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Sunaina Rana/ Emirates Business
Sennheiser was founded in Germany in 1945 as LaboratoriumWennebostel – or ‘Labor W’ for short – by electrical engineer Fritz Sennheiser. However, the company initially produced tube volt meters.
The company launched its first microphone in 1947 followed by first ‘shotgun’ microphone in 1956. The shotgun microphone was ideal for use on television and film sets because it only picked up sound from particular directions.In May 1982, Sennheiser saw its first change of generations. Jorg Sennheiser, son of Fritz, was appointed Managing Director, while his father became a limited partner. Over the years, Jorg gradually modernised and internationalised the company’s structure, opening new production plants in the US and Ireland.
Today the company is led by the third generation and remains true to the vision of their founder. Sennheiser has evolved in line with audio trends, and only a third of Sennheiser’s revenue comes from its headphone business. The rest comes from its professional products for the TV and broadcasting industry, as well as wireless transmission at live events and secure communications in corporate environments. Emirates Business talks to Mig Cardamone, Director of Sales and Marketing at Sennheiser Middle East, about the company’s presence in the Middle East.
Can you share the vision of the company?
As our CEO, Daniel Sennheiser puts it, “Sennheiser’s vision is to shape the future of audio based on our heritage, innovation culture and passion for excellence, so anything to do with audio is within our scope.â€
Quite simply, Sennheiser is one of the most recognisable brands in its line of business. Last year marked our 70th
anniversary in the industry and our name is now synonymous with top-quality products, true sound and tailor-made
solutions for every aspect of recording, transmission and reproduction of sound. With German engineering, decades of experience in professional business, and innovative science, we stay true to the sound and set new standards for headphones, headsets, microphones, and business communications.
Can you elaborate on your presence in the Middle East region?
Our regional hub is at the Dubai Airport Free Zone (DAFZA) and we manage not just the Middle East but also East Africa and some of the Central Asian countries. This is accomplished through the co-ordinated efforts of dedicated local teams for both our professional audio solutions and consumer lines of business, as well as our network of channel partners that are based in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Kuwait, KSA, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Oman, Iran, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, Uganda & Nigeria.
What are your biggest
regional successes that the company has achieved?
There has been consistent, double-digit growth since the Middle East office was established in the DAFZA in 2009.
From a project perspective, we’ve worked on many significant projects throughout the region, some of which have in fact been the biggest deals for Sennheiserglobally. Our regional referenced include Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Lusail Iconic Stadium, Sheraton hotel in Doha, and Al Jazeera’s Workplace Transformation.
Of course we remain at the forefront of the Music Industry, quite literally, with many of the leading artists around the world choosing Sennheiser for their front-line and back-line microphones and in-ear monitors.
Sennheiser equipment is regularly used at regional music festivals such as RedFest and the Dubai Jazz Festival and by industry megastars like Robbie Williams, Bruno Mars and James Blunt when they perform both in the Middle East and across the globe. We have recently been involved, through our UAE Distributor Venuetech, with the customization and supply of our flagship wireless microphone system, Digital 9000, to acclaimed UAE artist Hussain Al Jasmi.
What has been your growth rate?
While continuing to grow our strong professional audio business in the region, we have invested in our consumer electronics sales team and marketing spend. Our regional distribution footprint continues to grow and we expect our consumer electronics business to continue to drive growth and contribute in excess of 30 percent of our overall business by the end of the year.
In fact, the Middle East is one of the first regions globally in which we have set up our ‘Shop-in-shop’. This is an innovative new retail concept that we have partnered with Jumbo Electronics to deliver.
Our success has been the direct result of the significant investments in personnel and fixed costs over this period, with a move to a larger office in 2012 and significant stock-holding in Jebel Ali Free Zone marking our commitment to establishing a long-term business in the MENA region.
What are your regional goals for 2016?
As we have done in previous years, we will align our business with the needs of local customers. To be able to do this, we must first understand the needs of our local customers which is why we will participate in regional trade shows such as CABSAT and InfoComm MEA, and also host our own
series of events.
These activities allow us to engage with customers and also assess what other players in the market are doing, which in turn enables us to take the steps we need to remain relevant in this dynamic market.
