Harman Becker Automotive Systems

Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH

Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Automotive electronics
Founded	1949
Headquarters	Karlsbad , Germany
Number of employees	2250 (2013)
Parent	Harman International Industries (subsidiary of Samsung Electronics)

Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH, often referred to simply as Becker, specializes in manufacturing electronic components for the automotive sector. It operates under the automotive division of the American company Harman International Industries, which itself is a subsidiary of the South Korean giant Samsung Electronics.

History

The origins of the current enterprise trace back to the German manufacturer Becker, known for car radios and navigation technology. Established in 1949 from a repair workshop in Pforzheim, Baden, the company was founded by Max Egon Becker (who passed away in 1983). In the 1950s, their receiver Nürburg, utilizing vacuum tube technology, featured mechanical station presets. By 1953, Becker introduced the first car radio equipped with an automatic station search function. The production of aircraft radios began in 1955. A significant milestone was reached in 1987 with the launch of a CD car receiver. In 1995, Harman International, a U.S.-based corporation, acquired Becker except for its aircraft avionics division—Becker Flugfunkwerke GmbH (later known as Becker Avionics), which remained under Roland Becker, son of the founder, as of 2021.

At that period, Becker employed approximately 1,300 staff across two manufacturing sites.

Headquartered in Karlsbad, near Karlsruhe, with additional locations in the United States and Hungary, the company developed and integrated comprehensive infotainment solutions on a global scale. Its offerings encompass navigation systems, voice recognition technologies, human-machine interface devices, as well as audio and entertainment products. From its inception, Harman Becker Automotive Systems has been a supplier for Mercedes-Benz, while also providing components to other automotive brands including Audi, Peugeot, Hyundai, and high-end marques like Ferrari, Rolls-Royce, Porsche, BMW, and MINI. Internationally, Harman Becker maintains 28 locations spanning Germany, the United States, Great Britain, France, Sweden, Hungary, Canada, Mexico, South Africa (until 2008), Japan, South Korea, and China. On 11 January 2010, Harman Becker Automotive Systems exited the mobile navigation market. The trademarks such as Becker Traffic Assist and Becker Traffic Assist Pro were transferred to United Navigation, under whose management both Falk and Becker brands continue to operate.

Beginning in 2008, following strategic directives from its parent company Harman International, operations increasingly relocated to countries with lower labor costs. Consequently, employee numbers in German facilities declined from 3,800 in 2008 to around 2,250 by 2013. Facilities situated in Hechingen, Villingen-Schwenningen, Schaidt, and Hamburg (which led navigation software development through Innovative Systems before its sale to China's Neusoft Technology Solutions in 2008) were either shut down or divested.

In November 2016, reports indicated that Samsung Electronics agreed to acquire Harman for approximately US $8 billion. This transaction was finalized on 10 March 2017.