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Financial Trust Asset Management Named to PSN Top Guns List of Best Performing Strategies for Q2 2024

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Quarterly PSN Top Guns List published by Zephyr identifies best-in-class separate accounts, managed accounts, and managed ETF strategies.

BOCA RATON, Fla., Sept. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Financial Trust Asset Management announced today it has been named to the celebrated PSN Top Guns List of best performing separate accounts, managed accounts, and managed ETF strategies for Q2 2024. The highly anticipated list, published by Zephyr, remains one of the most important references for investors and asset managers.

“PSN Top Guns award winners are honored for exceptional performance. Showcasing these strategies within a dedicated peer universe provides essential insight for advisors, institutions, plan sponsors, family offices and wealth managers interested in incorporating SMAs (Separately Managed Accounts) into their clients’ portfolios,” says Nick Williams, Product Manager of PSN at Zephyr. “It is because of this that this quarter marks the first time that PSN Top Guns is now openly accessible.”

Financial Trust Asset Management’s separate account strategies won 34 Top Guns awards from Informa Investment Solutions (PSN) for the 2nd Quarter 2024. Financial Trust had 13 strategies win 34 awards in 15 universe categories.

“Ongoing recognition by Informa PSN for the performance of our quantitatively driven investment strategies is something we are very proud of,” says Arno Mayer CFA CFP, Chief Investment Officer for Financial Trust.

Greg Vigrass, President & CEO for Financial Trust added, “continuing to be recognized in this way is a real honor, and recognition of our focused, disciplined investment approach.”

Through a combination of PSN’s proprietary performance screens, PSN Top Guns awards products in six proprietary categories in over 75 universes based on continued performance over time.

Financial Trust Asset Management’s following strategies earned a PSN Top Guns award for the 2nd quarter of 2024.

For a list of Financial Trust’s award winning strategies for Q2 2024, click here.

[1-Star Category:] had one of the top ten returns for the quarter in their respective strategy.

[2-Star Category:] had one of the top ten returns for the one-year period in their respective strategy.

[3-Star Category:] had one of the top ten returns for the three-year period in their respective strategy.

[4-Star Category:] had an r-squared of 0.80 or greater relative to the style benchmark for the recent five-year period. Moreover, the strategy’s returns exceeded the style benchmark for the three latest three-year rolling periods. The top ten returns for the latest three-year period then become the 4 Star Top Guns.

[Bull & Bear Masters:] had an r-squared of 0.80 or greater relative to the style benchmark for a three-year period. Moreover, the strategy had an upside market capture over 100 and a downside market capture less than 100 relative to the style benchmark. The top ten ratios of Upside Capture Ratio over Downside Capture Ratio become the PSN Bull & Bear Masters.

The complete list of PSN Top Guns and an overview of the methodology can be located at https://informaconnect.com/zephyr/psn-top-guns/.  

About Financial Trust Asset Management
Financial Trust Asset Management is an independently owned boutique investment management firm specializing in active and passive investment solutions for individual investors and investment professionals.

Our mission is to empower investors and investment professionals to achieve financial success through trusted relationships, expert guidance, and personalized solutions.

The firm’s highly disciplined, quantitative investment approach is characterized by a distinctive blend of fundamental bottom-up stock selection, top-down macro research and technical evaluation.

https://informaconnect.com/zephyr/psn-financial-sma-data/
For nearly four decades, https://informaconnect.com/zephyr/psn-financial-sma-data/ has been a top resource for investment professionals. Asset managers rely on Zephyr’s PSN to effectively reach institutional and retail investors. Over 2,800 firms, 285 universes, and more than 21,000 products comprise the PSN SMA database showing asset breakdowns, compliance, key personnel, ownership diversity, ESG, business objectives and strategy, style, fees, GIC sectors, fixed income ranges and full holdings. Unique to PSN is its robust historical database of nearly 40 Years of Data Including Net and Gross-of-Fee Returns. PSN Mid-Year Outlook provides insight and trends about the SMA industry. You can view it online here.
Visit PSN online to learn more.

