BizVoice May/June 2016

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May/June 2016 – BizVoice/Indiana Chamber 93
“Being energy efficient and physically smaller
so you’re consuming less space is important.
Somebody building a cinema doesn’t want to
use space for an equipment room, which
doesn’t generate revenue. They want more
performance and less space taken.”
Harman’s professional division produces
amplifiers, lighting solutions, microphones,
headphones, mixing consoles, speakers, video
control equipment and more. Constantly
improving its products by enhancing quality,
sustainability and size are ongoing efforts.
“If you look at the electronics that would
have gone with a typical concert five to 10
years ago, we had a product that weighed 77
pounds,” Kellom offers. “Its replacement
weighs about 30 pounds. The amount of
energy it consumes is significantly less and the
amount of capability of the product has
increased at the same time.”
Elkhart ingenuity
Harman’s Elkhart operation includes a
research and development center focused on
audio amplifiers; a U.S. and North American
regional sales office and service facility; members
of executive leadership; production and
warehouse facilities; and its marketing team.
“(At the Elkhart facility), we have a
decades-long history of innovation and patented
technologies that improve the audio aspect of
our customers’ lives,” Kellom relays.
Many talented engineers are on staff. Gerald
Stanley, for example, has been with the company
for 50 years and holds over 45 patents.
“His technology has found its way into a
wide spectrum of products,” Kellom says,
pointing out that for over 40 years the facility
was part of an Elkhart-based audio amplifier
company called Crown Audio. (Harman
purchased Crown in 2000.)
Crown still boasts a stellar reputation
under the Crown by Harman name and its
offerings are used in live and fixed installation
applications by legendary performers like Billy
Joel, Bruce Springsteen and Eric Clapton.
Room with a boom
The highlight of Harman tours is often
the company’s sound room, which features
about 400 square feet of the latest in audio
technology.
“It’s a really high performance,
acoustically-treated room that we can use for
measurements and listening tests on the
different audio products we’re manufacturing
or designing,” Kellom explains. “We can take
our product in there with a competitor’s and
do comparisons. We can also do our critical
listening in there to make sure our sound
quality is the best it can be.”
Lack of distortion
Operating globally in an extremely
competitive industry keeps the Harman staff
and sales team functioning at its highest level.
“Because of the scale of our business,
we’re exporting to over 110 countries and
we’re always dealing with the regulatory
landscape of importing and the mechanics of
being a global company,” Kellom reports.
“But that means we have a fairly high number
of competitors because we’re in so many
markets in so many parts of the world. Our
top competitor in the United States may not
be the same as our top competitor in China
or Europe or Australia.
“Twenty years ago, it was a very U.S.
and Europe-focused business, but now we’re
expanding into India, China and Brazil. Those
markets have different requirements than other
parts of the world. Our products, distribution,
engineering and service have to adapt.”
He adds that counterfeiters and imposters
have been a problem for some in the industry,
although it’s less of a concern for Harman.
“We’ve avoided that by focusing on the
high-end products,” he clarifies. “Those
customers are savvy enough to understand
what they’re buying.”
Life in a northern town
So what are the benefits of being located
in Elkhart?
“Not the weather,” Kellom jokes.
“The biggest advantage is work ethic.
The employees at this facility are incredibly
hardworking and devoted to the company.
We also have some advantages in terms of
cost of living and lifestyle. Some of the
people in this facility have worked in other
parts of the country and really appreciate the
lifestyle benefits and access to education you
get here, and you’re still working for a
world-class company that’s doing big things.”
Member Spotlight
RESOURCE: Marc Kellom, Harman International, at
Harman/Crown Audio’s VRack amplifier system has become a prized possession for many performers. Workers in Elkhart, described as “incredibly
hardworking and devoted to the company,” strive each day to make Harman’s products the best they can be.