HARMAN Professional Solutions Opens New Factory to Accommodate Growth and Reduce Carbon Emissions
November 01, 2023
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. — HARMAN Professional Solutions, the global leader in audio, video, lighting and control technologies, today officially opened its new Pécs, Hungary, manufacturing plant to accommodate growth in production for its Martin brand that provides lighting fixtures for the entertainment and architectural lighting industries, and certain loudspeaker products.
HARMAN retrofitted the more than 107,000 sq ft manufacturing facility to enable HARMAN to heat and cool the facility with geothermal energy by using a water-to-water heat pump. Furthermore, electricity for the entire facility will be sourced by onsite solar PV panels in 2024. The activities to lower the manufacturing environmental impact in Pécs are guided by HARMAN’s bold target to be carbon neutral by 2040. This includes waste reduction efforts in manufacturing operations, 100% of HARMAN’s manufacturing electricity to be sourced from renewable energy sources, and an overall reduction of electricity consumption in operations by 15%.
“Over the past six years, the Martin brand put into production more than 20 major LED lighting product SKUs with more new products being announced soon, and it is imperative that we not only create more space to meet demand but do so responsibly and in line with our corporate goals,” said Brian Divine, President, HARMAN Professional Solutions. “The completion of this project is another proof point to our customers that we produce reliable products in technologically advanced facilities while doing so with reduced impact to our environment.”
Prior to the move, HARMAN Professional shared factory space with HARMAN Automotive in Pécs. The growth of the two businesses units led to the decision to retrofit a three-story standalone facility for HARMAN Professional that includes production, warehouse, technical services, and a new contemporary office environment - all contained in one building.
“This was an ambitious project because we set out to design, renovate and move facilities in eight months while conforming to HARMAN’s high construction and sustainability standards without interruption to production,” said Wolfgang Heitmann, Vice President, Supply Chain and Operations, HARMAN. “The combined contributions of people throughout company and the 300 HARMAN employees in the new building led to the success of this project which is a model for future builds that will lead us to achieving our carbon neutrality goals over the next decade. We’re very proud of the example we’re setting for the industry.”
To learn more about HARMAN’s Sound Purpose: Driving Cause with Impact program, visit the latest Sustainability Report at https://www.harman.com/sustainability.
ABOUT HARMAN PROFESSIONAL SOLUTIONS
HARMAN Professional Solutions engineers and manufactures audio, lighting, and video & control products for entertainment and enterprise markets, including live performance, audio production, large venue, cinema, retail, corporate, education, government, hospitality, broadcast and more. With leading brands including JBL Professional®, AKG®, Martin®, AMX®, Soundcraft®, BSS Audio®, Crown®, dbx Professional®, and Lexicon Pro®, HARMAN Professional delivers powerful, innovative and reliable solutions that are designed for world-class performance. HARMAN Professional Solutions is a Strategic Business Unit of HARMAN International, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. For more information, visit http://pro.harman.com/.
ABOUT HARMAN
HARMAN (harman.com) designs and engineers connected products and solutions for automakers, consumers, and enterprises worldwide, including connected car systems, audio and visual products, enterprise automation solutions; and services supporting the Internet of Things. With leading brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson® and Revel®, HARMAN is admired by audiophiles, musicians and the entertainment venues where they perform around the world. More than 50 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and connected car systems. Our software services power billions of mobile devices and systems that are connected, integrated and secure across all platforms, from work and home to car and mobile. HARMAN has a workforce of approximately 30,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. In March 2017, HARMAN became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
GLOBAL
Director, Global Corporate Communications
HARMAN Professional Solutions
© 2023 HARMAN International Industries, Incorporated. All rights reserved. Harman Kardon, Infinity, JBL, Lexicon and Mark Levinson are trademarks of HARMAN International Industries, Incorporated, registered in the United States and/or other countries. AKG is a trademark of AKG Acoustics GmbH, registered in the United States and/or other countries. Features, specifications and appearance are subject to change without notice.