LONDON – Following up on its acquisition of Brazilian loudspeaker manufacturer Electronica Selenium in June this year, Harman presented the European professional audio community with Selenium by Harman at the PLASA Show in London. Selenium is now part of Harman Professional's Loudspeaker Group led by Mark Ureda, vice president and general manager, which also includes JBL Professional.
"Being a part of a global organization such as Harman allows Selenium to expand our distribution in a measured, strategic and well-supported manner," said Rodrigo Rihl Kniest, country manager, Harman Brazil. "In doing so, we dovetail well with other Harman Professional brand offerings and we provide European customers with greater choice, improved versatility and Selenium's unique combination of innovation, quality and performance value. I am confident that Harman's product portfolio coupled with Selenium's positioning in Brazil and Latin America will facilitate new businesses opportunities in all sectors – automotive, consumer and professional."
Since the acquisition of Selenium, Harman has invested approximately $100 million to expand its production capacity and establish a new research and development center in Brazil. Founded in 1958 in the south of Brazil, Selenium manufactures and sells audio solutions for the car audio aftermarket, musical and professional markets.
Commenting on the announcement, Michael MacDonald, Harman's executive vice president of marketing & sales, noted, "The decision to acquire Selenium made perfect sense since the first visit to the meet with the people and see the facilities. Now as we debut the brand and product family to our European distribution partners I am more confident than ever that Selenium will be a great success as part of the Harman Professional portfolio of brands. Looking forward to the upcoming Olympic Games and the World Cup, which will both be held in Brazil, I am equally excited that Selenium will be a local flagship for the Harman Professional Division from a sales, marketing and product localization perspective."
At PLASA, Harman displayed the Selenium 18SWS1000 18" subwoofer loudspeaker with 1000W RMS, featuring a 4" voice coil designed to dissipate heat; the D2500Ti Nd, a compact and light weight compression driver; and Selenium's compact passive Line Array system.
For more information, please visit www.harman.com.
