Bang & Olufsen

Last updated
Bang & Olufsen A/S
Company type Public
Nasdaq Copenhagen:  BO B
Founded1925;99 years ago (1925)
Founder
Headquarters Struer, Denmark
Key people
Products High-end audio
RevenueIncrease2.svg 2.63 billion kr. (2021) [1]
Total assets Increase2.svg 2.28 billion kr. (2021) [1]
Total equity Increase2.svg 1.13 billion kr. (2021) [1]
Number of employees
947 (2021) [1]
Website www.bang-olufsen.com

Bang & Olufsen (B&O) is a Danish high-end consumer electronics company that designs and manufactures audio products, television sets, and telephones, originally from Denmark, founded in 1925 by Peter Bang and Svend Olufsen, who designed a radio to work with alternating current, a product of significance at a time when most radios were still running on batteries. Bang & Olufsen are also known for contributing to make speakers for Ford cars such as the Ford Puma.

Contents

History

Early history

B&O's factory in Struer 1938. B&O fabriken 1938.jpg
B&O's factory in Struer 1938.
Bang Olufsen Beovision Televisions Avant & MX5000 Bang Olufsen Beovision TV Avant mx5000 Austin Calhoon Photograph.jpg
Bang Olufsen Beovision Televisions Avant & MX5000
Bang Olufsen Beocom 1401 telephone Bang Olufsen Beocom 1401 Telephone Austin Calhoon Photograph.jpg
Bang Olufsen Beocom 1401 telephone

Peter Bang (1900–1957), son of Camillo Bang, a successful Danish businessman, showed great interest in radio technology from an early age. After graduating as an engineer in 1924, he spent six months working in a radio factory in the USA. When he returned to Denmark, he collaborated with his friend Svend Olufsen (1897–1949), whose parents made the attic of their manor house in Struer in Jutland available for experiments. When they officially opened their business in 1925, Bang focused on the technology while Olufsen was dealing with business. There were a number of successful developments in the 1930s and 1940s, including a sound recording system for the film industry, roof-mounted loudspeakers for circuses and army vehicles, and the iconic Beolit 39 radio that featured a Bakelite cabinet.

Beolit 39 from 1938, B&O's first radio in Bakelite Beolit 39 radio 1939.jpg
Beolit 39 from 1938, B&O's first radio in Bakelite

However, it was many years before their business became significantly profitable. The firm suffered a major setback towards the end of World War II when its factory at Gimsing in Struer in northwestern Jutland was burnt down by pro-Nazi saboteurs as a punishment for the management's refusal to team up with the Germans. Undeterred, Bang and Olufsen rebuilt the factory, and they produced electric razors until 1955, and then moving on to develop a range of radio, radiogram, and television sets, that was influenced later by a designer named Ib Fabiansen who began work for the company in 1957. [2]

In the 1990s, B&O opened its dedicated stores, selling directly to customers but not selling through retailers, and the production of audio separates was discontinued in favor of mini-type audio systems sold, as was before for B&O, at a price that was higher than the industry average.

Recent history

Because of the economic crisis of 2008 the company experienced a sharp decline in sales and announced significant losses; between 2008 and 2009, annual revenue declined from $853 million to $528 million, and its stock price dropped from $52 to $8.50. [3] A restructuring plan included 300 layoffs in Denmark on 21 October 2008, and the abandonment of development of new mobile phones, MP3 players, and standalone systems like DVD2 and HDR2. Instead, the company focused on its traditional strengths: high-quality audio and video products as well as sound systems for the automotive industry. [4] B&O returned to profitability in 2010.

In January 2015, B&O revealed that the firm would consider bid approaches from competitors due to a profit warning issued at the end of 2014. [5]

In March 2015, HP Inc. announced that B&O would become the company's new premium audio partner for its computers and other devices after Beats takeover by Apple. [6]

In May 2015, Harman International announced the completion of its acquisition of Bang & Olufsen's car audio business. [7]

In March 2017, Tymphany, an audio ODM based in Hong Kong and with manufacturing operations in Dongchen, announced the acquisition of the engineering and manufacturing operation in the Czech Republic from Bang & Olufsen. [8] [9]

In Aug 2017, LG announced that B&O would become the company's new premium audio partner for its mobile devices.

