Ubisense Share Discussion Threads

[hastings] 27/1/2017 09:12

I've been trying to arrange a visit to UBI for the last year with perhaps understandably, nil success.It now appears the door is opening, so hopefully I'll have a date pencilled in shortly.

[p1nkfish] 27/1/2017 09:02

That previous drop is telling and there are no staging posts on the way back up. Volumes light so far today so when a real interest does arrive it could move quickly.

Also interesting a global licence as a serious Automotive manufacturer does not commmit to critical software without having checked the balance sheet of the vendor and done due diligence. Looks very good to me. A large global OEM has confidence in UBI and I think we should have too.

[the big fella] 27/1/2017 08:57

I am with you. Bought a few this morning. Breakout on the chart. Looks like a floor well established and chart says we will head towards £1.

[p1nkfish] 27/1/2017 08:55

The clear out of the old management and Kestrel as a major shareholder are catalysts. I don't think they spent that much money buying into Ubisense without wanting to see a very decent return. Their average is just sub 50p approx. I think I posted the #'s last year. I really believe they will want to see a double at the very least and it's not unrealistic to see a cash positive UBI hit > £50M market cap.

A buy and hold and wait.

I'm no TA person but the symmetry around the bottom from the fall looks peculiar and a re-rate rise could be quite quick, I think. A TA person should take a look.

[hastings] 27/1/2017 08:21

Morning p1nkfish, do I let my head or heart rule!I think you may be proven right on this one after so many false dawns.They've axed some staff revamped and appear now to be running like a business out to make money.Time will tell, but I've joined you this morning adding to the small remnants of my previous holding/s.

[p1nkfish] 27/1/2017 07:54

Lastly - given the incentive scheme for Petti and others I can't see how this won't get well over 70p within the timeframe set out unless there is a major market meltdown. Management should be well motivated.

Should there be a recession the one area companies will look to spend on will be increased efficiency to maintain margins on lower volumes or to have to handle higher mix of products from the same plant. RTLS and software will help there.

The word "significant(ly)" is also used.

"revenue growth, margins, cost management and order book, all of which are SIGNIFICANTLY better than those achieved in 2015."

"We also signed some SIGNIFICANT new and extended RTLS product orders."

[p1nkfish] 27/1/2017 07:48

This I find most interesting as the margins are probably decent and it sounds like multiple plants distributed world-wide. Get one under your belt and others can follow and chances are they beat off competition.

Good to see British tech companies take on a global role in future manufacturing processes so this is pleasing to read.

"The increased focus on our RTLS software platform has paid off with the signing of a global software licence deal with a major automotive manufacturer."

[p1nkfish] 27/1/2017 07:38

Currently valuation look < 1x sales and with the improved margins and cash positive it is undervalued imho. Surely a re-rating over time is on the cards.

Notice no mention of AngleID yet. That should push sales opportunities out to smaller customers and be a fillip in future too.

Bosch was alluded to recently as factory of the future and they had news with Bosch July 2016. That could also lead to new business going forward.

[p1nkfish] 27/1/2017 07:35

"Ubisense Group Plc (AIM: UBI) a leader in high performance Enterprise Location Intelligence systems, through its RTLS and mobility focused geospatial (myWorld) offerings, is pleased to provide the following trading update for the year ending 31 December 2016.

The Company showed continued good progress in terms of revenue growth, margins, cost management and order book, all of which are significantly better than those achieved in 2015. The increased focus on our RTLS software platform has paid off with the signing of a global software licence deal with a major automotive manufacturer. We also signed some significant new and extended RTLS product orders. In the geospatial division, we are seeing increased demand for myWorld services projects and new licence sales.

The Company expects to report a net cash positive position as at 31 December 2016, which has improved in January through significant debtor collections, and is in compliance with the banking covenants on its new HSBC facility.

Peter Harverson, Executive Chairman, commented:

"I am pleased with the results of the actions we have taken to improve the performance of the business in both divisions. I am also pleased to report that we appointed a new CEO, Richard Petti, in December 2016. With Richard's arrival, our priorities are to drive sales growth whilst maintaining a disciplined approach to cost and cash."

Richard Petti, CEO, said:

"Ubisense starts 2017 with a strong order book and good momentum. It's a very exciting time to join the company and I'm looking forward to working closely with the team to achieve further success in the coming years"."

[p1nkfish] 27/1/2017 07:28

Positive update.

