Uponor - Company Announcement

Uponor and Belkin form joint venture to pioneer in intelligent water sensing technology

Uponor Corporation            Stock exchange release     25 May 2016   16:00 EET

Uponor and Belkin form joint venture to pioneer in intelligent water sensing
technology 

Uponor Corporation and Belkin International, Inc. announced today their
intention to form a partnership to pioneer in the development of water sensing
and conservation technology for buildings. The new partnership – to be called
Phyn - aims at developing products for the emerging intelligent water market,
both for consumers and professional customers. Closing of this partnership
agreement is expected to happen during July 2016, subject to regulatory
approvals and other customary closing conditions. 

Uponor and Belkin have agreed to establish two joint venture companies. The
first one will operate in the U.S. and the second one in Europe, at a later
stage. Uponor will initially invest $15 million in exchange of a 37.5%
shareholding in the companies. The investment will impact Uponor’s cash flow in
the second quarter 2016 but it has no impact on Uponor’s profit guidance for
2016. As a minority-owned business, the joint venture company will be
consolidated into Uponor’s financial accounts using the equity method. The
parties have also agreed on a time frame within which Uponor has an option to
invest an additional $10 million and increase its shareholding in Phyn to 50%. 

Belkin International will initially own 62.5% of the partnership. Belkin will
transfer its related technology, intellectual property, staff, and other
non-monetary assets to Phyn. The U.S. joint venture company will be
headquartered in the Los Angeles area with a research and development lab in
Seattle. A number of Belkin engineers will transition to the new Phyn team. 

“For Uponor, Belkin is a leading global partner in water sensing technology,
and our joint target is to develop unique new products for the intelligent
water market, which is gradually emerging in step with the development of new,
affordable and user-friendly digital technology. The joint venture is perfectly
aligned with Uponor’s strategy of growth in the emerging Internet of Things
(IoT) market and represents a major step in digitalisation for us,” says Jyri
Luomakoski, President and CEO, Uponor Corporation. 

“This investment and our partnership with a leading IoT company significantly
accelerates our efforts to make plumbing systems more intelligent,” Luomakoski
continues. 

This joint venture is a partnership between two companies, each leaders in
their respective fields. Phyn will be a standalone company featuring Belkin’s
proprietary water sensing technologies, expertise in data science and the
Internet of Things and will also offer agile product design, consumer insights
and a global retail channel. Uponor will bring its leading position in plumbing
expertise, professional insights from the trades and a global wholesale
distribution channel. 

Chet Pipkin, founder and CEO of Belkin comments: ”With the creation of Phyn,
we’re bringing water up to speed with the rest of the smart home, helping to
not only protect consumers’ homes and wallets, but also do our part to solve
the very real challenges facing our global water supply.” 

Uponor regards the joint venture company as an important step in its growth
strategy as it aligns ideally with the company’s commitment to help create safe
and sustainable buildings and infrastructures by providing comprehensive
plumbing, indoor climate and infrastructure solutions. 



Overview of Belkin
At Belkin International, we make people-inspired products. Since 1983 it has
been our mission to enhance the technology that connects us to the people and
experiences we love. Our three brands, Belkin, Linksys and WeMo, lead the
market in a vast array of categories including wireless networking, smart home
technologies, charging and power products, and accessories for smartphones and
tablets. A pioneer in the Los Angeles tech scene, Belkin is headquartered in
Playa Vista, California. A private company, Belkin does not disclose financial
terms. 
http://www.belkin.com/us/



Further information:
Jyri Luomakoski, President and CEO, tel. +358 20 129 2824
Riitta Palomäki, CFO, tel. +358 20 129 2822



Uponor Corporation

Tarmo Anttila
Vice President, Communications
Tel. +358 20 129 2852



DISTRIBUTION:
Nasdaq Helsinki
Media
www.uponor.com



Uponor is a leading international systems and solutions provider for safe
drinking water delivery, energy-efficient radiant heating and cooling and
reliable infrastructure. The company serves a variety of building markets
including residential, commercial, industrial and civil engineering. Uponor
employs about 3,700 employees in 30 countries, mainly in Europe and North
America. In 2015, Uponor's net sales totalled €1,050 million. Uponor is based
in Finland and listed on Nasdaq Helsinki. www.uponor.com