Starkey (hearing aids)
| Starkey Hearing Technologies | |
|---|---|
| legal form | Inc. |
| founding | 1967 |
| Seat | Eden Prairie , United States |
| management | William F. Austin |
| Number of employees | 3600 |
| Branch | Health economy |
| Website | www.starkey.com |
| Status: 2014 | |
| Starkey Laboratories (Germany) | |
|---|---|
| legal form | GmbH |
| founding | 1981 |
| Seat | Hamburg, Germany |
| management | Thorsten Quaas |
| Number of employees | 54 |
| Branch | Health economy |
| Website | www.starkey.de |
| Status: 2014 | |
Starkey Hearing Technologies is a manufacturer of hearing aids . Founded in 1967 by William F. Austin, the company is headquartered in Eden Prairie , operates 21 production sites worldwide, employs around 3,600 people and is represented in 72 countries. Starkey is one of the five largest hearing aid manufacturers worldwide.
The German subsidiary - Starkey Laboratories (Germany) GmbH - was founded in Hamburg in 1981.
Companies
Starkey is a privately held, global hearing technology company headquartered in the United States. According to its own estimates, it provided around 40 million people with hearing aids worldwide.
market
Five companies dominate the international hearing aid market. In addition to Starkey, these are Sivantos , William Demant , Sonova and GN ReSound . Starkey is the only owner-managed company with a market share in the double-digit percentage range.
Brands
The company develops, produces and sells hearing aids through four different brands:
- Audible
- NuEar
- MicroTech
- Starkey
- Telefunken
Innovations
Starkey has influenced the industry with a number of key innovations. As early as 1973 the company developed the first custom-made in-the-ear hearing aid with the CE-1 model. While this device was still in the outer ear, the Soundlens systems presented in 2010 are placed more discreetly: in the second bend of the ear canal. The company was also the first to introduce PureWave to eliminate feedback. Other important developments in recent years: the (water-repellent) nano-coatings to protect the electronics as well as various sensor technologies that actively improve hearing, such as automatic hearing situation recognition (Acoustic Scene Analyzer) and noise suppression (Voice iQ), etc.
In addition, with the use of wireless technology, listening to radio and television broadcasts has been significantly improved, as has spatial hearing thanks to ear-to-ear communication (binaural spatial mapping). Now, hearing aids from the Halo series can even interact with the iPhone and iPad .
The industry magazine "Hörakustik" reported on an exciting approach on January 7, 2014. According to this, researchers at Ohio State University are working with Starkey to develop a novel algorithm that significantly increases the intelligibility of spoken language in noisy environments.
Awards
The US hearing aid manufacturer's commitment to better hearing has received several awards in recent years. Most recently, in May 2014, the “Xino Tinnitus” model received an award at the Edison Awards and in April 2014 “Halo” won the Red Dot Design Award . In 2010, Jerry Ruzicka, President of Starkey, was named Entrepreneur of the Year in the Health Sciences category by the accounting firm Ernst & Young .
history
In 1967 William F. Austin founded the "Professional Hearing Aid Service" in Minnesota. Initially it was just a major repair shop, but Austin soon developed advanced hearing aids. Four years later, Austin bought the otoplastic company "Starkey Laboratories" and kept the Starkey name. The company has been producing digital hearing aids since the late 1990s. Starkey has had its own research center in California since 2004 .
In 1981 Austin bought the German company Willco Medical Apparate GmbH and founded Starkey Germany. 1989 the company building in Norderstedt is rebuilt. This was followed by relocation of production, development, sales and administration. Thorsten Quaas has been the sole managing director of Starkey Germany since 1999. He began his career with the company in 1985 as a repair service technician.
social commitment
The Starkey Hearing Foundation was founded in 1973 by William F. Austin. The tasks of the foundation: To promote the acceptance of the hard of hearing and hearing aids in society through support in the development of hearing aids, education and charitable programs. The foundation also distributes hearing aids and batteries worldwide to people who cannot afford hearing aids. Over 100,000 hearing aids are provided and fitted every year. In the first 40 years of its existence, the foundation provided hearing aids to 1.6 million people around the world.
Many hearing care professionals and thousands of volunteers volunteer for the Starkey Hearing Foundation. The most prominent supporters include former US Presidents Bill Clinton , George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan, as well as show stars such as Sir Elton John , Lionel Richie and Ashton Kutcher .
Web links
- Website Starkey Hearing Technologies (English)
- Starkey Germany website
- Starkey product overview website
- Website Starkey Hearing Foundation (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Press release of the company from January 27, 2014: Successful Hearing Innovation Expo ( Memento of the original from November 13, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ↑ Starkey.com website: Starkey Hearing Aids around the world . Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ↑ Article: Phonak shares benefit from the widespread disease of hearing loss. In: FAZ from April 6, 2006. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ↑ Study: Berenberg Equity Research, Hearing aids (PDF file; 2.44 MB). Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ↑ Strongypro.de website: history . Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ↑ Website starkey.de: In-the-ear hearing systems ( Memento of the original from November 9, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ↑ Website absolutehearingsolutions.com: Starkey Hearing Aids & Protection offered by Absolute Hearing Solutions - the central Ohio favorite! . Retrieved on November 5, 2014. - “Starkey's PureWave Feedback Eliminator is still the industry benchmark for performance.” Source ( Memento of the original from November 9, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ↑ Starkey.de website: Halo: The hearing system made for iPhone ( Memento of the original from November 13, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ↑ website hoerakustik.net: New algorithm for speech in background noise developed . Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ↑ Press release of the company from May 6, 2014: Starkey Hearing Technologies Wins Edison Award ( Memento of the original from August 11, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF file, 129 kB). Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ↑ Company press release of April 9, 2014: Starkey Hearing Technologies' Halo Wins red dot design award ( Memento of the original from August 11, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF file, 278 kB). Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ↑ site hoerakustik.net: Entrepreneur of the Year . Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ↑ site msthalloffame.org, Minnesota Science and Technology, Hall of Fame: William F. (Franklin) Austin . Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ↑ Starkey.com website: About Starkey Hearing Technology: History . Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ↑ site starkey.de: The Starkey difference: Our History . Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ↑ Starkeyhearingfoundation.org website: Starkey Hearing Foundation . Retrieved October 28, 2014.
