d&b audiotechnik is being acquired by independent private investment company Ardian from investment companies Odewald & Compagnie and COBEPA.
The participation in d&b is the 13th investment by the Ardian LBO Fund V, which is capitalized at €2.8 billion. As part of the transaction, the existing management team, led by CEO Amnon Harman, Markus Strohmeier (managing director, Technology and Operations), Frank Bothe (director, R&D), Kay Lange (director, Finance), Hans-Peter Nüdling (director, Sales & Services) and Sabina Berloffa (director, Marketing) will also take a stake in the company.
With the support of Ardian, the company states that it plans to further strengthen its 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 relevant antitrust authorities.
d&b was founded in 1981 and is based in Backnang, Germany. Since the company’s acquisition by Odewald & Compagnie and COBEPA in 2011, sales have more than doubled, from €44 million to €94 million in the financial year 2015. The number of employees has also risen from 200 in 2011 to approximately 350 at present.
Working alongside management, emphasis was placed on the internationalization of the company, the management team was strategically expanded, and the sales team was strengthened.
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. As part of the internationalization process, new subsidiaries were founded in Europe, the USA and Japan, and the company’s production capacity was more than doubled. In particular, d&b achieved strong growth in the USA and Asia. Today, d&b operates in more than 70 countries.
d&b CEO Amnon Harman states: “Everything at d&b is about creating the best sound possible. 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.”
Fabian Wagener, director at Ardian, adds: “Over the past three decades, d&b has become a premium brand in the professional audio technology sector and has shown outstanding organic growth. 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.”