18.02.2009 - Beijing/Wedemark
Audio specialist Sennheiser opens sales subsidiary in China
Audio specialist Sennheiser officially opened its Chinese
subsidiary Sennheiser Electronic (Beijing) Co., Ltd. in Beijing this
Wednesday. “We’ve been seeing a very encouraging trend in the Chinese
market for some time now,” explained Volker Bartels, Speaker of the
Sennheiser Executive Team. “Chinese consumers are becoming increasingly
aware of premium brands and the high quality of German workmanship.
It’s now the time to have our own sales and marketing subsidiary
operating in mainland China.” Guests at the launch included Dr. Ingo
Karsten, head of the Economic Affairs Department at the German Embassy,
and several representatives from the Chinese audio industry.
Until now, Sennheiser’s operations in the Chinese market were run
from an office established in 1999 in what was then the Crown Colony of
Hong Kong and through its Singapore-based subsidiary, Sennheiser Asia.
The aim behind setting up a second subsidiary in China is to get even
closer to customers and the country’s specific requirements. Marc
Vincent, General Manager of Sennheiser Electronic (Beijing) Co., Ltd.:
“Opening a wholly-owned subsidiary in Beijing is the ultimate
declaration of our faith in the market. This way we ensure our local
portfolio and in particular our services reflect what our customers
want. Our team is made up almost entirely of Chinese employees so that
our market decisions match what the market actually wants.”
Dragon dance brings luck and prosperity
The
festive opening ceremony in the “Intercontinental Beichen” in Beijing
featured a traditional dragon dance, and an appearance by popular
Chinese singer Jane Zhang, Sennheiser’s first Music Ambassador for
Asia. China has one of the oldest music traditions, with classical
Chinese music being played alongside newer influences such as Cantopop
and Chinese rock music. The “father” of Chinese rock music, Cui Jian,
is among China’s Sennheiser users too.
Sennheiser has also a strong tradition in professional audio, with
customers including the Chinese broadcaster CCTV. One of the biggest
deals closed by the new Sennheiser subsidiary includes a contract with
Beijing Television Station, which has fitted out its six studios with a
total of 86 channels of wireless microphones.
Marc Vincent: “With growing brand awareness in China, we will also
be further developing our consumer business and continually growing our
customer base with products specific to the market.”
Looking back… and into the future
The first
steps towards creating a subsidiary in Beijing were taken in February
2005 when Sennheiser’s representative office in Beijing was set up.
However, it soon became clear that a wholly-owned subsidiary was the
best way forward for Sennheiser in China. Marc Vincent and his (at the
time) team of six started laying the foundations in 2006. In May 2008
Sennheiser Electronic (Beijing) Co., Ltd. finally started operations
and after another six months, all the necessary licences had been
granted. Today 16 employees work for the team in Beijing and 13 in Hong
Kong, both teams being closely interlinked. “By the end of 2009, we
intend to be employing 35 people in all,” explained Marc Vincent. “It’s
early days; our focus now is on developing our sales team for the
various business sectors and regions in China.”
“Naturally we’ve started small,” added Volker Bartels, “but for four
years now we’ve been achieving a steady double-digit growth in the
Chinese market, and this trend is set to continue even in the current
world market situation. We feel we are well prepared to serve the
Chinese market with the two subsidiaries in Hong Kong and Beijing.”
The Sennheiser Group, with its
headquarters in Wedemark near Hanover, Germany, is one of the world’s
leading manufacturers of microphones, headphones and wireless
transmission systems. The family-owned company, which was established
in 1945, recorded sales of over €395 million in 2007, 83% of which were
generated abroad. Sennheiser employs almost 2,000 people worldwide,
around 55% of whom are in Germany. Sennheiser has manufacturing plants
in Germany, Ireland and the USA, and is represented worldwide by
subsidiaries in France, Great Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands,
Germany, Denmark (Nordic), Russia, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, Japan,
China, Canada, Mexico and the USA, as well as by long-term trading
partners in many other countries. Also part of the Sennheiser Group are
Georg Neumann GmbH, Berlin (studio microphones), K + H Vertriebs- und
Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH (Klein + Hummel studio monitors, installed
sound) and the joint venture Sennheiser Communications A/S (headsets
for PCs, offices and call centres).
Download pressrelease:
Press_release_180209_en.pdf (64 kB)
You can find all the latest information on Sennheiser by visiting our website at www.sennheiser.com, or by contacting:
Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG
Press & PR • Edelgard Marquardt
Am Labor 1 • 30900 Wedemark
Germany
Tel.: +49 (0)5130 600 329
Fax: +49 (0)5130 600 295
E-mail: edelgard.marquardt@sennheiser.com
