Given today’s antics, we will preface this by saying this report is not an April Fool’s jest.
AAMP Global has acquired AudioControl, the 45 year old car and home audio company, in a private transaction for an undisclosed sum.
AudioControl will continue to operate from its Seattle headquarters and to provide both home and car audio products.
AudioControl President and CEO Alex Camara becomes President of AudioControl and Executive VP of Audio at AAMP Global and the entire AudioControl team remains on board and joins AAMP.
AAMP Global said AudioControl is a “natural fit” with its car audio and integration products and the acquisition will help AAMP diversify into the custom integrator market on the home side.
AAMP President and CEO Scott Forst said that AudioControl’s products combined with “AAMP’s unique vehicle integration capabilities and best-in-class service will help to position us as a leader in the core audio market.”
For its part, AudioControl said it will benefit from AAMP’s resources, supply chain expertise and its vehicle integration expertise. It will help “quicken our product development roadmap, and expand operations to best serve our customers, and continue making good sound great,” said Camara.
He will be responsible for AAMP’s audio growth strategy for both automotive and residential businesses.
AudioControl will now become the audio brand of AAMP Global, AAMP said.
Said Camara, “The key thing is AAMP is at the forefront of integration and they really want to strengthen their audio business. They see AudioControl has a great brand, a customer-centric approach to the market with great business skills in engineering, in customer service, manufacturing and operations, and they see an opportunity to provide resources to further grow the AudioControl brand…to add technology to AudioControl that we don’t necessarily have today.”
He added, “We see the line between home and car blurring: in the morning you walk into your car and now it’s a seamless experience from your home. Our strategy and the combined strengths allows AAMP to take a greater role between the car and home.”
In an interview, AAMP’s President of North America, Herb Brown, said “When you think about the vehicle technology we have here [at AAMP] and all the applications our engineering team has figured out in the form of CAN bus integration and then all the front end processing and sound accentuating technology from AudioControl, and you link them together… the possibilities are endless. This should be day one type stuff for our product teams.”
He added, “We believe embedding our vehicle integration platform with AudioControl’s world-class electronics, will be game-changing for the industry.”
Newly promoted to the post of President of North America, Brown said one of his first tasks will be to help streamline the supply chain during these challenging times.
AAMP owns brands including PAC, Connects2, EchoMaster, and Stinger. AudioControl car audio products include digital signal processors, equalizers, crossovers, line drivers, and amplifiers. AudioControl home audio products include AV receivers, AV processors, amplifiers and signal extenders.
AQ Technology Partners acted as the financial advisor to AudioControl in the transaction.
Worst news I’ve heard all week.
Who didn’t see that coming? X-D