The Genelec 8361A studio monitor is the company’s flagship product – this is how we made it

Clear goals and perse­ve­rance lay the founda­tions for high-quality opera­tions. The Iisalmi-based speaker manufac­turer Genelec has had a clear mission ever since the company was established in 1978.

“We want to make the world’s best audio solutions for profes­sio­nals. This is why the company exists,” says CEO Siamäk Naghian.

The company’s story began in 1976 when two postgra­duate acous­tics students, Ilpo Marti­kainen and Topi Partanen, heard that the Finnish Broadcas­ting Company Yle needed active speakers to monitor sound quality in its newly built broadcas­ting house.

A proto­type speaker was completed only a couple of weeks later, and Yle was interested. The principle behind an active speaker is that each frequency range has its own ampli­fier and all of the elect­ro­nics are built into the speaker.

Genelec speakers aim to repro­duce sound as faith­fully as possible without adding or removing anything. The company’s first active speaker model, the S30, was intro­duced in 1978.

“Genelec has been making long-lasting products from the outset. The best thing in terms of sustai­nable develop­ment is that a speaker made 46 years ago is still in use and serviceable,” says Naghian.

In this video, Genelec’s emplo­yees and CEO talk about the compa­ny’s culture.

MEANINGFUL WORK

Quality is the sum of many factors, and forms the basis of Genelec’s corpo­rate culture. You need good leadership, skilled emplo­yees, and conti­nuous and syste­matic develop­ment and steering.

“Exper­tise and wellbeing of the emloyees are basic requi­re­ments for quality. Things are in good shape when we feel that we’re doing meaningful work while also having the oppor­tu­nity to develop and move forward,” says Naghian.

Genelec’s first decade was a struggle for existence. The turning point came in 1989, when the 1035A was demon­strated in London and became the bench­mark for studio monitors. This model was described as having the loudest sound and least distor­tion of any speaker on the market.

Exper­tise and wellbeing of the emloyees are basic requi­re­ments for quality.

Over the years, Genelec has intro­duced speakers with new technical features, designs and materials that have changed the industry. Rounded shapes, die-cast alumi­nium housings and calibra­tion techno­logy that automa­tically adjusts to the acoustic environ­ment are just some examples of Genelec’s  Research and Development.

Even today, all Genelec speakers are developed and manufac­tured at the company’s Iisalmi factory on the shores of Lake Porovesi in Upper Savonia.

“We see manufac­ture and product develop­ment as one. Which is why we’ve never consi­dered making our products anywhere else,” says Naghian.

ALL PRODUCTS TESTED

Genelec manufac­tures its own circuit boards and other key compo­nents to ensure that quality requi­re­ments are met.

“Elect­ro­nics manufac­tu­ring is impor­tant to us. Each speaker has at least one circuit board,” says Piia-Riitta Bergman, Chief Opera­tional Officer.

All of Genelec’s self-manufac­tured compo­nents and finished speakers are tested.

“The basic process is the same regard­less of the model. Each product is tested indivi­dually before being sent to the customer,” says Bergman.

We encou­rage people to voice their ideas, so that we can work on them together.

Genelec has a broad range of models. Sales volumes vary, and new models are released on a regular basis. Its business revolves around lifelong learning and multiple skills.

“It’s great that we have so many people who are able to do a variety of produc­tion tasks,” says Bergman.

At Genelec, it is standard practice to give everyone the oppor­tu­nity to learn and develop. Good ideas are requested – and also implemented.

“We seek suggested impro­ve­ments from both teams and indivi­duals. We encou­rage people to voice their ideas, so that we can work on them together,” says Bergman.

RESPONSIBILITY AND MOTIVATION

Vesa Pelkonen, the chief shop steward for produc­tion personnel, says that emplo­yees are genui­nely involved in design and develop­ment at Genelec.

“Almost all propo­sals have gone through, as long as they’ve been justi­fied. We’ve had no problems with our employer. Conver­sa­tions take place in good faith,” says Pelkonen.

Long-term emplo­y­ment is one of Genelec’s guaran­tees of high quality. Experience helps when accuracy is required. And accuracy is also reflected in people’s wallets.

