Industries

Hearing Instrument components
Sonion is the preferred supplier and development partner for hearing instrument component manufacturers. Our focus is on a broad high quality product portfolio and the ability to handle customer variants.

Sonion is a global supplier of miniature components for all types of applications within hearing instruments. We do our outmost to develop truly innovative products and solutions that meet and exceed customer demands and expectations. Our customers are mainly global, multinational manufacturers of hearing instruments and related products.

Market Development 
In 2006, the worldwide market for hearing instruments grew by 5-7% and a shift in hearing instrument mix was recorded following the increased demand for the popular OTE (On-The-Ear) instruments, mini-BTE and RIC instruments.

The new hearing instrument types have created new opportunities in the component market, with the demand for new types of micromechanical components and even smaller transducers.

We continue to see an increase in the number of components per hearing instrument, and we have registered a growing tendency for our customers to outsource parts of their value-added services to subsuppliers. Going forward, the hearing instrument components market is therefore expected to outgrow the volume growth in the hearing instrument market.

The market is dominated by two vendors, and Sonion holds a superior position. This position is protected by significant entry barriers such as extensive IP protection, economies of scale and scope, R&D depth, and strong and long-standing customer relationships.

State-of-the-Art Products and Processes
Sonion’s strategy has always been to be at the edge of technology – always launching more and better solutions that are innovative, high quality and on-time.

Mobile Terminal Components
With the launch of the DigiSiMic™ and SiMic™, we now offer a one-stop shop of acoustical components.

Sonion is one of the top global suppliers of electroacoustic components to major manufacturers of mobile terminals, headsets and PDAs.

Market Development
In 2006, the worldwide market for mobile handsets grew by 17% in volume, according to Gartner Group. Manufacturers sold approximately 950 million mobile handsets. The market for microacoustic components (receivers, speakers and microphones) realized an even higher growth, as mobile handsets continued to design in an increasing number of acoustic components.

Recent years’ design trends continued into 2006, with a change in mix towards higher-end handsets: slimmer, more aesthetic designs; multiple functions operated through intuitive controls; advanced functionalities such as color displays, cameras, video, music, TV and gaming; and most importantly, an increasing focus on acoustics.

The growing emphasis on acoustics means that mobile handsets are starting to contain multiple speakers and microphones so that users can fully benefit from the many new features. Recently introduced models contain as many as five acoustic components, in contrast to older designs that traditionally held only two or three. As a consequence, we expect component volumes to continue outgrowing the end-unit market in the years to come. For Sonion, these trends are leading to a considerable expansion of our addressable market. We anticipate annual growth on the market for receivers and speakers to exceed 15% in volume. The segment for high-end microphones is likely to show even higher growth rates due to the breakthrough of digital MEMS technology.

Sonion is believed to be a top-four manufacturer of receivers and speakers and to hold an emerging position within microphones. Today, we address approximately one-third of the world market with our existing product portfolio, but our new product platform strategy will increase our range of addressable product segments.

Medical Device Components
Sonion MDC is one of the youngest business units at the Company. Sonion MDC creates new leverage for Sonion core competencies within the medical device industry.

Sonion’s unique competencies within design, development, and manufacturing of miniaturized and highly precise mechanical and electromechanical solutions are a perfect match to some of today’s challenges in designing innovative medical devices. Furthermore, Sonion’s flexible manufacturing setup and supply chain management capabilities enable us to deliver our innovative solutions at a competitive price.

We focus on niches within the medical device industry where our competencies and capabilities give us a competitive edge – this means where size, precision and innovation matters.

Sonion is presently involved in projects targeting minimally invasive surgery and drug delivery. These projects involve partners that are among the leaders in their respective areas. In Sonion, we have more than three decades of experience in partnering with global customers from the earliest stage of product development, through rapid prototyping, and to actual production.