Interview with the CEO at Silex Insight - Michel Van Maercke

December 21, 2021 -- Recently, the news landed in your mailbox that Silex Insight has sold its video division to Australian expert Audinate. We sat down and talked with Silex Insight’s CEO Michel Van Maercke about what this will mean for customers and employees. “It will be an important opportunity for both the video and security divisions,” he starts off, “a chance to focus and become stronger in our respective markets.”

The divestment of Silex Insight’s video business is compelling, you say. How exactly will customers profit?

Silex Insight’s experts will now form a team with Audinate’s video experts. Audinate has a strong vision and strategy for AV-over-IP. Therefore, they want to grow their team and offering, both in quantity and quality. In the mid to longer term, that will result in exciting new technologies, product lines and updates, also for the current Silex Insight customers.

That being said, if you are one of our current video customers, rest assured that there will be no changes to the agreements and commitments. The same people will keep on delivering the same quality with the same dedication. Over the coming weeks Audinate will contact all video customers and prospects to reassure them and to communicate details about sales and service contacts.

For the employees of Silex Insight, especially those in the video division, the news came as a surprise? What is your message for them?

I’m aware that we have surprised some people, and I understand that they have some very real questions. Still, I want to reassure them. Audinate has a growth strategy in a promising market. That will give the video business as we have created it a boost for years to come. Going forward and very practically, not so much will change: this experienced team will remain together, probably even in the same building or not far away, working on the same projects and developments. In the longer term, the collaboration with the team and with the Audinate management should result in great opportunities for everyone.

What is your vision for Silex Insight going forward? Where is Silex Insight headed?

As you know, there has been a huge demand for security products and related design services, especially in the professional markets in which we operate. We’re a recognized leader and we will continue to strengthen that leadership position. That was the strategy all along, but through the divestment of our video expertise, we now have additional means to strengthen our position in security. As a very first measure, we are going to grow our headcount.

Silex Insight IP Cores

In fact, you bring a positive message to customers and employees alike?

Absolutely. Silex Insight will continue to develop and supply the market with best-in-class security IP solutions. We’re recognized for our excellence by some outstanding customers. Our ambition is now to strengthen that position. Our renewed focus as a pure security expert will enable us to do just that.

There are a lot of delays in the world’s supply chains. Does that affect Silex Insight?

There is no denying. The whole electronics value chain including the business of some of our customers suffers from a lack of chips. That trickles down to the suppliers, and as a result we also experience some delays in agreements and deliveries. But the fact is that these hiccups are caused by too much demand, not a lack of demand. This is witnessed by the strong sales funnel we have.

To conclude … the story continues?

Yes it does! Let me take this opportunity to thank all our stakeholders – employees and customers first – for putting their trust in us and bringing us to where we are today. Silex Insight was established 30 years ago to design both high-quality video and security solutions. From now on, we’re a pure security specialist, with an even stronger dedication.

About Silex Insight

Silex Insight is a recognized market-leading independent supplier of Security IP solutions for embedded systems. The security platforms and solutions from Silex Insight include flexible and high-performance crypto engines which are easy to integrate and an eSecure IP module that provides a complete security solution for all platforms. Development take place at the headquarters near Brussels, Belgium.

For more information, please visit www.silexinsight.com.