Annual Report 2010/11 - Sonova

12
ACHIEVING SUCCESS WITH STRONG BRANDS
Sonova technology stands for better hearing in all areas
of life. The company is the only manufacturer to serve a
range of market segments – from medical solutions to entertainment
electronics – and can offer an individualized
solution for every hearing need based on its comprehensive
brand portfolio.
Hearing instrument brands
With its highly diversified brand and product portfolio,
Sonova has successfully established itself as the global
market leader for hearing instruments. In addition to
products manufactured by Phonak, its internationally renowned
main brand, the Sonova Group also supplies
powerful hearing systems to people throughout the world
under the Unitron, Sona, and Lyric brands. Sonova plans
to continue expanding its position as industry leader based
on this comprehensive portfolio.
Phonak, the Sonova Group’s best known brand, is headquartered
in Stäfa, Switzerland, where it has been developing,
manufacturing and distributing innovative hearing
and radio systems since 1947. The company is number
one in the hearing instrument market, and now has a presence
in over 90 countries. Phonak is an innovation and technology
leader that has regularly been setting new standards
in terms of performance, miniaturization, and design for
over 60 years.
Phonak markets the first invisible hearing instrument that
is located deep in the ear canal and can be worn for up
to four months without interruption under the Lyric brand.
The “contact lens for the ear,” which was developed by
InSound Medical, USA, and is now distributed as part of the
Phonak product portfolio in most regions, specifically
targets people who were previously unwilling to consider
a hearing aid – either for esthetic reasons or because of
prejudices regarding handling and sound quality. Lyric is
a solution that overcomes the entry barriers for a hearing
instrument and has the potential to provide new impetus to
the hearing instrument market and to efforts to deal with
hearing loss.
The Unitron brand, which is based in Kitchener, Canada,
and offers state-of-the-art hearing systems, is the second
strongest brand in the Sonova Group. With 16 branches and
over 53 distribution partners in other countries, Unitron
gives people around the world access to good hearing through
its products in all price segments. Based on the Sonova
technology platform, Unitron offers modern hearing instruments
that offer better speech understanding even in
difficult situations. Unitron holds a strong market position
in the business and economy class segments.
Sonova has been marketing an innovative product concept
under the Sona brand since November 2009. Sona is
present in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland,
and the USA to date. The instruments are available in three
form factors in standard housing and are instantly configured
using special software according to the wearer’s degree of
hearing loss and individual needs. Audiologists are guaranteed
continuous availability of these devices based on
efficient warehousing.
Hearing implant brands
The young hearing implant segment has considerable
growth potential. Sonova, which sells cochlear implants
under the Advanced Bionics brand, is well positioned to
play an important role in the development of implant technology
and to benefit from the segment’s future growth.
Advanced Bionics Corporation, which was established in
1993 in Valencia, California, has been part of the Sonova
Group since January 2010. As a manufacturer of cochlear
implants, it uses state-of-the-art technology to help people
who are hard of hearing or deaf to hear again. The company
distributes its systems in over 50 countries and works
with more than 600 highly qualified specialists throughout
the world to provide powerful cochlear implants and comprehensive
medical care.
Sonova is also represented in the middle ear implant
segment by Phonak Acoustic Implants, which was founded
in 2007. A research and development team is working to
develop Ingenia, a DACS (direct acoustic cochlea stimulation)
middle ear implant, to market maturity.