“The quality of a delivery affects our pay. It also motivates us to focus on quality,” says Pelkonen.

We’ve had no problems with our employer. Conver­sa­tions take place in good faith.

At Genelec, the assembly of large speakers in particular is usually in the hands of just one person –  all the way down to checking and packa­ging the speaker.

“I’ll make a speaker from start to finish, and I’ll also be the last one to check it. It’s my respon­si­bi­lity,” says Pelkonen, who works in assembly.

GENELEC 8361A

The largest studio monitor in The Ones range
Die-cast, powder-coated alumi­nium housing
Ampli­fiers: 700W bass, 150W midrange, 150W treble
Frequency response: 30 Hz – 43 kHz
Maximum sound pressure level: 118 decibels
Dimen­sions: 593 x 357 x 347 mm
Weight: 31.9 kg
Price: about EUR 5,000

This is how we made it

1 ELECTRONICS TECHNICIAN ARTO LÄMSÄ monitors the machine that assembles compo­nents such as circuits, coils, resis­tors and capaci­tors during the manufac­ture of printed circuit boards. The machine will detect when a compo­nent is misaligned or reversed, and the assembly will then have to be manually corrected. After assembly, the circuit boards are placed into a reflow oven to solder the compo­nents into place. The internal tempe­ra­ture of the circuit boards is kept at a steady 22 degrees Celsius with a moisture percen­tage of 40 per cent to ensure correctly soldered joints.

“It’s pleasant in here during the winter in particular, when it’s dry outside. Your skin gets to absorb some moisture indoors,” says Lämsä.

Having multiple skills brings some variety to the job.

“I also do manual assembly and solde­ring. It keeps you sharp and stops your mind from rusting.”

Lämsä has been working at Genelec for 18 years. His work has changed a lot during that time.

“We used to clamber up the shelves and do all sorts of stuff. But occupa­tional safety is in good shape these days. It’s a miracle that nothing bad happened back then,” says Lämsä.

2 PRODUCTION SPECIALIST MIRVA HOLOPAINEN manually assembles compo­nents onto printed circuit boards. Through-hole compo­nents are mounted onto the circuit board from below in a wave solde­ring machine. Before the speakers are assembled, all of the completed circuit boards are visually inspected and tested to make sure they work.

Holopainen has been at Genelec for 23 years, during which time she’s worked in circuit board manufac­ture, assembly and the café.

Holopainen has been a produc­tion specia­list since 2021. Her current job descrip­tion includes not only circuit board manufac­ture but also work study and onboar­ding new recruits. Work study involves carrying out a variety of time and obser­va­tional studies and develo­ping working methods.

“Genelec is an excel­lent employer. Our work is varied and interes­ting, and we also have the chance to advance our careers on the basis of our own interests,” says Holopainen.

High-quality speakers are the result of teamwork.

“Producing high-quality speakers for our custo­mers gives us a sense of profes­sional pride. Satis­fied custo­mers are close to our hearts,” says Holopainen.

3 ELECTRONICS TECHNICIAN TIIA KOMULAINEN makes speaker compo­nents that are tested before the speakers are assembled.

Komulainen has been working at Genelec for three years and has enjoyed the variety in her job.

“This is a really great place to work. My work is quite varied, as we manufac­ture a variety of diffe­rent models,” says Komulainen.

Emplo­yees also have a say in both their own work and how the unit operates. Research and develop­ment adds to the interest.

“Everyone is familiar with all of the models. We get to have a say in what we do. Every­body has their own favou­rite models,” says Komulainen.

4 LOGISTICS TECHNICIAN VEIJO TOSSAVAINEN gathers ordered compo­nents from the inven­tory and places them onto the cart for assembly. In order to minimise the poten­tial for error, only the compo­nents speci­fied in the order will be placed on the cart. Tossa­vainen has been working at Genelec for 24 years.

