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Logitech International SA, a Swiss manufacturer of keyboards and webcams, is in talks to acquire Plantronics Inc, a US manufacturer of Bluetooth headphones and headsets for the game, announced Friday close to the issue.
The acquisition would be by far the largest acquisition of Logitech and illustrate the company's efforts to diversify its operations. This would occur as Logitech and Plantronics seek to reduce their manufacturing costs following the introduction of tariffs on imports from China to the United States.
Logitech has offered more than $ 2.2 billion to acquire Plantronics, said one of the sources. At the end of trading on Friday, Plantronics had a market capitalization of about $ 2 billion.
If negotiations succeed, an agreement between Logitech and Plantronics could be concluded as early as next week, the sources added, warning that it was also possible that no agreement was reached.
The sources asked not to be identified because the negotiations are confidential. Logitech and Plantronics did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The activities of Logitech and Plantonics have been severely challenged by the development of new offerings, not only from network gearmakers such as Cisco Systems Inc., but also from leading technology companies such as Microsoft Inc. and Alphabet, owner of Google
Logitech used mergers and acquisitions to turn to consumer accessories
Founded in 1981, Logitech's attack on declining sales of personal computers focusing on consumer-friendly accessories benefiting from the growth of cloud computing, such as gaming, music, smart home connectivity and the video conference. The Lausanne company has a market capitalization of 5.6 billion dollars.
Last year, Logitech acquired ASTRO Gaming for $ 85 million in cash in order to grow in the video game industry.
Plantronics, based in Santa Cruz, California, manufactures unified communications systems, wireless headsets, conferencing systems, and some software that it sells to businesses and consumers.
Founded in 1961, the first products of Plantronics were lightweight headsets for airline pilots. He then became known for selling helmets to NASA, including those worn by Neil Armstrong at his first moonwalk in 1969.
A sale of Plantronics would follow the company's acquisition in July of the US manufacturer of video conferencing equipment Polycom Inc.
The private equity firm Siris Capital Group LLC holds a 16% stake in Plantronics, making it its largest shareholder. Reuters announced earlier this month that Plantronics was considering a sale.
(Report by Liana B. Baker and Carl O Donnell in New York, additional report by Greg Roumeliotis in New York, edited by Tom Brown)
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