Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1541612
28 W I N T E R 2 0 2 6 I C A S Q U A R T E R L Y I sat down in one of their studios with CEO Siamak Naghian, while Team Leader of Acoustics Jussi Vaisanen and Chief Operational Officer Piia-Riitta Bergman sat close by to weigh in. This was a beautiful sounding room with Genelec monitors wall-to-wall. I broke out my little Tascam FR-AV2 recorder and shotgun mic and hit record on a very educationally generous interview. Siamak Naghian: "I think it's interesting that those people who started the company, for them this was a passion. The passion connected to the sound. And basically, it has been there from the beginning and most of the people who are now working with us have a connection with the sound. And I think that's a really important part of the heritage that we have." Jussi Vaisanen then commented, "I spoke about the heritage of Ilpo [Martikainen] and Topi [Partanen]. It's about how we are developing all the time. So, research and development are right there. We are looking every day at new things, and we continue to develop new solutions. And of course, we also work closely with the customers. We give support and listen to them. That is important as is the heritage of the company." I was absolutely amazed when I walked into the factory space. From the lobby of the building, a short hallway of offices connects and leads to the entrance of the first part of the factory. This housed the circuit board design and assembly. They develop and manufacture all their circuit boards in house and its mere steps from the larger factory floor. This gives them complete control of both prototyping and production manufacturing. If they ever have to stop production—for instance, if an improvement to the circuit boards is possible— they can do that if need be. The whole factory floor was absolutely immaculate and organized. Each workstation was specific to each assembly stage and was perfectly stocked with components for the day's assembly. Tools fitted with the proper-size torque bits and computers efficiently placed for an ergonomic workflow, and not a bit of clutter anywhere to be seen. With Genelec's Genelec's Team Leader of Acoustics Jussi Vaisanen