Samsung’s Harman to buy French audio software firm FLUX::

Harman Professional Solutions, a professional sound system unit under Samsung Electronics Co.'s wholly owned Harman International, has agreed to acquire France-based audio software company FLUX Software Engineering (FLUX::), the company announced on Thursday.

The company did not disclose the financial terms but said it will close the deal before the end of this year.

With FLUX:: under its wings, Harman is expected to enhance its professional audio product lineup beyond its current offerings, a move that is expected to create synergy with connected car systems and consumer audio and visual products.

Founded in 2006, the French audio software company is considered a pioneer in immersive audio production, audio processing plug-in design and audio analysis.

Harman Professional Solutions manufactures audio, lighting and video & control systems for live performance, audio production and large venues like cinemas and broadcasting systems.

GREAT SYNERGY WITH CONNECTED CAR SYSTEMS

“From creation to real-time immersive delivery, we aim to empower artists, designers, and engineers with a comprehensive product offering across the entire system,” Brian Divine, the president of Harman Professional Solutions said in a press release.

“The foundational technology developed by the talented FLUX:: team opens many opportunities for future integration with our portfolio of brands.”

The latest deal is expected to expand the duo’s professional audio system engineering capabilities, which are also expected to be widely applied to Harman’s connected car systems, audio and visual products and enterprise automation solutions.

Harman owns 16 audio brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson® and Revel®, and its audio and connected car systems are fitted in more than 50 million vehicles across the world, the company said.

Harman’s stellar business performance helped its Korean parent Samsung Electronics report a triple-digit quarterly increase in third-quarter profit this year.

The US-based subsidiary posted record-high operating profit for a single quarter in the July-September period, Samsung Electronics said last month during its earnings announcement.

The Korean electronics giant took over Harman as its wholly owned subsidiary in March 2017.  

Harman commands the world’s biggest 35% share in the global premium audio market.

Write to Jeong-Soo Hwang at hjs@hankyung.com

Sookyung Seo edited this article.