Bang & Olufsen

History

The company was founded in 1925 by Peter Bang (Dan . Peter Bang ) and Sven Olufsen ( Dan. Svend Olufsen ). The first device released was the Eliminator radio receiver : it was connected to the AC mains , despite the fact that at that time most of these devices were battery -powered .

Peter Bang ( 1900 - 1957 ) was interested in radio electronics from an early age: becoming an engineer in 1924 , he worked for more than six months at one of the instrument-making factories in the USA , where he was able to get acquainted with the latest achievements in his favorite field. On his return to Denmark , he began working with Sven Olufsen, one of his student friends. The Olufsen house in Struer was specially equipped for scientific experiments. The year of the company's opening was 1925 : at the same time, Bang paid more attention to the development of technology, and Olufsen paid more attention to financial issues.

After 2 years, in 1927, a small factory was opened in Struer , which was to produce radios . The factory was built taking into account the possible reorientation of production. However, as of 2011, B&O's main plant is still located at the same factory in Struer .

In 1927, Bang & Olufsen released the 3lamper radio , and in 1929 the 5lamper : these tube receivers became widely known outside of Struer . In the 1930s, B&O was marked by technological innovation: in 1938, the Master-39CH was released , the world's first push-button receiver that could be tuned to 16 radio stations . The sales organization system, the basic principles of organizing an authorized dealer network, laid down by Olufsen in the 1930s, also actively developed. , preserved by the company and used in the 21st century .

The Second World War had a negative impact on the business of Bang & Olufsen, in particular, the factory in Struer was almost completely destroyed . Nevertheless, by 1946, production was fully restored. During the war, Bang & Olufsen somewhat expanded their product list: along with the production of receivers , attention was also paid to the manufacture of walkie- talkies and military telephones .

In 1946, the Beocord-84U , Europe's first reel-to -reel tape recorder , was released , and in 1950, B&O introduced a pilot TV model .