Berjiz to manufacture speakers in Bangalore

Berjiz Audible Research, the automotive audio systems company based in Bangalore, plans to manufacture speakers for cars and buses in a new Rs 10 crore facility. The company has been outsourcing manufacturing of speakers to Germany and China under the Berjiz brand. There are two ranges called Calypso and Blues.

While the former is a mid-level speaker, Blues is an entry level option. The entire design and development is carried out in Bangalore and manufacturing is done overseas where Calypso is made in Germany and Blues in China. N Bhaskar Reddy, director, said that for the Calypso series, quality of raw material was top priority and Germany, therefore, fitted the bill.

The new 16,000 square foot facility in Bangalore will kick off production with the Blues speakers, now outsourced to China. “The plant will be expanded in phases to reach 40,000 square feet and by then, we will be in a position to make Calypso speakers too,” he said.

Berjiz has five models in the Calypso range and two in the Blues series. The Calypso speaker has a swivel-type tweeter in all models which helps set its angle based on the car door and seating configuration. This helps in generating the right audio quality. The diaphragm is made of polymica composite which is rigid and light. It helps improves quality of sound. The company also makes modules for audio components.

Berjiz has designed and developed a 12-inch sub-woofer with dual voice coil, which will soon form part of the Calypso series. The speaker has been validated and will be manufactured in Germany. The launch is scheduled in September. Also in the offing is an oval shaped speaker. The company is, interestingly, working on two amplifiers in 80 x 4 and 100 x 4 watts RMS power range. The latter can also be used as a monoblock speaker depending on market requirements. It will launch the ‘Extreme’ series targeting the high-end segment.

Berjiz is talks with Hyundai Motor India to sell the Calypso series as accessories at its dealerships. The Blues series speakers are already given as freebies by select dealers in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Reddy said that talks were on with Ford India and General Motors India to supply speakers as part of the OE fitment. Discussions are also underway with Azad, the coach builder for Volvo India, to supply 4” and 6” speakers. A luxury bus typically needs at least 11 pairs of speakers and Berjiz can target 4,000 pairs annually from Azad.

The company also meets the needs of SM Kannappa Automobiles in Bangalore that builds coaches under the brand name ‘Prakash’. January 2007 will see an office set up in the US to focus on the aftermarket.