ETC Welcomes Pharos: What the Acquisition Means for Architectural Control

1
00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:22,360
Welcome back to Geezers of Gear
Future Tech.

2
00:00:22,960 --> 00:00:25,200
Today we're looking at a big
move in the architectural

3
00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:28,520
lighting control world.
ETC has officially acquired

4
00:00:28,840 --> 00:00:33,280
Pharos Architectural controls.
Yeah, and this isn't some random

5
00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:36,520
new name.
Pharos is the UK based developer

6
00:00:36,520 --> 00:00:40,200
behind ET CS Mosaic product
family and a major player in

7
00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:43,400
dynamic lighting control for
buildings, themed entertainment

8
00:00:43,520 --> 00:00:45,640
and large scale visual
installations.

9
00:00:46,480 --> 00:00:49,520
When we talk about dynamic
lighting control, we mean

10
00:00:49,520 --> 00:00:52,120
systems that do more than just
turn lights on and off.

11
00:00:52,600 --> 00:00:55,520
We're talking timelines,
triggers, color effects, media

12
00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:58,560
facades, basically
choreographing light across an

13
00:00:58,560 --> 00:01:02,320
entire environment in a
coordinated, repeatable way.

14
00:01:03,440 --> 00:01:06,480
Exactly.
Pharaoh's gear is used to drive

15
00:01:06,480 --> 00:01:10,240
complex looks on facades,
bridges, attractions and other

16
00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:12,600
permanent installs where the
lighting is part of the visual

17
00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:14,640
identity.
It's not just about

18
00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:18,360
illumination, it's about content
and storytelling over time.

19
00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:22,800
Now this deal is interesting
because ETC and Pharos already

20
00:01:22,800 --> 00:01:24,960
go way back.
They've had more than two

21
00:01:24,960 --> 00:01:28,240
decades of partnership, and
Pharos itself has a 21 year

22
00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:31,520
history of innovation and
reliability in this niche.

23
00:01:32,200 --> 00:01:34,320
That long relationship is
important.

24
00:01:35,080 --> 00:01:37,400
Pharaoh's hasn't just been a
supplier, they've been the

25
00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:40,440
designer and manufacturer behind
ET CS Mosaic.

26
00:01:40,440 --> 00:01:43,200
Line.
Mosaic has quietly been a core

27
00:01:43,200 --> 00:01:46,160
part of ET CS architectural
portfolio for years.

28
00:01:46,440 --> 00:01:48,800
Especially where you need more
show like control in an

29
00:01:48,800 --> 00:01:51,520
architectural context.
Right.

30
00:01:51,520 --> 00:01:54,440
So this acquisition is an ETC
taking a flyer on a new

31
00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:56,720
technology.
It's more like formalizing

32
00:01:56,720 --> 00:02:00,080
what's already been a deep
technical and commercial

33
00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:04,000
partnership and bringing that
capability fully under the ETC

34
00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:06,640
umbrella.
Both companies also talk a lot

35
00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:08,320
about culture fit in the
announcement.

36
00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:12,840
They call out agile development,
exceptional support, and a

37
00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:15,520
customer first mindset as shared
values.

38
00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:19,120
That kind of language usually
hints that the integration is

39
00:02:19,120 --> 00:02:22,320
about long term product
evolution, not just financial

40
00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:25,640
engineering.
ETCCEO Dick Titus basically

41
00:02:25,640 --> 00:02:28,280
spells that out.
He points to Pharos's in house

42
00:02:28,280 --> 00:02:31,480
development team as pushing the
boundaries of dynamic lighting

43
00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:34,280
control and says this will
further strengthen ET CS

44
00:02:34,280 --> 00:02:36,040
architectural offerings
globally.

45
00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:40,520
From a strategic standpoint, ETC
has been steadily building its

46
00:02:40,560 --> 00:02:42,920
architectural controls portfolio
for years.

47
00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:47,040
Occupancy based systems, room
controls, integration with

48
00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:50,000
building management.
Pharaohs gives them a very

49
00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:53,720
mature platform at the high end
of dynamic and creative control.

