L-Acoustics has bought a precision sheet metal manufacturer and powder coating specialist to expand its capabilities in rigging and internal loudspeaker component manufacturing.
The French audio manufacturer announced the purchase of HGP, a manufacturer of precision sheet metal, as well as its sister entity focused on powder coating, API, on November 27, 2018.
L-Acoustics employs more than 400 people worldwide and was founded in 1984. HGP currently employs nearly 50 people.
Hervé Guillaume, managing director of L-Acoustics, said: "This operation represents a new and extremely positive step in augmenting our R&D and production capabilities.
“This alliance will allow us to improve our technical skill set and market intelligence regarding precision sheet metal, a vital technology in our professional audio solutions. HGP’s expertise and savoir-faire are highly complementary to our own, enabling us to better comprehend the constraints and specificities of the trade at every stage, from conception to production.”
Bertrand Bounoure, president and commercial director of HGP, noted that the companies had worked together for 10 years and will now “pool our resources and abilities”.
It’s not the first time that L-Acoustics has snapped up one of its component suppliers. In 2007 it acquired Simea in eastern France, a carpentry and cabinetry manufacturer specialised in loudspeaker enclosures. Since that acquisition, Simea’s staff (20 employees in 2007) has quadrupled and their revenue has increased seven-fold. In 2016,
L-Acoustics acquired Camco, a German electronics firm with expertise in amplification and DSP.