Tallysman Wireless acquired by Calian Group

Effective Sept. 1, Tallysman Wireless Inc. was acquired by Calian Group Ltd. to expand Calian’s reach in the satcom industry to markets requiring smaller antennas used in end-user devices that need a different range of fidelities, according to Patrick Thera, president, Advanced Technologies, Calian.

Calian is a publicly owned Canadian company listed on the Toronto Stock exchange. Its solutions include satellite gateways and infrastructure for RF communications, telemetry, tracking and control systems, space science and earth observation. Calian also provides leading-edge communication products for terrestrial and satellite networks.

Based in Ontario, Canada, Tallysman designs, manufactures and sells a wide range of GNSS, Iridium and Globalstar antennas and related products into a market with a broad range of vertical applications that include precision reference systems, survey, timing, precision agriculture, unmanned and autonomous vehicles, marine and more.  The company also produces cloud-based wireless tracking systems over two-way radio systems and 4G category M cellular systems, for applications ranging from school buses to municipal public works.

Development of Tallyman’s VeroStar antenna is the topic of the September issue’s Innovation column.

FIGURE 2 . (a) VeroStar antenna element; (b) VeroStar antenna current distribution. (Images: Tallysman)

The company is widely recognized as a technology leader and is the supplier of high-precision antennas to precision GNNS systems providers. Under the Calian umbrella, Tallysman will continue to operate as it has been, with no changes in product availability, fulfilment, support, management or engineering services.

Tallysman will also continue to invest in research and development, and bring new and innovative GNSS products to the market, the company said.

The definitive agreement is valued at up $24.5 million. Amount paid on closing is $15.7 million (net of cash received) and contains two earnout periods of $4M and $4.8M based on the achievement of a certain level of EBITDA performance over the next 30 months. Tallysman’s results will be consolidated and reported with Calian’s Advance Technology segment.

“This important acquisition supports both customer diversification and service line innovation, two key pillars within our four-pillar growth strategy,” stated Kevin Ford, Calian president and CEO. “The Tallysman acquisition demonstrates Calian continued our focus on innovation and growth.  The wide range of products and applications Tallysman brings to Calian expands our product line and entry into new markets.  We are excited with the opportunity to support innovation in exciting growth industries such as autonomous vehicles, precision agriculture and wearables.  We could not be more pleased to welcome Tallysman to the Calian team.”

Sampford Advisors acted as exclusive M&A advisor to Tallysman.

“We are extremely pleased to join the Calian team,” said Gyles Panther, Tallysman president and CTO states. “We look forward to continuing, profitable growth of our core GNSS businesses with  products that we sell to a broad customer base. As a member of the Calian family, we also look forward to leveraging additional resources, new technologies and markets deriving from Calian’s deep expertise in satellite communications.”

“Calian welcomes Tallysman to our team,” Thera said. “The Tallysman product line and services add a complementary component to our ground-based satellite communications business. GNSS is one of the fastest growing markets for satellite ground systems and we are excited to join forces with a leader in this field.”