Disclosure: Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. Certain investments give rise to substantial risk and are not suitable for all investors. There is no guarantee that an investment with the referenced strategies will meet its investment goals and the rating many not be representative of any one client’s experience. Financial Trust Asset Management claims compliance with the Global Investment Performance Standards (GIPS®) and prepares performance data in compliance with GIPS standards and meets the requirements of the CFA Institute with regards to creating and reporting product composites. The ratings at PSN reflect the requirements of the GIPS standards published in the GIPS Handbook and are an average of all of the experiences of the manager’s client base. All material provided is compiled from sources believed to be reliable and current, but accuracy cannot be guaranteed. The investment performance figures submitted to PSN portray the history for all separately managed portfolios that meet the composite definition gross of fees. The information presented herein should not be considered as personalized investment advice nor construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any security or engage in a particular investment strategy. PSN and Informa Financial Intelligence have no affiliation with Financial Trust Asset Management, but rather evaluate investment managers’ performance on an objective basis. All other disclosures and fee schedules can be found in Financial Trust Asset Management’s Form ADV Part 2A which is available on our company website. Financial Trust Asset Management, Chartered is state- registered Investment Advisor. www.Financialtrust.net

Media Contact: Greg Vigrass
Financial Trust Asset Management                                            
gvigrass@financialtrust.net
(407) 492-0672

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Eonix Awarded Air Force Phase II STTR to Unlock Next-Gen Warfare with Scalable Ultra-High-Power Batteries

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Leveraging the ATLAS platform, Eonix will accelerate battery materials discovery focused on powering Directed Energy, C-sUAS, and e-VTOL systems

KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Eonix, a pioneer in next-generation battery technology, has been selected by AFWERX for a PHASE II STTR contract with the University of Tennessee Tickle College of Engineering in the amount of $1.7M focused on ultra-high-power batteries for directed energy, counter drone swarms, and e-VTOL systems. The funds will be used to design high conductivity electrolytes that are drop-in compatible with batteries manufactured today and meet the ambitious DoD energy storage targets for next gen platforms.

The Eonix ATLAS materials discovery platform will design a next generation battery chemistry that improves power density, discharge rate, and operational temperature…thus powering the Air Force to respond to a rapid evolution of aerial threats.

“New technologies like Directed Energy, Counter Small Unmanned Aircraft (C-sUAS), and electric Vertical Take Off Landing (e-VTOL) Systems promise to transform modern air defense systems by offering cost-effective engagement, enhanced base resiliency, and advanced surveillance and attack capabilities,” said Eonix Founder Don Derosa. “Our ATLAS materials discovery platform will design a next generation battery chemistry that improves power density, discharge rate, and operational temperature…thus powering the Air Force to respond to a rapid evolution of aerial threats.”

Eonix is revolutionizing battery product development, leveraging their ATLAS platform which is 40x faster and 15x lower cost than traditional R&D methods. This groundbreaking platform, previously harnessed for projects backed by Army/DOE/NSF/Air Force, pairs real-time measurement of material behavior in batteries with quantum mechanics simulations to train AI models, significantly accelerating materials discovery. These models predict material performance and suggest novel material candidates, marking a significant leap forward in the quest for next-gen energy storage solutions.

The Air Force Research Laboratory and AFWERX have partnered to streamline the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) process by accelerating the small business experience through faster proposal to award timelines, changing the pool of potential applicants by expanding opportunities to small business and eliminating bureaucratic overhead by continually implementing process improvement changes in contract execution. The DAF began offering the Open Topic SBIR/STTR program in 2018 which expanded the range of innovations the DAF funded and now on Eonix will start its journey to create and provide innovative capabilities that will strengthen the national defense of the United States of America.

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Air Force, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.

About Eonix

Eonix is designing next generation batteries decades ahead of most R&D cycles using the world’s first end-to-end automated materials discovery platform for energy storage. Eonix’s mission is to design market specific materials, decades ahead of their time, that are drop-in compatible with batteries manufactured today. This will enable affordable EVs, fast charging consumer electronics, safer energy storage for the warfighter, and a greener future. With funding from the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, and National Science foundation, Eonix has leveraged our ATLAS platform to design a non-flammable lithium ion battery. Learn more about our revolutionary process at www.eonixenergy.com

About AFRL

The Air Force Research Laboratory is the primary scientific research and development center for the Department of the Air Force. AFRL plays an integral role in leading the discovery, development, and integration of affordable warfighting technologies for our air, space and cyberspace force. With a workforce of more than 12,500 across nine technology areas and 40 other operations across the globe, AFRL provides a diverse portfolio of science and technology ranging from fundamental to advanced research and technology development. For more information, visit www.afresearchlab.com

