Strategic partnership between French loudspeaker manufacturers gives birth
to a new group capable of offering one of the industry's largest pro audio ranges
ProLight + Sound (Frankfurt, Germany), 5th February 2016
French loudspeaker manufacturers Active Audio and APG today announced at ProLight + Sound 2016 the signing of a strategic alliance.
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While both brands will remain independent in their respective activities – and through distribution channels – Active Audio will continue to focus on the Public Address market while APG will still cater for live events and large venue installations. The decision to join forces will foster critical synergies between both companies in R&D, production, financing and |
ultimately global reach. |
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Commenting on the agreement, Régis Cazin enthused:
"All stakeholders at APG and Active Audio feel elated to have this new alliance in place. This immensely reinforces the potential of both companies, and will prove a tremendous development accelerator for us all."
"Although Active Audio becomes a major shareholder in APG, we recognise APG's strong reputation in the market, backed by many dealers and end users who have invested a lot of trust in the company. We wanted APG's historical shareholders to remain significant shareholders in order to be actively involved in both strategic and operational decisions", he explains. "We are adamant to preserve both brands and their respective strengths."
Both companies will also keep their existing network of distributors and capitalise on their respective local relays to promote the other brand where only one company is active in a given territory.
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This alliance is the result of a common vision and strategy: Active Audio was looking for external growth while APG France was seeking an investor or industrial partner in order to strengthen its resources. With this alliance, both companies reinforce their position as a challenger to current industry leaders. |
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Discussions only started in November 2015, and both companies quickly found a number of strategic and operational synergies, with complementary product lines and virtually no overlap: a great opportunity for existing distributors of both brands which will also benefit end users. |
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According to Cazin,
"sound designers have to manage both the low and high audio power levels in their jobs: With Active Audio products going up to 95dB range and APG's above this level, we are ideally positioned to offer a whole range of solutions to cater for every need."
Grégory Dapsanse, who becomes Marketing and Business Development Director for APG, will continue to define the product strategy for the brand. Drawing a parallel between both companies, he commented:
"The similarities between us are quite amazing: Not only do we have a similar size and structure, but our philosophy and approach of the acoustic world is a perfect match.
Here you have two true French speaker manufacturers who are both designers and assemblers, and whose common goal is to develop high end audio systems. Our core goals are acoustic restitution, directivity and signal management, so the possibilities for a collaboration were perfectly obvious and made so much sense."
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Both companies will keep all existing staff. In fact, in light of this alliance, Active Audio and APG have already started recruiting key personnel to support this new business strategy. Last month, APG hired two engineers (support and product) |
and are in the process of recruiting a sales manager dedicated to the French market as well as a sales assistant, while Active Audio has recruited two people to support their distribution channel and communications.
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Summing up this announcement, Cazin said:
"I am confident that the strong electroacoustic savoir-faire of our companies, along with the synergies produced by this alliance, will help us continue to develop the specific technologies and solutions that the industry can expect from us and set us aside from the competition."
For further information, contact:
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Alexis Lipoff (PR Active Audio & APG) |
Grégory Dapsanse |
Eric Dubouays |
Or visit www.activeaudio.fr and www.apg.audio
About Active Audio
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Founded in 2002 by Xavier Meynial, then professor and researcher at the Acoustics Laboratory of the University of Maine (LAUM), Active Audio is a company that develops and manufactures professional PA system equipment. A driving force for research and development, Active Audio has specialised in improving speech intelligibility, especially in difficult environments, |
such as airport terminals, train stations, places of worship and conference rooms. Managed by Régis Cazin since 2008, Active Audio has forged a high level of expertise in PA systems and has carved its status as a dynamic player in the closed public address market. The research and development team has made its job a passion and innovation a mission.
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About APG
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Created in 1978, APG is a manufacturer of high quality professional loudspeakers. Today APG is continuing in its drive for excellence and controlled growth, based on the development of a new line of innovative products, a global strategy and core values of ethic and respect for its customers, its suppliers and its environment. 35 years after its creation, APG has left a mark on audio history with the creation and achievement of major acoustic and electronic innovations: |
Appolito's baffle (1982), coaxial loudspeakers (1991), ISOTOP™ driver, Bandpass and K-Horn loads, cone drivers' dynamic protection. The performance and versatility of APG systems have earned the recognition of the most demanding professionals all over the world, from sound engineers to systems engineers and from sound designers to artists themselves.
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