Where does my loudspeaker come from?

There have been a lot of discussions recently about the international and interconnected nature of supply chains in manufacturing. While it has been the automotive industry that is at the forefront of the conversation, it got me thinking about the similarities we can see in the pro audio industry.

Take for example a simple passive loudspeaker built for touring. When you look at the box it could say something like ‘Made in Germany,’ ‘Made in the USA’ or ‘Made in China’ and that will be true for where the loudspeaker was assembled and packaged. Equally, there will be teams of skilled engineers and designers in those countries coming up with the idea and seeing it through to a finished product. But behind this truth, that loudspeaker is not just the product of one country.

In our simple example, some of the less specialist core components can easily be sourced locally to the manufacturer. For example, the sheet metal for the grille, the heavy industrial textile for the wadding and the foam behind the grille can all be sourced from more generalist providers from anywhere. In terms of keeping costs down and maintaining shorter lead times for manufacturing, it is fair to assume that most manufacturers will source these components as close to home as they can.

However, when it comes to some of the more specialist areas, the variety of suppliers dramatically narrows. If you want a wooden enclosure, most pro audio manufacturers value the quality of Baltic birch plywood. This material is popular for touring-grade sound because it provides structural rigidity, impact resistance and a freedom from internal voids. As the name suggests, this is sourced from managed forests in Northern Europe or Russia, meaning that if you want the advantages of the material, you are going to need to import it.

While we think about the enclosure, of course we are going to need to paint it as well. As this is a loudspeaker built for touring rather than installation, we are going to need toughened paint to keep the speaker looking good despite the rigours of a life on the road. Again, this is not something that will be stocked by general paint suppliers. You need specialist paint companies that can be found in places like the UK, America and Italy. So again, for a robust product you are more than likely going to need to import this component.

With our enclosure built and painted, we are going to need a driver or two so we can start getting sound out of it. There are a handful of pro audio loudspeaker manufacturers that will see this as an in-house project. They are proud of their own unique sound and will custom-build drivers to their own specifications. However, the majority of brands will work with specialist OEM manufacturers. There is a real European hotbed for these suppliers, with the best-known brands originating in the UK and Italy while others may source from companies in Germany, the US or China. Of course, the raw materials for these drivers will also have their own global supply chain for everything from the magnet to the cone, but that is a step to far for this article.

When you combine all of these elements, it’s clear that loudspeaker supply chains are just as international as they are for any other piece of complex engineering. This is the backbone of a broad multinational industry that brings people and businesses together from all over the world. While this may sometimes bring challenges, it is ultimately one of the greatest strengths of our industry, and something that should always be celebrated, no matter where the box says your loudspeaker came from.