50
00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:57,120
And the timing matters.
Architectural and themed

51
00:02:57,120 --> 00:02:58,880
environments are getting more
demanding.

52
00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:02,640
Higher pixel counts, more
integration with video, more

53
00:03:02,640 --> 00:03:06,280
expectation of synchronized
content across entire sites.

54
00:03:06,760 --> 00:03:10,320
Owning the Pharaohs technology
stack instead of just partnering

55
00:03:10,320 --> 00:03:12,280
gives, ETC.
More room to respond to that

56
00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:15,400
demand.
So Chapter 1, take away Pharaohs

57
00:03:15,400 --> 00:03:19,640
is not a bolt on, it's a company
with a long track record already

58
00:03:19,640 --> 00:03:23,720
embedded in ET CS mosaic line.
And this move is about locking

59
00:03:23,720 --> 00:03:27,000
in that innovation and aligning
it tightly with ET CS

60
00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:30,480
architectural strategy.
Let's dig into what actually

61
00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:33,960
changes on the ground, both
technically and on the business

62
00:03:33,960 --> 00:03:37,200
side, for people working in
architectural and themed

63
00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:40,800
projects.
Technically, ferro systems are

64
00:03:40,800 --> 00:03:43,680
all about controlling complex
distributed lighting rigs.

65
00:03:44,360 --> 00:03:47,920
Think multi protocol support
like DMX and networked lighting,

66
00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:51,280
running timelines, handling
triggers from external systems

67
00:03:51,400 --> 00:03:53,800
and managing thousands of
channels in permanent

68
00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:56,640
installations.
Their controllers and software

69
00:03:56,640 --> 00:03:59,280
are built to treat light almost
like media playback.

70
00:03:59,720 --> 00:04:03,400
You design sequences, schedule
them, and respond to inputs.

71
00:04:03,880 --> 00:04:06,240
That's why they show up on
landmarks, bridges, and

72
00:04:06,240 --> 00:04:08,840
immersive environments where
light is doing something

73
00:04:08,840 --> 00:04:11,360
choreographed, not just static
scenes.

74
00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:15,400
Mosaic, which Pharos designs and
manufacturers for ETC,

75
00:04:15,760 --> 00:04:18,839
essentially plugs that
philosophy into the ETC

76
00:04:18,839 --> 00:04:22,200
ecosystem.
It gives ETC customers a way to

77
00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:26,040
handle those complex dynamic
looks inside a brand family they

78
00:04:26,040 --> 00:04:29,280
already know, tying into the
broader control and fixed your

79
00:04:29,280 --> 00:04:33,080
offerings.
With the acquisition, ETC now

80
00:04:33,080 --> 00:04:36,320
has direct ownership of that
mosaic technology stack.

81
00:04:36,760 --> 00:04:39,920
In practical terms, that should
mean tighter integration over

82
00:04:39,920 --> 00:04:43,360
time, cleaner workflows between
ET, CS, more traditional

83
00:04:43,720 --> 00:04:47,040
architectural controls, and the
high end dynamic features that

84
00:04:47,040 --> 00:04:50,200
Pharaoh specializes in for.
Example, if you're designing a

85
00:04:50,200 --> 00:04:53,520
project that mixes standard
architectural control with large

86
00:04:53,520 --> 00:04:57,160
scale exterior effects, or theme
zones, deeper, ETC.

87
00:04:57,160 --> 00:05:00,280
Pharaohs integration could
simplify commissioning, system

88
00:05:00,280 --> 00:05:02,480
monitoring and long term
updates.

89
00:05:03,120 --> 00:05:06,120
The promise is fewer silos
between building control and

90
00:05:06,120 --> 00:05:09,480
show control.
On the business side, the global

91
00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:11,400
picture is a big part of this
story.

92
00:05:11,920 --> 00:05:15,160
Feros brings an extensive market
presence and sales network

93
00:05:15,400 --> 00:05:19,120
across EMEA and AIPAC that's
explicitly called out as a

94
00:05:19,120 --> 00:05:21,360
growth lever for ETC in the
announcement.