In January 2020, Bang & Olufsen A/S reported its third consecutive quarterly loss as the Danish hi-fi maker struggled with a buildup of inventory after consumers balked at buying $500 headphones. [10]

Operations and products

Despite its decision to suspend the manufacture of separate components, B&O continues to develop and market loudspeakers. Its flagship speaker, the BeoLab 5, uses digital signal processing to adjust its frequency response to the room and location in which it is placed. Its midrange and treble drivers use the audio lens technology developed by Sausalito Audio's Manny LaCarrubba to spread the sound over a 180-degree range in order to fill the room, overcoming the directional range limitations of normal midrange and treble drivers, and preventing the sound from reflecting off the ceiling and floor before reaching the listener. B&O later acquired the audio lens technology in 2007.

In 2003, B&O entered into an agreement with Audi to provide an advanced sound system [11] and in 2005 a sound system based on the BeoLab 5 with 1000 W amplifiers became available to Audi's flagship model, the A8. [12] Audi markets this sound system using the Bang & Olufsen brand name. A unique feature of this sound system is its motorized tweeters that emerge from the dashboard when the sound system is turned on.

Tweeter in a third-generation Audi A8 Audi A8 2013 (11209860996crop).jpg
Tweeter in a third-generation Audi A8

Audi also extended the optional advanced sound system to their A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, Q5, Q7, TT and R8 models. It is a US$6,300 option on the A8/Q7. [13] B&O also supplies sound systems for higher-end, premium vehicles such as the Aston Martin DBS, Rapide, BMW 5 Series, BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo, BMW 6 Series, BMW M6, BMW's flagship 7 Series, BMW X5, [14] and Mercedes-Benz AMG models. [15] Also, Ford has begun to replace the Sony sound systems in their vehicles with B&O PLAY audio systems in new models, such as the revised 2018 F-150 and the 2019 Ranger. [16] [17]

In addition to consumer products the company also produces business-to-business services, particularly in the area of custom audio-visual installations for car manufacturers, and the hospitality industry. Additionally the company's expertise in aluminium manufacturing is available to other businesses for the production of non-B&O products. [18]

Design

B&O has a distinctive design appeal that Wired described as "quality media delivery via striking objects". [3] Their work with radios and loudspeakers led them to value high-fidelity musical reproduction uninfluenced by technological limitations; in Danish Ærlig musikgengivelse, meaning "honest music reproduction". To this end, psychoacoustics was important to designing and testing B&O products.[ citation needed ]

By 1960, B&O had begun its foray into global markets with star designers Henning Moldenhawer and Jacob Jensen, [3] who designed 234 products [lower-alpha 1] for B&O from 1965 to 1985. [lower-alpha 2] B&O hires designers rather than directly employing them in the company. [20] David Lewis, who became involved with B&O in 1965 then went on to design most of the company's products after 1980.[ citation needed ] In 1978, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City held an exhibition dedicated to Bang & Olufsen designs. [21] It is known to give its designers a lot of free rein. [3]

It also has been debated that Apple's iPod design was inspired by B&O's BeoCom 6000, a wireless telephone designed by Henrik Sørig Thomsen with a wheel to scroll. [22]

Subsidiaries

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ "Jensen designed 234 products for the company" [19]
  2. ↑ "His work for Danish company Bang & Olufsen (1965-1985)" [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Audi</span> German automotive manufacturer

Audi AG is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. A subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Audi A8</span> Full-size luxury sedan

The Audi A8 is a full-size luxury sedan manufactured and marketed by the German automaker Audi since 1994. Succeeding the Audi V8, and now in its fourth generation, the A8 has been offered with both front- or permanent all-wheel drive—and in short- and long-wheelbase variants. The first two generations employed the Volkswagen Group D platform, with the current generation deriving from the MLB platform. After the original model's 1994 release, Audi released the second generation in late 2002, the third in late 2009, and the fourth and current iteration in 2017. Noted as the first mass-market car with an aluminium chassis, all A8 models have used this construction method co-developed with Alcoa and marketed as the Audi Space Frame.

