KS: The MBO was a major challenge for
the company and everyone working in it.
What effects did it have on Quantel?
RT: We had a wonderful relationship with
Carlton for more than a decade but they wanted
to be a pure-play media company and divest
themselves of anything that was not actual
broadcasting. To us in the management team
this was a great opportunity and so we put
together a bid for the company. Carlton then
held an auction in a highly competitive
environment - we were very fortunate that not
only did we have a great advisor but also a
very good venture capitalist to back us. They
say you only ever do this sort of thing once in
your life and I now see why! It takes far long
than you could ever imagine and it takes far
more adrenaline from you. However, at the end
in July 2000 we realised we had just signed a
piece of paper that meant we had just managed
to buy the company.
KS: The process took a while. What impact
did it have onQuantel products and services?
RT: It was a very difficult time because people
don’t just buy equipment they invest in it. They
want to know that it is going to be developed.
They want to know how it fits into an overall
strategy and while a company is changing
hands it is very unsettling to customers.
However, our customers showed great loyalty
to us and somehow knew that everything would
work out for the best. I remember at NAB in
2000 we had more questions about ownership
of the company than we did about the products,
but somehow managed to always steer the
conversation back to the product range.
KS: So was the sale responsible for the
concept of
Quantel Thinking
that we’ve
heard about
?
RT: No, because it was around five years ago
– before the MBO – that we sat down and tried
to think through what our plans should be. At
that time, Quantel product lines were a little
tired and we needed to find out what the drivers
AIB Techn
Richard Taylo
It has been a little over two years since
the management team at Quantel
succeeded in its US$76.6 million buy-
out from UK parent company,Carlton
Communications. In that time,
Quantel’s management has been
invigorating the company,shaping it for
the competitive future of broadcasting
technology suppliers.In fact,it’s said that
it is likely that much of the TV output
that you see in any one day has,at some
point in its production,been processed
by equipment from the company.
KerryStevenson
has been finding out
about this key supplier to the broadcast
industry in an interviewwith executive
chairman RichardTaylor.