5 ELECTRONICS TECHNICIAN JANNE HAKALA places the two halves of the speaker’s die-cast and powder-coated alumi­nium housing into the plastic frame in which assembly takes place. The circuit boards, speaker compo­nents and other compo­nents are screwed into place. A barcode label is printed for the speaker, and the barcodes on the speaker compo­nents are read so that both the compo­nents and manufac­tu­ring process can be traced later on. Finally, Hakala screws the two halves of the speaker housing together and uses a leak test device to test its tight­ness. This type of speaker is built from start to finish by one person.

“I’ve always been interested in acous­tics and speakers. It’s great when you also get to do your hobby at work,” says Hakala.

Hakala, who has been with Genelec for four years, says that he has mainly focused on assembly tasks. Variety comes in the form of diffe­rent speaker models.

Hakala also has Genelec speakers at home.

“They let you hear the sound as the musicians and filmma­kers would have wanted it,” says Hakala.

It’s rewar­ding to make products that are recog­nised for their high quality all across the world.

“We make these speakers with pride. It even creates a little bit of pressure, when you know that the quality of your products has to be the absolute best,” Hakala says.

6 The finished speakers are loaded onto a cart and sent to a chamber whose acous­tics are designed for final testing. The tests will be carried out by the same person who assembled the speaker. Initial tests ensure elect­rical safety. The software then calibrates the speaker to the desired values. The tester makes sure that no air is leaking from the seams, by both feel and liste­ning. Finally, an audio sweep across the entire frequency range is played through the speaker, while the tester conducts a by-ear audio test to make sure that nothing extra is being added to the sound.

“The sound is faith­fully repro­duced. Our speakers don’t colour the playback,” says Janne Hakala.

All testers must pass a training course in which they learn to detect a variety of faulty sounds.

“During the training, people listen to bad speakers and identify what’s wrong with them,” says Hakala.

7 The same technician who assembled and tested the speaker will also pack the finished product. The suction cups on the lifting apparatus stick to the sides of the speaker, so that even a product weighing more than 30 kilos slips easily into the cardboard box – along with a manual. Finally, the package is stapled closed. When the order is complete, a logis­tics employee collects the products and delivers them to the customer.

“There’s nothing we can’t talk about”

Genelec was also tested by the inter­na­tional financial crisis in 2008. CEO Siamäk Naghian says that good things also came out of the crisis.

Codeter­mi­na­tion negotia­tions were held within the company as a result of the economic downturn, but this also opened the door for conti­nuous and active colla­bo­ra­tion invol­ving everyone.

“We’re impro­ving our opera­tions together and have redisco­vered the key role of codeter­mi­na­tion negotia­tions. And in my job, they’re at least as impor­tant as the manage­ment team,” Naghian says.

The company will grow, but I think the most impor­tant thing is to preserve our identity and philosophy.

Chief shop steward Vesa Pelkonen says that conti­nuous coope­ra­tion and openness create a culture of trust. The compa­ny’s internal matters are discussed together – with trust and confidence.

“Every other Monday morning, we have a briefing at which our employer keeps us informed about current issues. Nothing is kept secret,” says Pelkonen.

A FORERUNNER IN THE FUTURE TOO

Openness helps to ensure that issues don’t spread as rumours and nothing comes as a surprise. This enables the company to adapt to changing situations.

“Everyone is kept up to date. There’s nothing we can’t talk about,” says Naghian.

The future looks bright at Genelec. This second-genera­tion family business conti­nues to be a forerunner in its industry.

“The company will grow, but I think the most impor­tant thing is to preserve our identity and philo­sophy. It’s beautiful,” says Naghian.

GENELEC OY

ESTABLISHED 1978
DOMICILE Iisalmi
MANUFACTURES Audio systems for audio profes­sio­nals, instal­la­tions and home listeners
PERSONNEL About 210 (Group 270) of which about 100 work in production
OWNERSHIP Juho, Maria and Mikko Marti­kainen, Topi Partanen and Ritva Leinonen.
NET SALES EUR 38.4 million, Group about EUR 50 million (2023)

Read the article in Finnish: Genelec 8361A studio­mo­ni­tori on yrityksen lippu­lai­va­tuote – näin sen teimme