Blaupunkt GmbH was a German manufacturer, producing mostly car-audio gear and other electronic equipment. Owned by Robert Bosch GmbH from 1933 until 1 March 2009, it was sold to Aurelius AG of Germany. It filed for bankruptcy in late 2015 with liquidation proceedings completed in early 2016. The brand, now managed by GIP Development SARL of Luxembourg, is licensed for use by various product groups worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JBL</span> American audio hardware manufacturer

JBL is an American audio equipment manufacturer headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States. JBL serves the customer home and professional market. The professional market includes studios, installed/tour/portable sound, music production, DJ, cinema markets. The home market includes high-end home amplification/speakers/headphones as well as high-end car audio. JBL is owned by Harman International, itself a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics.

Altec Lansing, Inc. is an American audio electronics company founded in 1927. Their primary products are loudspeakers and associated audio electronics for professional, home, automotive and multimedia applications.

Harman Kardon is a division of US-based Harman International Industries, an independent subsidiary of Samsung Electronics. Harman Kardon was originally founded in Westbury, New York, in 1953 by business partners Sidney Harman and Bernard Kardon.

The BeoSound 2 is a digital audio player supplied by Bang & Olufsen. It plays MP3- and WMA-format audio stored on Secure Digital or MMC media. The device is finished in polished stainless steel.

Alpine Electronics, Inc. is a Japanese consumer electronics subsidiary of the Japanese electronics component manufacturer Alps Electric, specialising in car audio and navigation systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harman International</span> American electronics company

Harman International Industries, Inc., commonly known as Harman, is an American audio electronics company. Since 2017, the company has been operating as an independent subsidiary of Samsung Electronics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Serene (phone)</span>

Serene is a mobile phone produced as a joint venture between Samsung Electronics and Bang & Olufsen. It was released in the last quarter of 2005 in Europe. It was available in select stores throughout the world and cost $1275 (~€1000).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ICEpower</span> Danish company specializing in audio amplification apps

ICEpower a/s is a Danish development, production and sales company specialising in Class-D amplifiers for audio applications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BeoCom</span>

BeoCom is a line of telephones manufactured by Bang & Olufsen. Between the BeoCom 1 and the BeoCom 2 phones there is much interoperability. The current versions of these telephones use independent wireless base stations known by the name BeoLine. The Mark 1 version of the BeoLine PSTN base can support up to six BeoCom handsets. the Mark 2 version of the Beoline PSTN base can support eight BeoCom handsets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steinway Lyngdorf</span>

Steinway Lyngdorf is a brand name of high-end audio systems produced by Steinway & Sons and Lyngdorf Audio. In 2007 the first music system was created: "Steinway Lyngdorf Model D" with a cost of $150,000US, although, as of November 2014, this had been increased to $228,000. The Steinway Lyngdorf Model D was co-designed by design studio Jacob Jensen Design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beocenter 9500</span> Music system by Bang & Olufsen

The BeoCenter 9500 is an integrated home music system by Bang & Olufsen. It consists of an AM/FM receiver, CD player and cassette recorder. Its features a mirrored exterior of polished aluminium and smoked glass. The BeoCenter 9500 has no buttons: it is controlled by touching the glass with a fingertip.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacob Jensen</span> Danish industrial designer

Jacob Jensen was a Danish industrial designer best known for his work with Bang & Olufsen. Jensen designed numerous popular high-end consumer products, developing a functional minimalism style that formed a prominent part of the Danish modern movement. In 1958 he founded the Jacob Jensen Design Studio. Jensen designed for other brands including Alcatel, Kirk, Boform, General Electric, International Gift Corporation, JO-JO, Labofa, Rodenstock, Rosti, and Stentofon. His works have been featured at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City, and have received numerous design awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Lewis (designer)</span> British industrial designer (1939-2011)

David Whitfield Lewis was a British industrial designer. He is best known for his work for Bang & Olufsen. He was a distinguished member of Royal Designers for Industry. Several of the products he designed are included in the MoMA permanent collection of design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Svend Olufsen</span> Danish electrical engineer

Svend Olufsen was a Danish electrical engineer who co-founded Bang & Olufsen with Peter Bang. Like Bang, Olufsen studied at the Technical University of Aarhus. Olufsen and Bang both shared an enthusiasm for radio, which at the time was in its infancy.

