History
Racal Acoustics Limited has a
long history of design, development and manufacture of audio
ancillary equipment for the world's military markets. Based in
Harrow in north-west London, the company employs approximately 180
staff and occupies a factory complex with a total ground area of
78,000 sq ft (>7000 m2 m). Turnover is circa
£30million per annum of which 60% is exported through a number of
routes to more than 80 countries.
Our pedigree can be traced back to 1910,
during the pioneering days of radio communication, when S G Brown
(as the company was then known) produced one of the very first
headphones. From these origins, the company's knowledge base
and product range have progressively expanded, through a period
covering two world wars, to meet the growing demand for high
technology equipment in the changing market place.
In 1978, as part of the Racal Group, the
company was merged with Amplivox, a privately owned hearing aid
company, adding complementary specialist expertise to our existing
hearing protection, electro-acoustics and military communications
capability. The synergy derived from this merger led to a
‘Centre of Excellence’ in audio engineering and earned the company
a worldwide reputation for its quality and innovative new designs,
with particular emphasis on environmental, durability and EMC
considerations.
In June 2000, Thomson-CSF acquired Racal and
in December 2000 renamed the group of companies Thales Defence
Limited. Both companies, in their own right, were internationally
renowned and their combined expertise created a formidable global
leader in air and ground-based intercommunications, telephone
systems and ancillaries for both the military and civil market
sectors. In March 2004, Thales announced the sale of the
Acoustics Division to J.F Lehman and Company, which resulted in the
reforming of Racal Acoustics. Following very successful sales
growth and profit, the company ownership again changed when ECI
Partners, the UK mid-market acquisition specialist, backed a
management buy-out in July 2005.
During this five-year period Racal
Acoustics
underwent significant business
process engineering to reflect the shifts and trends in the
military market. This included the overhaul of manufacturing and
supply chain activities, the establishment of marketing and product
management roles, the integration of ‘lean manufacturing’
techniques and a culture of continual improvement, all of which the
company believes are necessary for success in the modern military
marketplace.
The group currently comprises:
- Racal Acoustics Ltd, headquartered in Harrow,
north-west London, England, where the company manages its global
business supported by engineering, production, sales and marketing
and administrative staff.
- Racal Acoustics, Inc., with offices in
Manchester, New Hampshire, USA, providing sales and administrative
support to our North American business. As from the second half of
2007, this facility provides simple prototyping, variant assembly
and repair and test capability for the North American market.