95
00:05:21,760 --> 00:05:25,360
So you can read this as, ETC.
Reinforcing its position not

96
00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:28,320
just in North America, but in
international architectural

97
00:05:28,520 --> 00:05:31,600
themed entertainment and
landmark projects.

98
00:05:32,200 --> 00:05:35,440
Feros already has brand
recognition in those regions and

99
00:05:35,480 --> 00:05:39,160
ETC now gets to stand on that
platform rather than building it

100
00:05:39,160 --> 00:05:42,520
from scratch.
At the same time, ETC is very

101
00:05:42,520 --> 00:05:45,640
clear that Feros will continue
to operate as a stand alone

102
00:05:45,640 --> 00:05:48,200
company.
Existing sales and service

103
00:05:48,200 --> 00:05:51,680
relationships remain in place,
and Feros maintains its supply

104
00:05:51,680 --> 00:05:55,600
and licensing partnerships.
That stand alone language is

105
00:05:55,600 --> 00:05:58,120
aimed squarely at current
customers and partners.

106
00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:02,600
The message is you keep your
existing points of contact, your

107
00:06:02,600 --> 00:06:05,600
support channels don't get
ripped up, but now there's a

108
00:06:05,600 --> 00:06:08,520
larger parent company behind the
scenes with more resources.

109
00:06:09,760 --> 00:06:13,000
Pharaoh CEO Simon Hicks frames
it as a long term home.

110
00:06:13,440 --> 00:06:16,880
He talks about continuity of
service for customers and access

111
00:06:16,880 --> 00:06:20,280
to a wealth of resources to
accelerate an ambitious product

112
00:06:20,280 --> 00:06:23,320
development road map.
That's a pretty strong signal

113
00:06:23,600 --> 00:06:26,320
that new features and products
are a priority, not just

114
00:06:26,320 --> 00:06:30,280
maintaining the status quo.
For integrators, consultants and

115
00:06:30,280 --> 00:06:33,680
end users, the watch list now
includes how quickly that road

116
00:06:33,680 --> 00:06:36,280
map moves and where the
integration points appear.

117
00:06:36,880 --> 00:06:40,120
Do we see tighter links between
Mosaic and other ETC

118
00:06:40,120 --> 00:06:43,280
architectural platforms?
Do configuration tools and

119
00:06:43,280 --> 00:06:47,720
monitoring start to converge?
And more broadly, this continues

120
00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:50,280
the trend of big control and
fixture manufacturers

121
00:06:50,520 --> 00:06:53,840
consolidating high end
specialized control technology

122
00:06:54,120 --> 00:06:57,080
into their portfolios.
It's about owning more of the

123
00:06:57,080 --> 00:07:01,040
stack from fixtures to
processing to user interface,

124
00:07:01,560 --> 00:07:03,760
especially in projects where
light is content.

125
00:07:04,720 --> 00:07:09,120
So to sum it up, ETC gets a
proven dynamic control platform

126
00:07:09,160 --> 00:07:13,080
and stronger global reach.
Pharaohs gets long term backing

127
00:07:13,080 --> 00:07:16,280
and more development resources,
and customers should see

128
00:07:16,280 --> 00:07:19,280
continuity in the short term
with the potential for deeper

129
00:07:19,280 --> 00:07:22,360
integration and faster
innovation over the next few

130
00:07:22,360 --> 00:07:24,280
years.
We'll keep an eye on how this

131
00:07:24,280 --> 00:07:27,720
plays out in real world projects
and product updates as more

132
00:07:27,720 --> 00:07:30,440
details emerge.
That's it for this future tech

133
00:07:30,440 --> 00:07:32,760
update on Geezers of Gear.
Thanks for listening.

134
00:07:33,200 --> 00:07:35,880
Stay tuned for more industry
news and tech deep dives.

135
00:07:36,120 --> 00:07:37,360
We'll catch you on the next one.