Technology

Penton acquires TU-Automotive

Jan. 4, 2016

Acquisition builds Penton’s presence in automotive tech, connected vehicle market

Penton announced at CES 2016 that it has acquired TU-Automotive, an event and digital information company serving the connected vehicle segment of the automotive tech market, from FC Business Intelligence. According to the company, this acquisition positions Penton at the center of the industry’s most innovative and fast-growing segments: connected vehicles, mobility and autonomous driving.The single biggest opportunity facing the automotive industry is the shift of vehicles to connected mobility for communication, diagnostics and dataflow, autonomy and other intelligent systems, Penton said. This shift is already gaining significant ground in the trucking industry with connected devices changing fuel efficiency, optimizing speed and brake usage, the company added. Gartner predicts that by 2020, more than 250 million vehicles will be connected globally, with the number of installed connectivity units in vehicles worldwide increasing by 67 percent and consumer spend on in-vehicle connectivity fully doubling.TU-Automotive delivers premiere events, networking, content and analysis on the current topics of connected vehicles, mobility, autonomous driving and the downstream implications to related industries. The company’s key assets include: 13 “must-attend” events including the world’s largest connected car and mobility event, TUAutomotive Detroit, plus flagship events TU-Automotive Europe, TU-Automotive Japan and The Consumer Telematics Show, which takes place Jan. 5, in advance of the CES opening in Las Vegas.In addition, TU-Automotive provides digital content, analysis, education and business intelligence through TU-Automotive’s communications hub. TU-Automotive plays a convening role for key players in this complex and fast moving segment, including Ford, General Motors, FCA, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Facebook, IBM and Microsoft.TU-Automotive will become a part of the Penton Ground Transportation group, led by vice president Sue Boehlke. The TU-Automotive assets are highly complementary with Penton’s existing transportation portfolio, which includes WardsAuto, FleetSeek, FleetOwner, Trailer Body Builders and American Trucker.“TU-Automotive offers the most respected, high profile platforms to expand Penton Ground Transportation’s reach beyond the United States into Europe, South America and Asia, with a core hub of operations in London,” Boehlke said. “We look forward to TU-Automotive becoming part of the Penton family.”According to the company, the acquisition also strengthens Penton’s planned launches around the Internet of Things (IoT) in 2016 across Penton.“IoT and connected devices are a major theme across Penton, impacting many of our industry sectors including ground transportation, aviation, agriculture, technology and electronics,” said David Kieselstein, Penton’s CEO. “Companies and factories that are connected are more productive and the implications for innovation through IoT are tremendous. In 2016 we are launching a major IoT initiative to help companies break down the complexity. From sensors and platforms to data and security issues, we’ll cover best practices to help businesses grappling with policy, strategy and implementation in the application of this new wave of technology.”