“Pro-Line Racing is one of the strongest RC brands in the world, with over 38 years of providing innovative products,” Chris Dickerson, Horizon’s President, said. “Horizon has a longstanding partnership with Pro-Line. Throughout our relationship, we’ve always admired Pro-Line’s commitment to expanding the customer experience through innovative product design.” Dickerson continued, “Beyond the product, we’ve always admired the Pro-Line team’s passion and feel they share the same values as Horizon. We are very confident this will be a strong cultural fit.”
Todd Mattson, Chief Executive Officer and Owner of Pro-Line, said, “For over 38 years, Pro-Line Racing has created unforgettable memories for the everyday backyard hero and won 12 IFMAR World Championship titles. We are proud to have built a strong brand with Pro-Line that is known for innovation and quality. Our partnership with Horizon creates significant opportunity for us to take Pro-Line to the next level by leveraging Horizon’s resources, such as global marketing and distribution channels.”
Dickerson added, “Horizon strives to provide the best brands in RC to its customers. By bringing Pro-Line into our family of proprietary brands, we take an important step forward in continuing on that commitment. We feel that by aligning our development and marketing resources, we’ll find new ways to innovate and create exceptional customer experiences. Further, Pro-Line manufactures in the United States and will help Horizon expand our manufacturing experience.”
Pro-Line will continue to operate at their facility in Banning, CA. The terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Pro-Line Racing was founded in 1982 and is a passionate team of American innovators bonded by vision and determination. They are a US manufacturer and 12-Time World Champion, with the goal to always satisfy their RC customers through cutting edge and high-performance accessory products for a wide variety of classes and scales of RC surface vehicles. Pro-Line is based in Banning, California.
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Yeah. Bye bye any US Proline manufacturing. Horizon is bottom line profits first. Anyone that's been on any management team for any US based corporation will know what happens in the next two years. They'll simply take Proline's intellectual property and move all manufacturing to China and Taiwan.
Another great one gone. Another nail in our coffin. Sent from my motorola one hyper using Tapatalk |
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While not what I'd like to see, I'd rather them be absorbed by someone like Horizon than disappear completely.
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Let's boycott Horizon Hobby then. I feel like I'm in a post-apocalyptic period where HH destroyed everything.
Can't buy brand new Top Flite kits since HH bought Hobbico. |
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If Horizon buys an existing RC company, it likely means that the company was unprofitable and going under due to long-term poor management. If things were profitable and growing the company wouldn't have sold out to Horizon.
Blaming Horizon for some small RC company's financial failure is like blaming the doctor forced to amputate a limb to save the life of someone who ate themselves to 700 pounds of weight over ten years of serially self-destructive behavior. Of course it's tragic and, obviously, to survive going forward all that pre-existing destructive behavior must change but it's a last desperate attempt to save the company and give it one more chance under different leadership. Often, such acquisitions are only a few weeks or months ahead of an inevitable bankruptcy filing. So it's either company goes under and everyone loses their jobs - and founders (probably) lose their life-savings (and, often, homes) OR Horizon steps in because, after reviewing the finances and products they think that *some* of the products might actually be viable if operated competently. At least with Horizon, *some* of the employees keep their jobs and the customers and founders at least have a chance that things might work out better than "game over". If Horizon cost-reduces a pre-existing product (or raises its price) that means it was unprofitable but close enough to possibly survive and be viable after necessary changes. If Horizon discontinues a pre-existing product that means they can't see any way to save it (and the original company shouldn't have made it in the first place). I highly doubt that Horizon (or any sane business owner) ever discontinues a profitable growing product. Horizon can only be successful if their improved management puts products on the market that customers value enough to buy. If Horizon has misjudged or they fail to execute their plan, everyone still loses their jobs, customers still lose access to all the products and now Horizon loses all the money, time and effort they put into it. Bottom line: Horizon risking it's money is giving you customers and the employees one last chance to not lose it all. Frankly, as a business person experienced in these kinds of transactions, I'm surprised Horizon even has the investor support to do this kind of acquisition at all in a business as volatile and lousy as RC. But it's not my money at risk (or yours), yet we all *might* still get something positive from it. |
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Last edited by Markran; Aug 14, 2020 at 11:39 PM.
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Horizon Hobby has gone to the Dogs!, Take a look at their Blade brand of heli’s and the Quads are long gone!....
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I'm sad to see this, though it's not surprising.
Whether ProLine was having financial difficulties they couldn't overcome (my gut feeling, particularly this year) or they just wanted to sell out (less likely), it's sad to see them die. Because either way, with this acquisition the ProLine we know is dead. ![]() |
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Quote:
And please... It's not like every takeover is by some healthy, altruistic bigger company of some on-the-verge-of-bankruptcy poorly run little company. There is more at play than that. The big corporate entity here just uses muscle to force out its smaller competitors, and in the end there is LESS competition, and a pure capitalist like yourself(apparently..) should realize that less competition is a bad thing. Instead of a lot of medium size fish in the water, you now have like one big shark, who has eaten all the smaller fish through brute force. The way of the world, I assume you'll say... Perhaps, but that doesn't mean it's a good thing if you live in the same water. Your argument reminds me of what Votaire's Candide satirizes - the simplistic notion that "all is for the best"... There is nothing good for RC customers by having Horizon gobble up all the smaller players, then reduce the diversity of what's available, and jack up prices. So, higher prices for us the customers, and less choice. Yeah, it happens, and yeah, there are market forces at play which are difficult to keep in check. But don't go saying what Horizon is doing is good for the hobby. That's nonsense. |
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