NEWS
Focusrite acquires Martin Audio
Focusrite founder and chairman, Philip Dudderidge, Martin Audio Managing Director, Dominic Harter, and Focusrite CEO, Tim Carroll WORLD Focusrite Group has announced plans to acquire Martin Audio, adding the British loudspeaker manufacturer to its growing
portfolio, which includes the Novation and Ampify Music brands, as well as relative newcomer ADAM Audio, which was bought
PSAV buys eclipse
in July 2019. Martin Audio has reportedly been on the radar of Focusrite founder and chairman Phil Dudderidge for several years. The deal is reported to be worth £39.2m. ‘I have known Martin Audio since its beginnings,’ Dudderidge revealed. ‘Founder Dave Martin and I became close friends in 1989 when I served as an advisor to him and non-executive chairman for a year or so as we prepared the company for sale to Tannoy Goodman International. Martin Audio is a close neighbour and their current management recognised that Focusrite plc was the obvious trade candidate to acquire the business.’ Mar tin Audio under went a management buyout in the summer of 2018 when LDC, the private equity arm of Lloyds Banking Group backed a management buyout from its parent company at the time, Loud Audio. LDC invested £12 million for a stake in Mar tin Audio to grow its business alongside investment from the team led by managing director Dom Har ter. As Focusrite takes over, Mar tin Audio will continue to operate from its offices
MEA
PSAV, a global company offering event experiences, has acquired the eclipse Group. Now a wholly owned subsidiary of PSAV, the group will continue to operate under the eclipse brand name. In addition, eclipse CEO Simon Ransom and his senior team will remain in place and continue to execute its growth plans in partnership with PSAV. The senior management team of both eclipse and PSAV will continue its UAE operations. Ransom will assume leadership of PSAV’s UAE operations as the group director, and work with Nik Rudge, PSAV’s managing director, international, and his team. The deal allows PSAV to continue building on business by expanding the breadth of its capabilities
throughout the GCC. PSAV is headquartered in Schiller Park, Illinois in the US. ‘eclipse is an exciting addition to the PSAV group of companies due to its extensive in-house venues and event production expertise, and strong alignment to our purpose and mission,’ said Rudge. ‘I am delighted
about what this means for PSAV and, more importantly, our customers, as we continue to focus on more ways to create amazing event experiences. ‘The entire eclipse family is eager to be joining forces with PSAV and establishing more impactful ways of serving our collective customer base.’ The PSAV family consists of approximately 14,000 professionals across 2,100 onsite venue locations and more than 50 branch offices. The company operates in more than 20 countries across North America, Europe, the Middle East, Australia and Asia.
extensive dBTechnologies portfolio. Products such as the es 802 entertainment system were highlighted as an ideal solution for corporate events market due to its on-board mixer. Overviews and listening sessions for product lines such as the OPERA range took place, concluding with a demo of the newly launched VIO X205, the smallest speaker in the VIO family.
www.martin-audio.com
Prolyte acquired by Area Four Industries
www.psav.com
UAE
The VIO L210 set up outdoors
www.focusrite.com
www.eclipse.ae
VV creates a stir with dBTech launch Over 75 systems integrators, rental and event companies gathered at The Jumeirah Creekside Hotel in Dubai recently at the invitation of VV & Sons. The distributor took on representation for dBTechnologies last summer for the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain, and chose to officially introduce the brand locally with an afternoon of product presentations, listening sessions and evening of live entertainment. ‘The acceptance we’ve had throughout the event has been a total joy,’ shared VV & Sons’s Vikesh Thamban. ‘This is a brand that is ideal for event companies. We’ve had guests from Qatar and Egypt as well as the UAE, it’s been a really nice mix.’ Among the team that had flown in from Italy was product specialist Marco Cantalù, who kicked off proceedings by outlining the
and factor y in High Wycombe under the leadership of Har ter. ‘In Focusrite we have an industr y neighbour of the finest pedigree; a global leader in its own right,’ Har ter commented. ‘Their culture mirrors our own and, getting to know the team, I sense a strong similarity with the deep-rooted values of our own Mar tin Audio Family. It is with great pride and enthusiasm that we take this next step; a momentous occasion as the Mar tin Audio brand enters its 50th year.’ Tim Carroll, Focusrite Group’s CEO, explained that his company is taking a targeted approach to acquisitions. ‘The acquisition of Martin Audio is a strong demonstration of our strategic aim to expand into new markets,’ he explained. ‘Martin Audio is also an established brand with solid financials that instantly add value. That we’re just a stone’s throw away will only further help unite us in achieving our common goal.’
‘I’d not heard a dBTechnologies system before, so it’s been a good experience,’ confirmed Arul Prasanna Kumar from Almoe. ‘The sound is clean and intelligible system. I think this will be ideal for rental.’ The event continued with guests invited to the outdoor demo area laid out with a line array encompassing 16 VIO L210 cabinets – eight per side – plus eight S218 subs set up along with three DVA T8s for front-fill. ‘This isn’t the first time we’ve been to Dubai but it’s the first time we’ve ever done something like this,’ dBTechnologies’ export sales manager, Gabriele Ferri, explained. ‘Tonight has confirmed that we made the right choice.
WORLD Just weeks after Prolyte Group announced that it could no longer guarantee the continuity of the business following its failure to meet financial obligations, the company has been acquired by Area Four Industries. As a result, Prolyte becomes the fifth brand to join Area Four Industries, along with Milos Structural Systems, Litec, Tomcat and James Thomas Engineering. The group was created in 2012 in order to combine and solidify the capabilities of all the brands it houses. While the group will restructure Prolyte’s management, production and strategy, it states that ‘Prolyte will keep its DNA intact’. ‘We will invest in the development of Prolyte as a brand, as well as in new ideas and products,’ assured František Zykan, CEO of Area Four Industries. ‘Our current partners remain equally important for us. I trust that in two years, Prolyte will be number one in customer satisfaction.’
www.dbtechnologies.com www.pro.vvsons.com
www.areafourindustries.com www.prolyte.com
4 PRO AVL MEA Januar y–Februar y 2020