Quiet as quiet can be, a good sign.
I think there is a chance that holdings are tight so as long as the market holds we could see a decent uptick as soon as the turn around becomes widely known.

Update reads very well indeed.

Better than I was expecting.

[aishah] 20/1/2017 12:36

Challenges in creating Factories of the Future

16 January 2017

Following the news that Bosch is launching a research consortium to develop a concept to make manufacturing more efficient and profitable, Adrian Jennings VP of RTLS technology at Ubisense, looks at some the challenges that lie ahead for manufacturers in creating Factories of the Future. He asks: “if you think it’s hard to keep track of things now, how about when the whole factory changes layout at will?”

“The research work being conducted by Bosch is based on the idea of a Factory of the Future, which will see the traditional assembly line sliced into smaller, modular and self-contained workstations in order to create efficiencies and increase profitability. Yet this model has its own set of challenges. It’s hard enough keeping track of things with fixed assembly lines, but when the line itself can morph according to demand, then things get exponentially worse. So position constraints and position controls (making sure the right things happen in the right workstation) need to be reactive to the changes.

“The only way that this can feasibly be done is to make the controls all software-based so that they can be reconfigured with a click of the mouse. Better yet, the production modules are all smart enough to create their own controls around their specific micro-environment and when plugged all together it just blends into an end-to-end process. Either way, it’s important to get your workstation controls virtualized, and that’s where Ubisense comes in with its location-aware IoT solutions.

“Visualization is already delivering huge efficiencies for many manufacturers today. This is particularly true of the automotive sector where Ubisense’s software platform is helping to deal with increasing levels of complexity in the assembly process, which can see a range of vehicles and different specifications manufactured concurrently on the same assembly line. Ubisense’s SmartSpace enables manufacturers to manage real-time location and identification data from multiple sources to support industrial-scale mission-critical visibility and control. Detecting and responding to real-world interactions between people, things and the environment enables new kinds of visibility and control applications. And it is this which will form an important role in the development of Factories of the Future.

“There is much discussion around Factories of the Future, IoT and Industry 4.0 but not many manufacturers yet know exactly how they are going to get there. There is a lot of research needed, helped by bodies such as Bosch’s new consortium, and many practical details still to be confirmed. In the automotive world some pioneering manufacturers are already moving away from the fixed assembly line and by creating location-aware IoT environments have improved efficiencies across the business. While Ubisense’s technology alone will not deliver a Factory of the Future, installing the right software systems now will put manufacturers in a much stronger position to do so”.

[p1nkfish] 01/1/2017 18:24

Does anyone have level 2 and able to take a look at state of play?

[aishah] 19/12/2016 09:30

Cambridge, UK – 16th December 2016 - Ubisense Group plc (AIM:UBI), a global leader in enterprise location intelligence solutions, is today announcing a partnership with specialists in spatial data governance, Frontier GeoTek Inc, to offer new solutions that enable Communications Service Providers (CSPs) to achieve better operational control while lowering costs.

Frontier GeoTek Inc are experienced in all the leading GIS and Billing platforms and specialize in assimilating disparate datasets and rapidly returning spatial analytics, mapping reference and business-critical reporting. Ubisense’s myWorld Enterprise Geomobility platform integrates data from any source into a live geospatial operating view, delivering intelligence to everyone in the business whether in the office or field. myWorld integrates with any enterprise data and complements Frontier GeoTek’s approach to data governance across a variety of customer’s systems.

One of Frontier GeoTek Inc’s key strategies is to help CSPs manage the quality and integrity of their data: data governance drives better decision-making, profitability and compliance. Incorporating multiple data sources into myWorld enables these operators to begin deriving far greater value from this data.

Corey Walker, President of Frontier GeoTek Inc, said: “In general, cable and communications companies have many differing spatial data platforms and standards and invest a lot of time and money in getting documentation together on a GIS database. myWorld offers a cost-effective platform to aggregate data sources that would otherwise require expensive and time-consuming translations or conversions and provides us with a platform that is easily configurable, rapidly deployable and most importantly a dynamic deliverable. Together we can offer our customers a transformative operational platform that delivers value across their entire operation.”

Scott Casey, Vice President of Geospatial Solutions at Ubisense, said: “The team at Frontier GeoTek Inc offer a wealth of expertise plus in-depth understanding of cable and telecom operations. Working with some of the leading names in the business, they bring tremendous experience and a proven track record that perfectly complements the myWorld product line, making them an ideal Value-Added Reseller for myWorld across North America. Our combined capabilities will help CSPs improve key operational metrics while reducing costs.”

