Independent private investment company Ardian and the company’s existing management team are to acquire d&b audiotechnik GmbH from owners Odewald & Compagnie and COBEPA.
As part of the transaction, the existing management team, led by CEO Amnon Harman, Markus Strohmeier (Managing Director, Technology & Operations), Frank Bothe (Director R&D), Kay Lange (Director Finance), Hans-Peter Nüdling (Director Sales Services) and Sabina Berloffa (Director Marketing) will take a stake in the company.
With the support of Ardian, the company plans to further strengthen its leading global position. The parties have agreed not to reveal details of the transaction, and the conclusion of the transaction is still subject to approval by the relevant antitrust authorities. The investment in d&b is the 13th by Ardian LBO Fund V, which is capitalised at €2.8bn.
Since the acquisition of d&b audiotechnik by Odewald & Compagnie and COBEPA in 2011, sales have grown from €44m to €94m in the financial year 2015. The number of employees has also risen from 200 in 2011 to around 350. Working alongside management, emphasis was placed on the internationalisation of the company, the management team was strategically expanded, and the sales team was strengthened considerably. One of the main growth drivers at product level was the strategic development of the market for permanently installed audio systems, which was vigorously pursued in recent years, building on d&b’s outstanding market position in the area of mobile systems. As part of the internationalisation process, new subsidiaries were founded in Europe, the US and Japan, and the company’s production capacity was more than doubled. In particular, d&b achieved strong growth in the US and Asia. Today, d&b operates in more than 70 countries.
‘Everything at d&b is about creating the best sound possible,’ says d&b CEO, Amnon Harman. ‘We are therefore in an excellent position to benefit from the increasing expectations of professional audio technology at events, concerts and large shows worldwide. Together with our new shareholder Ardian, we particularly want to further develop in the Asia-Pacific, South American and North American markets and further expand our leading position in our European home market. On the product side, we will continue to expand the business with permanently installed systems and the development of new, innovative audio solutions. We would like to thank our former shareholders Odewald & Compagnie and COBEPA for their support over the past years – they set the strategic course for our success today and specifically invested in helping us reach our growth potential.’
‘Over the past three decades, d& b has become a premium brand in the professional audio technology sector and has shown outstanding organic growth,’ says Ardian Director, Fabian Wagener. ‘We are convinced of the company’s innovative strength, its results-oriented management team, its dedicated employees and the resulting growth perspectives. Together with management, we will refine the existing product portfolio and provide important impulses for the further international growth of the company.’
‘d&b’s outstanding entrepreneurial performance in recent years, especially in terms of its internationalisation and product development, has made the company the global number one for professional audio systems,’ adds Torsten Krumm, Co-Head of Odewald & Compagnie. ‘We are delighted with the positive development of the company and are proud to have made a contribution to the success of d&b today. With Ardian, d&b gains an entrepreneurial new partner to further realise its global growth potential.’
