If your knowledge of TDK stopped at cassette tapes, your thinking is way out of date. The company is a market leader in magnetic sensors and actuators — particularly in the automotive and industrial markets — and is a big player in wireless charging. And today, it bought Invensense, which makes a very popular line of motion and environmental sensors.
Invensense is an important company in wearables and other consumer devices. Its six- and nine-axis motion detectors are routinely found in smartphones, cameras, gaming controllers, drones, and fitness bands. Other Invensense products include MEMS microphones and ultrasonic sensors.
TDK says it’s in the middle of a three-year plan to fatten its footprint in the automotive, manufacturing, and communications industries, including IoT. The company expects that it will be able to use Invensense technology in applications including indoor navigation, virtual and augmented reality, and advanced drive assistance systems.
The sale price was $1.3 billion, or $13 per share — about 20 percent above yesterday’s closing price.
We already had meetings booked with TDK and Invensense at next month’s CES. We’ll keep you posted.