[p1nkfish] 18/12/2016 11:51

Thanks bamboo, will do.
I am not a trader and usually try to identify turn around situations where there is a sustainable business badly managed & catalysts are coming into play.

Ubi fitted that mould for me.

My own target price was/is high 70's by end 2017 and the recent stock option grants kind of line-up with that scenario.

Ubi are on the cusp of being out of net debt and p/s of what looks about 1 with a growth market.

If this new CEO is capable, with the exec chairman helping guide to start, I could see recovery >60p much sooner. A little buying interest and this could run up nicely, hence question about flag pole potential.

Kestrel own about 29% that looks like about a 47p average. They do make mistakes but have a very good batting average.

Some results soon. Also interesting the business is becoming more diverse in software, hardware, target segments and moving out of excess automotive dependence.

Interestingly, the more pressure on automotive margins the greater need for manufacturing efficiency and the potential for Ubi.

[bamboo2] 17/12/2016 10:24

Hi p1nkfish, I have had a look at the chart. Unfortunately every time I try to save a screenshot the chart program freezes, so will have to post it later. [edit, chart now posted]

I can see what you are hoping for, and this would be known as a price mirror or reflected zones of support and resistance.

This would target around 92. There is however a prior gap down which could limit the rise, if any, to approx 76.

I have looked for triangulations to see if we can get an indication of possible turn date but there are none. This could be due to the fact it is thinly traded on a wide spread, so there is little detail in many of the daily candles.

In terms of timing, measuring the consolidation zones either side of the central dip or bowl is all we've got, and gives us a possible b/o date around 10-11 Jan '17.

A b/o eod close below approx 35 would be a sell signal for me. This becomes a buy with an eod close above 44.5, and I'd be interested if you would let me know if and when this occurs, so we can look again at the chart.

[ggbarabajagal] 16/12/2016 17:28

gonna be profit warning here imho

car sales spluttering

[aishah] 16/12/2016 15:49

Ubisense Group plc (AIM: UBI) is pleased to announce the appointment of Richard Petti as Chief Executive Officer with effect from 14 December 2016. Peter Harverson will remain Executive Chairman during a transition period, and will revert to non-Executive Chairman during the first half of 2017.

Richard brings first-hand experience of growing revenues and developing profitable businesses serving automotive, financial and industrial customers. Richard joins Ubisense having most recently been CEO of Asset Control, a worldwide supplier of financial data management systems serving some of the world's leading financial organisations. Prior to Asset Control, Richard was COO at WEMA, a leading provider of diesel and AdBlue sensors within the global commercial vehicle market. During his career, Richard has also held senior management and sales leadership roles at Orange Business Services, QUMAS and SunGard Data Systems. Richard holds a bachelor's degree in International Relations and Economics from Bucknell University in Pennsylvania and a Master's degree in International Economics and Management from Universita' Luigi Bocconi of Milan. Richard Petti does not hold a beneficial interest in the ordinary shares in the Company.

[p1nkfish] 28/11/2016 10:54

It's been down and out for 12 months. That can't last forever as no company fails to react or change to such incidents and the recent 100K share buys looks like a bottoming sign at about 39p average.

Anyone know when their closed period is? The purchases will have been in the open window for buys for connected parties. When does the window close?

[p1nkfish] 28/11/2016 10:48

Interesting action via Kestrel and Director with an interest (Oliver Scott - NED).

Recent Director Buys = 100K
Average price about 39.27p

14/9 12k at 35.2p
27/10 22k at 38.4p
7/11 46k at 40p
25/11 20k at 41p

[aishah] 23/11/2016 12:01

Using location-aware IoT solutions to reduce the pain of safety recalls

22 November 2016

Recalls are a painful experience for manufacturers and becoming increasingly so, not least for the automotive sector. In 2015, the U.S. Department of Transportation pushed for an overhaul of the automaker's safety and recall practices in a bid to improve road safety. This led to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) imposing the first ever maximum financial penalty on a number of automotive manufacturers. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles was fined a total of $140 million in two separate penalties and GM and Honda have both since received a $70 million fine.

While these sums might make you wince, they represent only a fraction of the true cost of a safety recall. On top of the fines, manufacturers have the cost of recalling the vehicles products, replacing or repairing any issues, providing additional customer support to deal with related customer queries and installing systems to ensure that similar mistakes are not repeated. And there’s a longer-term negative impact on brand and sales which is not so easy to quantify.

