d&b audiotechnik
| Company type | Professional Audio Manufacturer |
|---|---|
| Industry | Professional audio |
| Founded | 1981 |
| Headquarters | |
Key people | Amnon Harman, CEO[1] |
| Products | Loudspeakers, amplifier/signal processing |
Number of employees | 700[2] |
| Website | www |
d&b audiotechnik GmbH & Co. KG, member of the d&b Group, is a manufacturer of professional sound reinforcement systems (PA systems). The company is headquartered in Backnang located to the north-east of Stuttgart. Their audio solutions are used worldwide in event technology, for example at concerts, musicals and festivals, in stadiums, opera houses and clubs, but also in places of worship and on cruise ships - for music and speech, in fixed installations or in mobile applications.
In addition to the development and manufacture of sound reinforcement systems, d&b audiotechnik's range of services also includes system consulting, planning, repair and technical support on site. Subsidiaries are located in Europe (D.A.CH., Spain, the United Kingdom, Italy and France), America (USA) and Asia (Japan, China, Singapore). The company also has an extensive network of sales and service partners who ensure that the products and services are available globally.
The company develops and manufactures its products mainly in Backnang. d&b employs a total work force of around 700 people.
Demo rooms[edit]
Demo rooms are available at 19 locations where sound designers and engineers, artists and other interested parties can listen, test and try out the products and d&b Soundscape in a variety of applications.
Group structure[3][edit]
Europe, Middle East and Africa
- d&b audiotechnik D.A.CH.
- d&b audiotechnik France
- d&b audiotechnik Italy
- d&b audiotechnik Iberia
- d&b audiotechnik United Kingdom
America
- d&b audiotechnik Canada
- d&b audiotechnik USA - Asheville
- d&b audiotechnik USA - Signal Hill
Asia / Pacific
- d&b audiotechnik Japan
- d&b audiotechnik Asia / Pacific
- d&b audiotechnik China - Beijing
- d&b audiotechnik China - Guangzhou
- d&b audiotechnik China - Hong Kong
Company history[edit]
- 1981 Jürgen Daubert and Rolf Belz founded the company in Korb near Stuttgart and designed the first loudspeaker systems in a garage.[4]
- 1985 The first product line F1/F2/B1 was launched and went on tour with Herbert Grönemeyer.[5]
- 1987 d&b Personengesellschaft was transformed into a public limited company.
- 1989 The company moved from Korb to Backnang, 25 kilometres away, because of a lack of space.
- 1997 d&b introduced the E-PAC with integrated digital signal processing (DSP).
- 1998-2000 d&b opened offices in the UK, the USA, Italy, Scandinavia, Japan, France and Spain.
- 2004 d&b introduced the Cardioid Subwoofer Array (CSA) technology.[6]
- 2008 The company's premises in Backnang were extended from 900 to 10,000 square metres.
- 2013 The company's environmental management system at the Backnang site was validated in compliance with EMAS (Eco Management and Audit Scheme) and certified to ISO 14001.[7]
- 2016 d&b audiotechnik was acquired by Ardian, a private equity investment company based in Paris.[8]
- 2018 The company became a member of the WIN-Charta initiative of the state of Baden-Württemberg. As part of the WIN-Charta certification process, companies commit to further improving their sustainability performance every year.[9]
- 2020-2022 d&b audiotechnik introduced the Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) programme for the remanufacturing and reuse of products. The foundation was laid for a circular economy that conserves raw materials and reduces CO2 emissions[3].
- 2021 d&b Solutions UK Ltd was founded[10]
- 2023 The new production and logistics facilities, now totalling 30,000 m², were inaugurated.
- 2023 d&b joined the United Nations Global Compact. The UN initiative pursues sustainable and responsible corporate governance[3].
- 2023 Providence, a leading private equity company, acquired the d&b Group.[11]
Products and services[edit]
d&b audiotechnik offers a wide range of products and services for the professional audio market, including loudspeakers, amplifiers, control systems, software and equipment. The main focus is on comprehensive system integration, which means the interaction of amplifiers, loudspeakers and installation tools as well as networked software solutions. The product line includes conventional point source loudspeakers, column loudspeakers, line arrays and monitors. For the planning and configuration of sound reinforcement systems, d&b offers the ArrayCalc simulation software[12] and the R1 remote control software.[13]
d&b offers its customers product service and application support as well as a professional seminar and training programme.
