The sound of progess ASK Industries

THE SOUND OF PROGRESS

ASK Industries SpA designs, develops and manufactures loudspeakers, subwoofer boxes, amplifiers, antennas and cables for the automotive industry. Barbara Rossi talks to Business Development manager, Alberto Bianchi, to find out more.

IN 2015, ASK achieved a turnover of €171 million, employing around 2300 people around the world. The group is headquartered in central Italy (Ancona) with five subsidiaries in Germany, China, Brazil, Poland and Tunisia. The audio products are designed and developed in Ancona (central Italy), the amplifiers in Niederwinkling (Germany) and the antennas in Reggio Emilia (northern Italy).

Alberto Bianchi – ASK Business Development manager – explains: “Historically, ASK has focused its efforts on European car manufacturers. In fact, Peugeot, now part of the PSA Group, was ASK’s first OEM customer and trained us to meet car manufacturers’ expectations and high quality standards. As all the European OEM brands now have a global presence, over the years ASK’s focus has also become global. An example of this trend is Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), at first a customer with a European scope and now a global customer that also needs to be followed in North America and the Asia Pacific regions. The new markets in which ASK will concentrate its efforts are indeed the USA and the Asia Pacific region, including China and Japan.”

The most remarkable event of the past few years for ASK has been its acquisition by JVC Kenwood Corporation in April 2015. The company will continue acting as an autonomous subsidiary of the JVC Kenwood Group (JKC) while at the same time benefitting from the group’s sales and technological synergies. Both ASK and JKC are confident that their joint know-how and product portfolios, together with their industrial synergies, will generate additional business and also strengthen their market position. In particular, thanks to JKC’s know-how in infotainment and ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) ASK plans to develop new business opportunities for its current customers. ASK is also offering Japanese car manufacturers its entire product portfolio.

“Our company’s mission is to meet the expectations of all stakeholders, earn the public’s trust and contribute to society. These practices are a prerequisite for the company to thrive and contribute to society. To do so, we believe that one of the most important issues for us is to contribute to society through our business activities. This goes beyond merely guaranteeing effective compliance in all our activities, but also includes reinforcing corporate governance, implementing highly transparent management and enhancing activities to protect the environment for the next generation. As far as people management and internal governance are concerned, ASK has aligned its corporate governance policy to that of JKC with the aim of achieving sustainable growth and enhancing corporate value over the medium to long term.”

Innovative projects

Over the past two years, ASK has been investing R&D resources in noise management. The most innovative projects are: the use of nanotechnology applied to the acoustic and antennas world; noise generation projects (motor modulated sound) also to be used on electric and hybrid vehicles to perceive the engine sound outside

(such as the PAS - Pedestrian Alert System); noise reduction, active intervention to ‘delete’ the noise generated by different sources such as engine vibration, tire rolls and friction (ANC Active Noise Cancellation, RNC Road Noise Cancellation etc.); multifunction antennas and speakers, equipped with digital systems; and technologies to manufacture extra-flat single use or boxed speakers.

“We are planning a medium-term R&D project partly financed

by the Italian Ministry of Economic Development (MISE). It’s an open innovation project that not only involves a network of universities and research centres, but also employs our own new in-house engineers and technicians to increase the company’s know-how. This project, called ANM (Active Noise Management) consists of a new platform that aims to manage all the noises and sounds inside and outside the vehicle’s passenger compartment, through support hardware/ software and interface for the vehicle Can network.

“It consists of a series of sensors and microphones (with mixed nano and conventional technologies) that – when placed in crucial points on the bodywork, engine, suspensions and also inside the vehicle’s passenger compartment – are able to detect noises and vibrations, transforming them into electrical signals. These signals, sent to a dedicated head unit, will allow the system to react, deleting these noises and vibrations or modifying them to generate a ‘sound’ with a frequency spectrum suitable for the audiophile’s needs and engine demands. Furthermore, this platform also has the purpose of creating the sensation of an internal combustion engine to compensate for the silence of a typical electric motor to signal the presence of the vehicle. The project will last for three years and at the end will produce a demo car able to evaluate all the previously described features.

“Our growth will definitely derive from organic expansion,

thanks to JKC. One of the main drivers to work on in the near future is the Kenwood brand and how to position it alongside the ASK Sound Systems.” n