Bang & Olufsen - Competitors

Bang & Olufsen Competition

Now Viewing Bang & Olufsen's competition in: Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing (primary)

Recent Developments

Sony Reports Sustained Demand - According to a top US regional Sony executive, US demand for electronic consumer goods remains solid despite a slowing economy. However, the company's profits are being pressured due to higher energy and raw material costs. Sony plans to offset these challenges by streamlining its distribution network to ease shipping costs, and simplifying product packaging to reduce material expenses.

After Losing High Definition DVD War, Toshiba Weighs Options - The format war to determine the future of HD-DVD ended early in 2008 when Toshiba said that it would stop making its HD-DVD players in deference to Sony's Blu-ray technology. Toshiba bowed out after movie studios, including Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, MGM, and Disney said that their HD releases would be in Blu-ray format. Retailers including Wal-Mart, Blockbuster, and Netflix also chose Blu-ray. Toshiba, unlike other electronics companies, hasn't started making Blu-ray DVD players. Some industry watchers speculate that Toshiba is still considering a competing format such as Internet connected DVD players.

Consumer Electronics Fuel Chip Sales - Global semiconductor sales increased more than 7 percent in May 2008 compared to a year earlier, with growth partly due to chip sales to makers of consumer electronics. In the US, consumer spending on electronics is thought to have been spurred by economic stimulus checks. However, with new consumers in emerging markets such as China, Latin America, and India, the chip and electronics industries depend less on US sales than they once did.

Competitive Landscape

Demand is driven by consumer income and the rate of product innovation. The profitability of individual companies depends on manufacturing efficiency and effective marketing and distribution. Large companies have advantages in economies of scale in manufacturing, marketing, and distribution. Small companies can compete effectively by offering specialty products or components in system solutions, such as speakers in a home theatre system. Average annual revenue per worker is about $500,000 per year.

Full Industry Overview For Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing

Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing Industry Forecast

from Hoover's/D&B subsidiary First Research

The output of US audio and video equipment manufacturing is forecast to increase at an annual compounded rate of 8 percent between 2007 and 2012.

Audio and Video Equipment Output Growth Volatile

First Research forecasts are based on INFORUM forecasts that are licensed from the Interindustry Economic Research Fund, Inc. (IERF) in College Park, MD. INFORUM's "interindustry-macro" approach to modeling the economy captures the links between industries and the aggregate economy.