Innovations[edit]
d&b audiotechnik has a wide range of technologies and products in its portfolio:
- ArrayProcessing - a technology that optimises the level distribution and uniformity of sound quality at large events. At d&b, the result is described as "democracy for listeners". This means that every visitor to an event can experience the same balanced sound quality regardless of where they are located in the venue.[14]
- d&b Soundscape (2017) - the system offers a 360-degree sound approach that goes beyond the experience of classic stereo and provides an intuitive, multi-sensory sound image. A sound that is seen and heard, as each sound object corresponds both visually and acoustically. The audience therefore experiences the sound source acoustically in exactly the same way as they perceive it on stage.[15]
- NoizCalc (2017) - the software is used to simulate and control noise immissions in the far field. Sound propagation and exposure can thus be reliably calculated for open-air events and protect neighbours from disturbances caused by noise immissions.[16]
- SL-Series (2018) - the first modern line array loudspeaker system to deliver precise, controlled horizontal dispersion across the entire audio spectrum.[17]
Between 2018 and 2020, the company received the following innovation awards:
- Top 100: among the 100 most innovative companies in Germany
- PALM Expo: Technology Innovation of the Year Award for d&b Soundscape
- Red Dot Award for KSL product design
- Gold at Focus Open for GSL system
Sustainability[edit]
The company is based on the United Nations' understanding of sustainability. As a member of the United Nations Global Compact initiative, it is committed to strategically anchoring ten universal principles in the areas of human rights, labour standards, the environment and the prevention of corruption and to promoting the implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the UN.
Certifications[edit]
- since 2013 EMAS / ISO 14001
- since 2018 WIN Charter
- since 2023 BSI Kitemark
Partnerships[edit]
The company cooperates with many institutions, companies, industry associations and networks that intend to jointly promote sustainability in the event industry. d&b audiotechnik also relies on strong partnerships in the areas of the circular economy, environmental protection and responsible corporate governance in order to achieve sustainable development goals more quickly in collaboration.[18]
- Member of the United Nations Global Compact
- Member of the European Women's Management Development Network
- Member of the European Remanufacturing Council
- Partner of the Circular Economy Alliance
- Member of the non-profit organisation A Greener Future
- Project participation in ECOfit network
Awards and honours[edit]
- 2021 Green Guardian Award - in recognition of the work completed to reduce the carbon footprint of the live entertainment business[19]
- 2022 German Award for sustainability projects with the project "Circular economy of professional audio technology products"
- 2022 Inclusion of the d&b Certified Pre-Owned Programme (CPO) as an example of excellence "100 companies for resource efficiency" of the state of Baden-Württemberg
- 2023 Finalist in the German Sustainability Award 2023 for the d&b certified pre-owned programme (CPO) for the introduction of the circular economy for professional products[20]
- 2023 Award TOP 5 "Successful Practice Companies" as part of the consortium benchmarking "Circular Economy" by the Centre for Systems Engineering with the Centre for Circular Economy (CCE) - RWTH Aachen University
References[edit]
- ^ Management
- ^ About d&b
- ^ "d&b headquarter and subsidiaries". www.dbaudio.com. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
- ^ d6b audiotechnik GmbH & Co. KG (April 17, 2024). "About d&b". https://www.dbaudio.com/global/en/about-db/.
{{cite web}}: External link in|website= - ^ d&b audiotechnik GmbH& Co. KG (April 17, 2024). "History".
- ^ Speakerplans.com, Young Croc (19 May 2010). "d&b B4-SUB - The New Cardioid Chapter". speakerplans.com.
- ^ d&b audiotechnik GmbH & Co. KG, d&b audiotechnik GmbH & Co. KG (April 17, 2024). "EMAS Validation". EMAS Validation.
- ^ Ardian, Tom James (February 29, 2016). "Ardian acquires D&B audiotechnik from Odewald and Cobepa". Ardian.
- ^ d&b audiotechnik GmbH & Co. KG, d&b audiotechnik (April 17, 2024). "WIN-Charta: Sustainability Report". dbaudio.com.
- ^ d&b solutions ltd, d&b solutions ltd (April 17, 2024). "d&b solutions Website". d&b solutions.
- ^ Providence, Providence (July 10, 2023). "Providence Acquires d&b Group from Ardian". https://www.provequity.com.
{{cite web}}: External link in|website= - ^ d&b auditoehcnik GmbH & Co. KG, d&b audiotechnik (April 17, 2024). "ArrayCalc". Array Calc von d&b.
- ^ d&b audiotechnik GmbH & Co. KG, d&b audiotechnik (April 17, 2024). "R1". R1 d&b.
- ^ d&b audiotechnik GmbH & Co. KG, d&b audiotechnik (April 17, 2024). "ArrayProcessing". ArrayProcessing.
- ^ d&b Soundscape, d&b (February 17, 2024). "d&b Soundscape". dbsoundscape.com.
- ^ d&b audiotechnik GmbH & Co. KG, d&b (April 16, 2024). "NoizCalc". d&b NoizCalc.
- ^ d&b audiotechnik GmbH & Co. KG, d&b (April 17, 2024). "The SL-Series". The SL-Series.
- ^ d&b audiotechnik GmbH & Co. KG, d&b (April 17, 2024). "d&b audiotechnik is not a lone warrior. We're well connected with organizations around the world". dbaudio.com.
- ^ d&b audiotehcnik GmbH 6 Co. KG, d&b (April 17, 2024). "d&b receives Green Guardian Award in recognition of the work being done to reduce the carbon footprint of the live entertainment business". d&b.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ d&b audiotechnik GmbH & Co. KG, d&b (June 13, 2022). "d&b honored at the German Awards for Sustainability Projects". d&b.