In the wake of a lengthy restructuring process, the France-based Innovason SAS has been dissolved, with Lawo AG now owning all Innovason product and trademark rights.
The move, which follows Lawo’s acquisition of the majority shareholding back in April 2008, marks the end of a juridical process which resulted in the liquidation of Innovason SAS earlier this month (November, 2011).
The Innovason brand will be managed from Lawo headquarters in Rastatt, Germany.
According to Marcel Babazadeh, Innovason international sales director, the move is positive for the brand and its customers. “It’s the best of both worlds,” he remarks. “Now that the Innovason products have become part of the range offered by Lawo in Rastatt, it means that the continuity of the brand is guaranteed. At the same time it benefits from everything that Lawo has to offer with it’s more than 40 years of experience in professional audio technology.
“Furthermore, Lawo is committed to maintaining the heritage and history of Innovason,” he continues. “Our focus for the future is on the continued development of the Eclipse platform. The difference is that we will be able to pursue this development with more resources available to us than ever before, which is fantastic news. It is the ideal climate in which to nurture and perpetuate the pioneering spirit that has characterized Innovason products since the beginning.”
A number of former Innovason key employees will take over responsibility within the new structure at Lawo, including the “father” of the Eclipse console, Hervé de Caro, now product manager for Eclipse. Nicolas Gozdowski will continue in his role as service engineer, while Benoit Quiniou will work with R&D, and Marcel Babazadeh will remains as international sales director.
Lawo CEO Philipp Lawo, is pleased to have secured the future of the Innovason brand by bringing it fully into the Lawo operation. “I have believed in the brand from the beginning,” he states. “I admire innovation – which has always been a driving force for the development of Innovason products.
“However, despite Lawo’s intervention in 2008, the company was still not able to realize its full potential. Now that the brand is fully integrated into the Lawo structure, I am confident that together we can achieve success. I’m also delighted to welcome the new colleagues on board, all now key members of the Lawo team responsible for Innovason.
“It is the end of an era for Innovason in its former structure, but the dawning of a new chapter of innovations. We’re all looking forward to a new and promising future in the live sound market together.”
