Knowit Connectivity gears up in automotive
Published 24 May 2022
It is now official that Knowit is acquiring Swedspot, a company with long experience and a lot of expertise in software development for the automotive industry. Swedspot will become part of Knowit's business area Connectivity, broadening their offering in automotive in doing so.
Knowit Connectivity is a business area within Knowit with approximately 700 employees and has a broad customer offering in mainly embedded systems, as well as cloud and security solutions. Most of Connectivity’s touchpoints with their clients are in the development and research departments of industrial companies. We have long had a strong presence in the automotive industry, with expertise and technology at the absolute forefront of connected vehicles. As the market interest for these services has increased, so have the demands on delivery. The acquisition of Swedspot is an important step in the right direction to ensure that the customer experience is as qualitative and inclusive as possible.
Swedspot is a software technology company that, based in many cases on Google's Android technology and their proprietary Ezentric platform, develops solutions for a variety of industries such as automotive, transport and energy. Swedspot's current CEO, Niclas Lindmark, will continue to lead the business through the transition to Connectivity and says:
“Swedspot's and Knowit's business areas, network of contacts and expertise complement each other very well, giving us a great opportunity to deliver additional value. Connectivity has a broad customer base in the automotive sector that already employs hundreds of consultants, where Swedspot will be able to contribute with specialist expertise. The merger will also give our employees additional opportunities to develop with exciting new products and projects.”
The COO of Connectivity, Göran Dahlberg, has been responsible and led the planning and execution of the acquisition on Knowit's side. He lets us in on the background to the decision:
“Growth is on Connectivity's agenda and as we looked more closely at Swedspot's offering and expertise, we quickly realised that they would be a perfect complement to what we can currently deliver to our clients. Swedspot has phenomenal knowledge in Android Automotive, they dared to invest in the technology early on and are now at the forefront of the field. We want to continue to develop this and with the merger we believe interesting new synergies can arise.”
Kristian Palm is head of a unit within Connectivity that is, among other things, a leading supplier of Bluetooth technology for infotainment systems to major car manufacturers around the world. In the long term, the plan is to integrate that unit with Swedspot and Kristian comments on the merger:
“We have identified the need for this type of service, both among our local clients in the Gothenburg area, as well as internationally. On several customer assignments, we already have common points of contact, so this is a natural step for a more well-rounded offering. And let's not forget that for the employees from both companies it means more internal development opportunities to learn new areas of work. There will be possibilities to work both as a consultant as well as a developer of our own products in an incredibly forward-thinking and innovative industry."
A warm welcome to Knowit, Swedspot!