Blaupunkt

Blaupunkt GmbH
Electronic equipment manufacturer
Fate Bankruptcy liquidation 2016
Founded 1923 (1923)
Headquarters Hildesheim, Germany
Key people
 Lars Placke, CEO
Number of employees
 8,700 (2007)
Parent Aurelius AG
Website www.blaupunkt.com

 Blaupunkt  GmbH was a German manufacturer of electronics equipment, noted for its home and car audio equipment. It was a 100% subsidiary of Robert Bosch GmbH until 1 March 2009, when its Aftermarket and Accessories branch including the brand name were sold to Aurelius AG of Germany for an undisclosed amount.[1] After a troublesome past and several changes in ownership and reorganizations it filed for bankruptcy in late 2015[2] with liquidation proceedings completed in early 2016.[3][4][5]

History

Founded in 1923 in Berlin as "Ideal,"[6] the company was acquired by Robert Bosch AG in 1933.[7] In 1938 it changed its name to "Blaupunkt", German for "blue point" or "blue dot", after the blue dot painted onto its headphones that had passed quality control.

After the Second World War, Blaupunkt moved its headquarters and production to the city of Hildesheim, but with an important factory in Portugal which specialised in producing car radio head units, this factory was formerly under Philips/Grundig ownership, producing the same. More recently, the majority of Blaupunkt products are manufactured overseas, with large manufacturing centers in Tunisia (speakers) and Malaysia (speakers and electronics). Since 2011 however, the entire lineup is Chinese sourced.

By the 1960 and 1970s, Blaupunkt had become one of the leading German manufacturer for car radios and car audio equipment.

The 2011 take-over effectively left Blaupunkt as a managed brand name with all production outsourced to China, with virtually no 'Bosch era' products still under production. This actually caused a significant 'gap' in the product lineup, as under Bosch the former DAB car radio models contained a significant of 'original' and proprietary IC's, the rights to which were retained by Bosch following the sale, and thus it was almost 2 years before a car DAB set was again available. The original Blaupunkt factories within the EU, especially Portugal, are now owned and operated by Bosch, used exclusively to produce OEM units for car manufacturers and 24V (e.g. Coach) AV equipment.

The 'new' Blaupunkt again entered bankruptcy proceeding in 2015, with its ultimate and complete liquidation in the first quarter of 2016.[8]

Products

Blaupunkt was involved in the development of the Autofahrer-Rundfunk-Informationssystem traffic-information system for car radios, and provided this feature on their German-market car radios from the late 1970s. The company attempted to have ARI used in the United States, but had only a few radio stations per major city involved.

For many years, Blaupunkt car audio equipment models often carried the name of a city somewhere in the world, e.g. "London RDM126". In Blaupunkt model nomenclature, this can be translated as "An RDS CD player capable of controlling a Multichanger, rated at 4×30 W RMS (4 × 30 = 120) from model year 1996". High-end models typically had German place names.

Blaupunkt also used the brand "Velocity" to sell products aimed at the top, audiophile end of the market. Audi, Volkswagen, Porsche, Mercedes, Proton, Vauxhall, Pontiac, Holden and BMW all fit Blaupunkt (now simply Bosch) products into their cars, often branded with the car manufacturer's own mark (e.g. The VW Gamma, Audi Symphony or BMW Business CD[9] lines), with Fiat using them, occasionally unbranded but generally unmodified. Some later Holden Astra models are fitted with Blaupunkt systems (with others being produced by Delphi Automotive). Blaupunkt also specialised in coach installations, selling TVs, multiple-speaker setups and PA equipment to that industry. That part of the business has remained with Robert Bosch Car Multimedia GmbH, a 100% subsidiary of Robert Bosch GmbH, and the Blaupunkt branding is no longer used, even on 'hidden' stickers.

Rockford Fosgate alliance

On 12 July 2012, Blaupunkt signed an agreement with Rockford Fosgate granting the Rockford Corporation exclusive distribution rights for the company's car multimedia and headphone range for the North American market. Rockford Fosgate will begin selling Blaupunkt products beginning in Q3 and early Q4 through distributors, and has begun signing up distributors that will carry car radios, navigation, amplifiers, loudspeakers, rear seat entertainment, and connectivity, as well as electronics for the OEM market.[10][11]

References

  1. ↑ "'Aurelius AG Acquires Blaupunkt". Aurelius AG Press Release. 18 December 2008. Archived from the original on 28 February 2009.
  2. ↑ Germany, Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung, Hannover, Niedersachsen,. "Autoelektronik-Spezialist – Blaupunkt stellt Insolvenzantrag". Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 2017-12-21.
  3. ↑ "Blaupunkt Hildesheim entlässt auch die letzten Mitarbeiter". DEUTSCHE WIRTSCHAFTS NACHRICHTEN (in German). Retrieved 2017-12-21.
  4. ↑ "Several possible buyers for Blaupunkt". RetailDetail. 2015-11-20. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
  5. ↑ "Blaupunkt winding up Penang operations". NST Online. 2015-10-22. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
  6. ↑ Sethi, Anand Kumar (2013). The Business of Electronics: A Concise History. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 33. ISBN 9781137330420.
  7. ↑ "Robert Bosch GmbH". Answers.com. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  8. ↑ "Blaupunkt Hildesheim entlässt auch die letzten Mitarbeiter". DEUTSCHE WIRTSCHAFTS NACHRICHTEN (in German). Retrieved 2017-12-21.
  9. ↑ "BMW E46 Blaupunkt Business CD description".
  10. ↑ "Rockford Announces Details on Blaupunkt Deal | ceoutlook.com". ceoutlook.com. 2012-07-11. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
  11. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 9 August 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
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