When the acoustics were still in their infancy, Martin Hirschorn, a German engineer and pioneer of soundproofing, dreamed of reducing the noise that accompanies modern life. After training in the United Kingdom, he traveled to the United States after the Second World War and founded in 1949 the company Industrial Acoustics Company (IAC). The one-man company, which had its beginnings in New York, had the same goals at the time as it does today: better speech intelligibility, more enjoyment of music, less industrial noise, and the protection of human hearing, in short, making the world a calmer one.
For almost 50 years, Hirschorn has developed solutions that are still in use today, making the noise of everyday technology, such as gas turbines, ventilation systems and industrial machinery, more bearable for workers and reducing noise for residents. His passion for a quieter, healthier and more enjoyable environment still shapes the company IAC today. Making the world a calmer is what we are, what we live and breathe.
Thanks to tailor-made solutions for the insulation of unwanted noise and to refine the acoustics in sound measurement rooms, IAC is today a manufacturer of soundproofing products and systems. You will not become the market leader in our field from one day to the next. When Hirschorn sold the company in 1998 after retiring, international growth was the word of the day. Not only in the West you suffer from noise pollution, but everywhere. We have come a long way since 1998, when we set up our offices and production facilities in the USA, in the United Kingdom, in Germany. These locations still exist today, and more have been added all over the world. Our head office in Germany is in Niederkrüchten (NRW).
Our plan for international growth began in 2000 with the acquisition of HM Akustik in Denmark. Since its location at IAC, it has evolved to become one of Scandinavia's largest suppliers of vibration dampers. The isolation of the machinery and buildings can significantly reduce the structure-borne noise level. In 2002, our growth increased significantly with the acquisition of Boet-Stopson, a French company with offices in Spain and Italy. This acquisition has strengthened our position in the European energy market as well as our ability to innovate. With Boet, we also took over silencer manufacturers in the UK to increase our market share in gas turbine noise control. Gas turbines are a very effective form of energy production and have much lower emission levels than other fossil energy sources, making them an attractive option for power generation worldwide. Boet is now independent again.
With manufacturing and licensing agreements in India, the Middle East and Eastern Europe to help us secure the order books in each region, we have extended our influence to other parts of the world. Further expansion took place in 2008 with the acquisition of Colpro, headquartered in Sydney, Australia. Thanks to its expertise in industrial acoustic insulation and its experience in running special projects on the diesel power plant market, the acquisition of Colpro has expanded our production in Asia and the Western Pacific.
In 2009, IAC entered the Chinese market. The beginning was made with the help of a joint venture with a production partner. Our production facilities and sales offices in Dongguan became the engine of sales in China and supplied the rest of the company with cost-effective products. Further growth in the Asia and Western Pacific region occurred when our Australian division acquired two business units in 2010 from NSW, Acoustics Systems and Sound Attenuators Australia. Both companies specialize in ventilation, heating and air conditioning systems, an area in which the IAC is the provider with experience, as the IAC was one of the first companies to manufacture soundproofing systems for ventilation systems. Our experience with the product and our regional knowledge have led to success in large scale facilities now found throughout Australia.
In 2012, the IAC was bought by investors of the AEA. The course has been set for further growth of the IAC, with two major acquisitions already taking place on the American energy market. GT Exhaust and Maxim Silex were both purchased at the end of 2012. As a result, we had a share in the exhaust silencer market worldwide. Today, these companies are self-contained.
We take our view into the future and our vision as a leading company in the field of acoustic control products to quickly create new innovations and deliver them faster, very seriously. We believe that by thinking ahead, while at the same time working locally, we can come closer to our customers' wishes: a cost-effective solution for the noise source, regardless of scale, anywhere in the world. By approaching customer needs, we can develop products that meet the needs of the market. We encourage our customers to give us feedback to create tailor-made solutions that really work.
Noise is a topic that affects everyone at some point in their lives. Urbanization and our growing appetite for new technologies means that more and more people will be affected in the future. Today, IAC Acoustics is managed under the owner Greentec. The company is leading the IAC Group into the future and, in particular, is strengthening its growth in Asia and especially in the Chinese market. We will continue to work on it in the future; "Making the world a quieter place"
