Audio Authority turns 50 this year, and you might wonder, how has a private, boutique electronics manufacturer continued to stay relevant since 1976? Do you realize that a company like ours had less than 3% chance to achieve this longevity? So, is it vision, passion, or something more? What can sustain a manufacturing company through multiple generations of technology and markets?
SURVIVAL CHANCES FOR BOUTIQUE MANUFACTURERS IN THE USA
Our Team
First we must acknowledge our team members, partners, suppliers, and customers, because it requires everyone doing their part to achieve success. But the vast majority of boutique manufacturers have become irrelevant as the world advances, so how did Audio Authority repeatedly find new niches and opportunities again and again?
Culture and Values
Faith provides the moral foundation for our business, shaping how we serve customers, steward resources, treat employees, resolve conflicts, and pursue a fair profit. It calls us to operate with excellence, fairness, and accountability, using the success of our business not only to create value for stakeholders but also to serve others and support causes that reflect our values.
Diversification and Opportunity
One element of our success is diversification. Our first product in 1976 was a speaker “comparator”, a device that allowed customers to listen to different Hi-Fi speakers on a level playing field. (We still manufacture versions of this today!) We expanded into other home audio components, and then car audio, and video, but in 1982 we designed and manufactured a drive-thru intercom system for banks which tapped an entirely different market, and which remains a mainstay for us to this day. Along the way we took many more short term opportunities that fell within our skillset, some of which gave us insight, tools, and capability that benefited other areas of the business.
The Core: Quality, Innovation and Customer Care
Many firms simply close when the founder retires because the "boutique" value is tied to the founder’s personal expertise. In this case, Jon Sisk founded the company at the tender age of 21, and is still deeply involved in running the company today. He always found a way to unite many talented people in a common cause, led by central principles of innovation, high quality, and customer care.
US Manufacturing
We are a technology design and manufacturing house that strives to keep as much of the work in the USA as possible. Twenty years ago, many companies like ours either went offshore, or succumbed to foreign competition. We focus on specialty work that requires a lot of complex design and execution, not easily commoditized offshore. We have to buy some offshore parts, but the real value is added in the USA. We keep a close watch on quality here, and logistics are streamlined from the engineering process through production and support.
What’s the Secret?
A few patterns among lasting technology companies have become apparent over the decades. The most important one is probably the continual drive to provide more value through innovative engineering, rather than to be satisfied with supplying a product that is good enough. That strategy has transformed us from being a manufacturer and vendor, to being an essential partner. Technology has had multiple revolutions since 1976. Electronic components become obsolete, and instead of giving up on the product, or simply re-creating the same functionality with new parts, we always take the opportunity to improve the thinking behind the product, and even find new markets for the resulting inventions.
Making the Most of Opportunity
Audio Authority has repeatedly gone back to the drawing board, sometimes without the backing of a ready buyer, to build a better mouse trap. Take the intercom business for instance. We were originally commissioned to build a drive-thru intercom system for banks that was designed by another company. After examining the design, we proposed a better solution, and we’ve been a leader in that niche market ever since.
Re-invent Yourself!
We did not stop there - after many successful years - continually making incremental improvements to the intercom under their brand name - that partnership ended, and we designed a completely new system, creating the best solution on the market, now sold under our own brand name. It is easier to install, less expensive, and provides the very best audio in the business. More on that subject in a moment…
Find the Gaps
Technology companies tend to stay relevant when they are good at finding problems to solve. The next phase is to bring the data to the people who need it. Our Access Connected World platform will enable companies to monitor, control, and maintain their devices in the field with a click of the mouse, saving time and money. Headquarters will have real-time awareness of systems in the field, and that flow of data is vital for testing and improvements.
Examples of Access Connected World
Bank and Pharmacy Intercom - It will be a boon to our drive-up intercom partners who need to monitor performance at each location, and even down to each operator.
Retail Infrastructure
Interactive demonstrations are only effective if they are operational - now manufacturers can monitor every system in the field, and make sure they are all operational, not rely on local store personnel.
Aviation Hangar Operations
Thanks to Access Connected World technology, aircraft owners and pilots can monitor and manage battery condition from anywhere in the world via a mobile app. They can use our hangar power system during all ground operations, controlling the power supply from an app on their phone.
Partner with Us!
If you share our passion for applying technology to boost business and bring people together, we would love to work with you. Audio Authority has a proven track record for customer service, innovation, and reliability, and we’re ready to take on your challenge.
