HARMAN Recognised by Fast Company as One of the Most Innovative Companies in Automotive
STAMFORD, CT – HARMAN International Industries, Incorporated (NYSE: HAR), the premier connected technologies company for automotive, consumer and enterprise markets, has been recognised by Fast Company as one of the Top Ten Most Innovative Companies in Automotive, at #7 on the 2016 list.
“The automotive industry is in the midst of one of its most significant periods of transformation since the introduction of turn-by-turn navigation, and at the helm are visionaries and innovators from very diverse walks of life,” said Dinesh Paliwal, CEO of HARMAN International Industries. “I am proud to see HARMAN honored as one of the most innovative by Fast Company, an organisation that is incredibly innovative in its own right, by continuing to spark engaging dialogue across industries about the future of business, technology and leadership.”
Fast Company highlighted Individual Sound Zones (ISZ) as HARMAN’s standout innovation. HARMAN’s ISZ is groundbreaking in-cabin technology that enables drivers and passengers to personalise their own audio experiences with limited disruption or interference from other vehicle occupants, providing for virtual, simultaneous, in-car entertainment systems. Digital signal processing has been specifically tuned to the vehicle cabin and speakers to reduce the signals from other zones, regardless of whether they are music, voice or other noises. ISZ utilises a vehicle’s existing speakers with the addition of headrest speakers along with thin and flat Electro Dynamic Planar Loudspeakers in the vehicle ceiling. Passengers can still hear other sounds in the cabin, but those sounds are controlled to limit distractions to each passenger’s own sound experience. ISZ can be integrated into any HARMAN in-car audio system via the amplifier and is available to all automakers.
HARMAN approaches innovation as a mix of extensive R&D, creative collaboration with best-in-class organisations and through the pursuit of strategic acquisitions. Over the past year HARMAN has introduced its powerful automotive computing platform, Life-Enhancing Intelligent Vehicle Solution (LIVS), partnered with Microsoft to integrate elements of Microsoft Office 365 productivity suite into HARMAN infotainment systems, and further enhanced the protection provided by its robust 5+1 automotive cyber security architecture with the acquisitions of Redbend, Symphony Teleca and TowerSec (pending customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals). HARMAN launched numerous automotive safety features, including pupil-based driver monitoring to measure the cognitive load of drivers.
HARMAN is joined by a number of its automotive partners on the Most Innovative in Automotive list, including Hyundai, Ford and Tesla. HARMAN partner Audi is listed a top innovator in Design, and additional partners outside of automotive are recognised for their groundbreaking contributions, including Alphabet, Apple, Google, Indiegogo, Microsoft and Under Armour.
Most Innovative Companies is one of Fast Company’s most significant and highly anticipated editorial efforts of the year. To produce the 2016 list, the magazine’s editors spent a full year gathering and analysing data on companies around the globe. For the first time, Fast Company enlisted machine intelligence to help inform the list: Quid, a San Francisco-based startup, used its software to create topographical maps of innovation across more than 40 sectors of the economy. Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies list is available online at www.fastcompany.com/MIC.
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About HARMAN
HARMAN (harman.com) designs and engineers connected products and solutions for automakers, consumers and enterprises worldwide, including connected car systems, audio and visual products, enterprise automation solutions and connected services. With leading brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson® and Revel®, HARMAN is admired by audiophiles, musicians and the entertainment venues where they perform around the world. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and connected car systems. The Company's software services power billions of mobile devices and systems that are connected, integrated and secure across all platforms, from work and home to car and mobile. HARMAN has a workforce of approximately 28,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $6.5 billion during the 12 months ended December 31, 2015. The Company’s shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol NYSE:HAR.
About FAST COMPANY
Fast Company is the world’s leading progressive business media brand, with a unique editorial focus on innovation in technology, ethical economics, leadership, and design. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, one of the U.S.’s leading media companies.
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