Phonak flying high Phonak Communications

PHONAK FLYING HIGH

Market-leading miniaturised communications specialist Phonak Communications offers a broad range of custom-moulded solutions for the aviation industry, as well as intelligent hearing protection systems used by workers across all types of industry. Emma-Jane Batey spoke to the managing director, Evert Dijkstra, to find out more.

Founded in Murten, Switzerland in 1992, Phonak Communications is the technology and market leader in the development, design, production and worldwide distribution of ultra-miniaturised wireless systems. Its sister company Phonak meanwhile is the global hearing aid manufacturer. As such, Phonak Communications occupies a unique position, benefitting from its development team’s acoustics expertise and industry experience, while also being able to tap into its wider group’s extensive hearing knowhow.

Foundation of knowledge

The managing director, Evert Dijkstra, told Industry Europe how this knowledge plays a key role in the company’s ongoing success. He said, “Having grown from focusing solely on creating hearing aid solutions, we know a lot about hearing, noise and comfort. These are three issues that we take very seriously, as we know what a major impact their positive management can have on people’s lives, especially when their livelihoods depend on it. We believe that our success is largely thanks to our ability to build on this hearing knowledge and combine it with our own ongoing research and development to create a full range of communication and hearing protection systems that meet the needs of our customers, whatever their field of operation.”

Phonak’s technologically advanced systems are suited to a range of commercial and industrial applications, including the aviation and other transportation industries, steel mills and even the entertainment industry. The company’s current focus is on the aviation industry through the launch of its new FreeCom range of pilot headsets. Designed for use by both professional and amateur pilots, these three solutions are already enjoying considerable success.

Mr Dijkstra continued, “Our FreeCom pilot headsets are currently in phase one of a global roll-out, selling already in Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Denmark. We have designed FreeCom to be the most comfortable aviation headset on the market and it is available in three core configurations, depending on the needs of the individual user.”

The three FreeCom headsets in question – FreeCom 7000, FreeCom 5000 and FreeCom 3000 – offer pilots unbeatable wearer comfort thanks to their ergonomic custom-moulded in-ear shells and featherlight system weights.

The FreeCom 7000 is the most advanced system as it offers built-in dynamic (active) hearing protection. As such it is able to filter out certain noise frequencies and intelligently vary the sound insulation it offers the pilot as the surrounding noise levels change. This highend functionality makes the FreeCom 7000 ideally suited to pilots of very noisy aircraft such as helicopters and small planes, situations in which it is imperative that the pilot understands every radio message received while also being protected from the dangerously loud noise around them.

Benefits of the FreeCom family

Mr Dijkstra added, “Like all of the FreeCom family, the FreeCom 7000 is a premium product and there is no similar headset available on the market. A great benefit is that the pilot can keep wearing their FreeCom 7000 even if they change system or airplane as it can be simply unplugged and reconnected thanks to the full range of connectors we have available for all types of desks. And even though its ear shells are custom-moulded, it is still very competitively priced.

FreeCom was launched in October last year and Mr Dijkstra says the company has

already received highly positive feedback from enthusiast and commercial pilots alike. He remarks, “Many are telling us it’s the most comfortable headset they’ve ever used, and as a result we’ve received worldwide requests for orders.”

The FreeCom 5000 meanwhile is a passive protection headset, which offers a static level of noise reduction as opposed to the varying attenuation offered by the FreeCom 7000. Featuring a noise-cancelling microphone yet still lightweight and offering all-day comfort, this system is primarily targeted at customers who fly planes that are still very noisy but do not require the level-dependent, fluctuating noise benefits of the FreeCom 7000. The FreeCom 3000 is an even lighter single-sided headset that features a single in-ear shell and the same quality noise-cancelling microphone, making it perfectly suited to quieter cockpits.

Mr Dijkstra explained why the qualities of the FreeCom family are so important for all pilots, whatever type of aircraft they fly. He said, “With our hearing loss and amplification knowledge, we are well aware of not only the type of support that is required in these high-volume settings, but also the dramatic impact that hearing loss can have on a person’s life. Hearing loss is known to result from being exposed to noise of at least 85 decibels for more than eight hours a day, so for pilots this can be a regular occurrence. By investing in custommoulded headsets that are so comfortable to wear that they never need to be removed, this is drastically reduced, with the added benefit of enabling enhanced performance due to crystal-clear communication.”

Wider applications of Phonak’s hearing protection technology, such as that built

Evert Dijkstra, Managing Director

inside its Serenity products for industry, span any workers that are exposed to 85 decibels or more on a regular basis. At airports for example this includes ground staff such as baggage handlers, refuellers and so-called ‘pushback’ teams. Across wider industry sectors, Serenity is used by everyone from construction crews and tunnel builders to plastic and steel producers, road workers, police and firefighters.

The individualised comfort of Phonak’s customised hearing protection systems is considered a key selling point for all users, with the irritation and pressure often attributed to earmuff-style solutions simply not experienced with Phonak’s products, thanks to their ergonomic design and its careful use of clinical nylon.

Phonak predicts continued strong demand in the coming months and years, particularly as legislative changes across USA and the EU are expected to place a tighter focus on safety and prevention. With more than five million workers in Germany alone exposed to 85 decibels or more for eight hours a day and China recently passing a law that makes hearing protection mandatory for those in work in noise above a certain level, Phonak and its FreeCom and Serenity products are well-placed to enjoy a profitable future. n