Safety recalls are by no means an issue exclusive to the automotive industry. You don’t have to search far to find stories about recalls by manufacturers making food and beverage products, mobile phones, white goods and many more. While the issues, fines and responses may change each time, the incidents are nearly always costly and hugely damaging to the company responsible.

Issues for car manufacturers

When it comes to making cars, there are different types of faults that can occur. Any nut, bolt or screw that people fix falls into one of three categories. Those with the lowest importance relate to cosmetic appearance of a car such as a trim (which is far more important to some brands than others). Then there are the mid-level fasteners, used on items such as instrument panels, which are structural but not safety critical (although it is not advisable to drive without them!). Finally there are critical fasteners, which relate directly to safety and affect items including seatbelt mounts, airbags, brake pedals and electrical connections.

When it comes to safety critical fasteners, manufacturers are duty bound to keep a safety record providing proof that every vehicle has been manufactured correctly and passed the required quality checks. In a plant, more than 1,000 cars can be built in a day – so if there is a mix up in records or a potential issue is not spotted straight away this can lead to major recalls involving many vehicles. With safety recalls the costs grow incrementally, so the later that the fault is found, the bigger the repercussions. In the worst case scenario, the affected cars will reach dealerships and sold on to customers, which can lead to accidents and even death.

Very recently one of the major automotive manufacturers embarked on a costly safety recall following a potential issue with fuel tank attachment bolts that had not been tightened properly. As a result, there was a possibility that - after an extended period of time - the fuel tank straps could fracture, causing the fuel tank to separate from the vehicle and leading to a fuel leak which, in the presence of an ignition source, can start a fire. It was imperative to alert the owners of the affected cars and relevant dealerships to ensure that this didn’t happen - and as quickly as possible.

Location, location, location

Many of the problems in manufacturing aren’t seen as location based, but the truth is that an assembly line is about moving things and attaching them to other moving items. If anything is in the wrong place, at the wrong time, problems will arise.

On a busy automotive assembly line, when every car often has a different specification, the opportunity for location errors to occur are vast. The right person needs to be in the right place working on the right bolt using the right tool at the right setting on the right car – if any one of these factors is wrong there will be an issue (as can be seen in the recall example above). By tracking the exact location of tools, people and assets, Ubisense’s technology can ensure that each of these factors is performing correctly. If an issue does occur, Ubisense’s system will send alerts so that problems can be resolved before the car leaves the assembly line. The system can also be set up to disable tools taken to the wrong car or used on the wrong process. This is beyond error detection and moves to error prevention – and is helping Ubisense to prevent major auto recalls for 8 of the world’s top 10 automotive manufacturers[1].

Creating location-aware environments

Mistakes caused by human error are pretty much guaranteed in a busy manufacturing environment - and even the smartest of factories requires some element of human interaction. What’s important is to support these manual processes with error proofing – or preferably error prevention – systems, so that a simple mistake overlooked does not become a major problem for manufacturers and their customers at a later date.

Ubisense’s advanced tracking technology enables manufacturers to create location-aware environments which make sense of thousands of movements and interactions in real-time. By providing visibility across an entire operation, Ubisense’s technology not only alerts manufacturers to issues as they occur - helping to avoid situations which may lead to safety recalls - but delivers a whole host of other benefits in terms of accurate reporting and compliance. Precisely tracking people, tools and other assets within in any specified environment, Ubisense’s smart solutions help manufacturers to maintain continuous flow, optimize efficiency and reduce errors in manual assembly processes through real-time spatial modelling and analysis.

To find out more about our range of products that are delivering efficiencies to manufacturers across the world, please see our dedicated product pages including SmartSpace, Smart Factory and AngleID.

Ends

[p1nkfish] 27/10/2016 20:52

Well insider supported sub 30p. Still of the opinion there is good upside here and the GBP can help even though they have reasonable headcount abroad.

[p1nkfish] 07/10/2016 20:58

I think any volume that arrives is more likely to be on the upside than the downside in the next 6 months after so long hanging around sub 40p. Those looking to exit with volume should mostly be gone by now. New arrivals awaited on trading news, results and forward look.

[p1nkfish] 06/10/2016 22:55

Decent length of time since last news. Can't be long before more arrives. They had irons in the fire with Magna, Hyundai and I think GM was mentioned. Something has to land if you plant enough interests.