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In Profile: Powersoft
IN PROFILE: POWERSOFT
From its humble kitchen table beginnings to becoming one of the most renowned names in power amplification, it’s certainly been a journey for the Italian tech company. At the tail end of its 25th year in business, TPi travels to Powersoft’s Florence HQ and speaks to the three founders – Luca Lastrucci, Claudio Lastrucci and Antonio Peruch – to look back on the past quarter of a century.
Famed for its culture and beauty, Florence attracts millions of tourists each year, thanks to its stunning architecture and high-end fashion – not to mention some of the world’s most iconic artworks. It’s not exactly a city where you’d expect a plucky technology company to thrive. However, for the past 25 years, Powersoft has established itself as one of the leading names in power amplification, with the company’s boxes now powering loudspeaker systems across the globe – via both its own brand and OEM work. On ce you scratch the surface, it’s clear to see that there is so much more going on under the Powersoft roof than first meets the eye, with an unprecedented level of technological innovation reaching much further than amplification. During TPi’s visit, we got to speak to the three cofounders of the company: brothers Luca and Claudio Lastrucci, along with mutual childhood friend, Antonio Peruch. “A lthough the company has existed for 25 years, to understand the history of Powersoft, you have to go back to our school days,” said Luca Lastrucci, the company’s CEO. “We were always working on projects together – a passion that lead us all to pursue careers in electrical engineering at university.” With the trio’s educational pursuits complete, they began working on a selection of software projects from an apartment in central Florence apartment. “Our first real success was in the development of software for
busses, which was used in Milan,” said Lastrucci. “We launched the product in 2000 and the idea was to create flexible bus routes that would create the most efficient route to pick up passengers – think of it like an early version of UberPool.” Although getting its first real break in software development, the three men’s passion for pro audio soon became the company’s main focus. “The idea of power amplification was quite a new concept when we started to look into the sector,” said Lastrucci. “Once we got the patent for our first product, we started speaking to various companies in Italy to generate some interest.” It was around this time that Lastrucci’s father, Carlo – who to this day is Chairman of Powersoft – introduced the young men to a business acquaintance of his who allocated them some space at an upcoming trade show in Milan to showcase their first amplifier. It was during that first show that the Powersoft team formed its long-running connection with Outline. “Off the back of that show, we got an order for 30 units – all of which we built on our kitchen table,” chuckled Lastrucci. Since that first order, the company has gone from strength to strength. This came to a head at the end of 2018 when Powersoft floated on the stock exchange. “This move was important to take Powersoft to the next level, moving it from the family organisation to one we can take into the future,” Lastrucci commented. “The changing mentally has meant we have attracted more talent and resources from outside the company as well as giving us the option for growth via a potential merger or acquisition. The fact that we are listed means that all of our information is clear and public.”
THE ASSEMBLY LINE The duty of overseeing the manufacturing process at Powersoft falls to Antonio Peruch. Having witnessed the move from the kitchen table to automated work benches, Peruch has fine-tuned the Powersoft manufacturing process every step of the way. “We have made a real effort in recent years to bring the majority of the in-house manufacturing to our Florence base,” said Peruch. “We have the chassis of the amp at the start of our production line then, 15m along, we have a finalised product.” Pe ruch explained that bringing everything in-house has been helpful for two reasons: “First, it gives us the flexibility to meet the demands of the market,” he said. “Second, it means we are the last point of contact before the client opens the box, so we can ensure everything meets our standards.” Wa lking through the warehouse, we experienced first-hand the meticulous build process each Powersoft amp goes through – from bolts to box. In the past few years, Peruch and the team has made significant investment in automation on the production line, as well as testing software to ensure that each product – which is made up of approximately 16,000 individual components – is in perfect working order. Peruch reported that each production line is able to produce 100 pieces in a single shift, every day without fail. It was an exciting time to be discussing the Powersoft manufacturing process, as the company has recently purchased a new plot of land to begin developing its new HQ. This will mean the entire facility, which currently comprises five buildings, will move under one roof – something the company hopes to complete in the next two years. Peruch was also keen to
Claudio Lastrucci, Luca Lastrucci, Carlo Lastrucci and Antonio Peruch.
outline the wider network of service centres across the globe. “We have 31 service providers worldwide that can help our customers with any issues they might have. Some of these service centres are distributors, w h ile some are independent facilities. We invest a great deal of time and resources on training courses to certify each facility and constantly k e ep them updated as and when new products or updates are created. We also have an individual who is continually checking in with each facility to ensure everything is up to code.”
N E W REALMS Admittedly, up until this point in TPi’s visit to Powersoft, our focus had been on the company’s work within power amplifiers. However, this is only part of the story of the Italian tech innovators. Enter, Claudio Lastrucci – the company’s R&D Director. As well as being responsible for leading the R&D team in the creation of its latest products – such as the X4L fourchannel high-performance amplifier platform that was released last year – the R&D Director also leads the team that works in Ideofarm; Powersoft’s innovation hub where ideas and concepts are explored. “Close to 20% of our workforce works in our R&D department,” said Lastrucci. He went on to explain that, in broad terms, his R&D team work on two types of projects. “The first is very much driven by market demand,” he explained. “The goal is to produce a product that we don’t have or are looking to renew. When it comes to these projects, we also ensure we add our own ‘spice’ so we are not creating a ‘me too’ product.” Th e other type of product innovation comes outside of market demand. “You can’t ask a customer for the future of audio, as they need to focus on the demands of today,” stated Lastrucci. A good example of setting its products apart from the crowd has been with M-System. Comprising of the M-Force, Powersoft’s moving magnet linear motor structure and the M-Drive amp module, M-System was originally launched in 2013 then updated in 2018. “M-Force is a good case study of producing a product and then proving its benefit of application,” explained Lastrucci. “It’s a product that will take some time to breach the market fully as it’s a change in the mindset with the hope to abolish the bottleneck produced by more standard transducers.” La strucci continued to make the distinction between the two branches of Powersoft’s R&D departments. “Over the years, we have created products that have not been led by demand, but off the back of exploring new technology to hopefully push the market into new directions. This is why we keep the R&D department and Ideofarm quite separate, with Ideofarm focussing purely on innovation over market demand.” One of the most recent successes from Ideofarm’s drawing board – shown at last year’s ISE and InfoComm – is Mover. Utilising moving magnet linear motor technology, similar to the one found in M-Force, Powersoft created a small cube that allows audiences to experience the sound through haptic perception by vibrating the surrounding environment. You might expect applications for this product would be confined to the likes of 4D cinemas and theme parks, however, Lastrucci explained that Mover had a chance to help enhance the live events sector. “A n issue we often see in Europe is venues facing closure due to noise complaints from surrounding residential areas,” he outlined. “Mover has the ability to give an intense live experience without having to reach high dB levels. People were not asking for this product, but it offers a solution to a real problem within live events.” It was clear from these two examples of Powersoft’s innovation that there is much more going on behind the doors of its R&D facility. Despite some gentle probing from TPi, Luca Lastrucci, Claudio Lastrucci and Antonio Peruch remained tight-lipped on what could be coming next. Aptly, for a company situated in a city associated with the Renaissance, Powersoft is very much pushing its technological output into the future. The company is constantly refining its flagship products, while keeping a weather eye on the horizon for how new technologies may shape the events of tomorrow. TPi Photos: TPi & Powersoft www.powersoft-audio.com
CONFERENCE: JUNE 13-19 EXHIBITS: JUNE 17-19 LAS VEGAS CONVENTION CENTER LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
Vice President PSAV Select/MVP International John Leposa, CTS, CMP