About AFWERX

As the innovation arm of the DAF and a directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory, AFWERX brings cutting-edge American ingenuity from small businesses and start-ups to address the most pressing challenges of the DAF. AFWERX employs approximately 370 military, civilian and contractor personnel at five hubs and sites executing an annual $1.4 billion budget. Since 2019, AFWERX has executed over 6,200 new contracts worth more than $4.7 billion to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base and drive faster technology transition to operational capability. For more information, visit: www.afwerx.com

Media Contact

Ryan Sommer, MaintainPR, 1 6462204256, ryan@maintainpr.com, https://www.maintainpr.com

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SOURCE Eonix

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TI increases dividend 5%, marking 21 consecutive years of increases

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DALLAS, Sept. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) (Nasdaq: TXN) today said it will raise its quarterly cash dividend 5%, from $1.30 per share to $1.36, or $5.44 annualized. The higher dividend will be payable November 12, 2024, to stockholders of record on October 31, 2024, contingent upon formal declaration by the board of directors at its regular meeting in October.   

The increase is consistent with TI’s long-term objective for dividends by providing a sustainable and growing dividend and reflects the company’s continued commitment to return all free cash flow to its owners over time. Today’s announcement marks 21 consecutive years of dividend increases.

Notice regarding forward-looking statements

This release includes forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements generally can be identified by phrases such as TI or its management “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “foresees,” “forecasts,” “estimates” or other words or phrases of similar import. Similarly, statements herein that describe TI’s business strategy, outlook, objectives, plans, intentions or goals also are forward-looking statements. All such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements.

We urge you to carefully consider the following important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations of TI or our management:

Economic, social and political conditions, and natural events in the countries in which we, our customers or our suppliers operate, including global trade policies;Market demand for semiconductors, particularly in the industrial and automotive markets, and customer demand that differs from forecasts;Our ability to compete in products and prices in an intensely competitive industry;Evolving cybersecurity and other threats relating to our information technology systems or those of our customers, suppliers and other third parties;Our ability to successfully implement and realize opportunities from strategic, business and organizational changes, or our ability to realize our expectations regarding the amount and timing of associated restructuring charges and cost savings;Our ability to develop, manufacture and market innovative products in a rapidly changing technological environment, our timely implementation of new manufacturing technologies and installation of manufacturing equipment, and our ability to realize expected returns on significant investments in manufacturing capacity;Availability and cost of key materials, utilities, manufacturing equipment, third-party manufacturing services and manufacturing technology;Our ability to recruit and retain skilled personnel and effectively manage key employee succession;Product liability, warranty or other claims relating to our products, software, manufacturing, delivery, services, design or communications, or recalls by our customers for a product containing one of our parts;Compliance with or changes in the complex laws, rules and regulations to which we are or may become subject, or actions of enforcement authorities, that restrict our ability to operate our business or subject us to fines, penalties or other legal liability;Changes in tax law and accounting standards that impact the tax rate applicable to us, the jurisdictions in which profits are determined to be earned and taxed, adverse resolution of tax audits, increases in tariff rates, and the ability to realize deferred tax assets;Financial difficulties of our distributors or semiconductor distributors’ promotion of competing product lines to our detriment; or disputes with current or former distributors;Losses or curtailments of purchases from key customers or the timing and amount of customer inventory adjustments;Our ability to maintain or improve profit margins, including our ability to utilize our manufacturing facilities at sufficient levels to cover our fixed operating costs, in an intensely competitive and cyclical industry and changing regulatory environment;Our ability to maintain and enforce a strong intellectual property portfolio and maintain freedom of operation in all jurisdictions where we conduct business; or our exposure to infringement claims;Instability in the global credit and financial markets; andImpairments of our non-financial assets.

For a more detailed discussion of these factors, see the Risk factors discussion in Item 1A of TI’s most recent Form 10-K. The forward-looking statements included in this release are made only as of the date of this release, and we undertake no obligation to update the forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. If we do update any forward-looking statement, you should not infer that we will make additional updates with respect to that statement or any other forward-looking statement.

About Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments Incorporated (Nasdaq: TXN) is a global semiconductor company that designs, manufactures and sells analog and embedded processing chips for markets such as industrial, automotive, personal electronics, communications equipment and enterprise systems. At our core, we have a passion to create a better world by making electronics more affordable through semiconductors. This passion is alive today as each generation of innovation builds upon the last to make our technology more reliable, more affordable and lower power, making it possible for semiconductors to go into electronics everywhere. Learn more at TI.com.

TXN-G

 

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SOURCE Texas Instruments Incorporated

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