Vifa is a brand name used by Danish company Vifa Denmark A/S. In everyday speech, the brand name also refers to the company itself. The company designs and manufactures consumer and professional audio products.

The Samsung SGH-F310 Serenata was the successor to the Serene mobile telephone. The device, a collaboration between Samsung and Bang & Olufsen, featured the logotypes of both companies. Designed by David Lewis, it was introduced in October 2007.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Annual Report 2020/21: 01 June 2020 – 31 May 2021". ml-eu.globenewswire.com.
  2. ↑ "The true story behind Bang and Olufsen", William Schwark, Scanorama, November 2007
  3. 1 2 3 4 Walker, Rob (September 27, 2011). "Can the Cult of Bang & Olufsen Last?". Wired.
  4. ↑ Bang & Olufsen rolls out strategy plan Archived 2008-11-16 at the Wayback Machine bang-olufsen.com
  5. ↑ "Denmark's Bang & Olufsen would listen to bid approaches", Reuters, 5 January 2015
  6. ↑ "HP makes Bang & Olufsen its new audio partner". CNET. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  7. ↑ "HARMAN Completes Acquisition of Bang & Olufsen's Automotive Audio Business". HARMAN Newsroom. Retrieved 2019-02-24.
  8. ↑ "B & O Sells Czech Factory to Tymphany" . Retrieved 2019-02-24.
  9. ↑ "Global Operations". Tymphany. Retrieved 2019-02-24.
  10. ↑ "Bang & Olufsen Struggles to Sell $15,000 TV Sets". Bloomberg.com. 2020-01-14. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
  11. ↑ Holt, Julie Ring-Hansen (25 October 2006). "Seks ud af ti nye Audier fødes med B&O-anlæg" [Six out of ten new Audis are born with Bang & Olufsen system] (in Danish). Mediehuset Ingeniøren A/S. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  12. ↑ Krøyer, Kent (13 March 2005). "Audi med indbygget koncertsal fra B&O" [Audi with built in concert hall from B&O] (in Danish). Mediehuset Ingeniøren A/S. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  13. ↑ "Audi Glossary". Archived from the original on 6 November 2011. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  14. ↑ "BMW - Bang & Olufsen". Archived from the original on 2013-04-24. Retrieved 2013-04-21.
  15. ↑ Mercedes AMG S-class"mercedes-amg.com
  16. ↑ Abuelsamid, Sam. "B&O Play Audio Systems To Replace Sony In Ford Vehicles In 2017". Forbes. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  17. ↑ "2018 Ford® F-150 Limited Truck | Model Highlights | Ford.com". www.ford.com. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  18. ↑ Bang & Olufsen - Business to Business Archived 2012-05-12 at the Wayback Machine bang-olufsen.com
  19. 1 2 Bagner, Alex (May 2007). "Remote access". Wallpaper (99). IPC Media: 264–270. ISSN   1364-4475. OCLC   948263254.
  20. ↑ "10 classic jacob jensen gadgets".
  21. ↑ "Elegant Design of Sound Equipment Focus of MoMA Show" (PDF). Museum of Modern Art. March 1978.
  22. ↑ "Apple's Inspiration For The iPod? Bang & Olufsen". fastdesign.com, November 2013.
  23. ↑ "ICEpower – Class D OEM audio amplifiers". Archived from the original on 2008-06-12. Retrieved 2005-09-08.
  24. ↑ Bang & Olufsen Medicom Archived 2009-04-04 at the Wayback Machine medicom.bang-olufsen.com
  25. ↑ "Bang & Olufsen - High-end Headphones, Speakers, and Televisions". www.bang-olufsen.com.

Further reading


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.