In audiology who owns what?
UPDATE – 6 December 2023: This article has been updated for the 2023 v10 edition of the Hearing Industry Map
The hearing aid industry is a massive business, and like many industries, some manufacturers have been forging ahead with vertical integration: setting up stores to sell their own products directly to the consumer rather than just relying on independent audiologists.
It can be difficult to get a complete overview of who owns what or who is behind every brand in the hearing aid industry landscape. But Hearing Tracker has come to the rescue with a new release of their Hearing Industry Map.
The map shows which manufacturers own which brands, not just in relation to hearing aids but also the branded clinics they have set up as a way to reach the consumer directly.
NOTE: This is a US-centric map, but it covers the Australian landscape as well since all the big players are multinationals. It does not cover every clinic that may offer these brands of devices. The map is focused on ownership.
If you want to access a high-resolution version of the 2023 map, you can get it here.
Changes to the new edition
The 2023 10th Edition of the Hearing Industry Map incorporates more changes, and like last year, the single-brand category, now called ‘Other Device Companies’, has more than doubled. This is due to the US’s advent of over-the-counter (OTC) devices.
We spent a lot of time poring over the map and highlight below the relevant manufacturers, their hearing aid brands, and retail brands relevant to the Australian market.
This way, you get an understanding of which clinics are linked with which manufacturers and which brands of hearing devices you are likely to be recommended at those clinics.
There are, of course, many other clinics not linked directly to a manufacturer who may offer more choice.
WS Audiology
WS Audiology is a privately-owned manufacturer of hearing aids with headquarters in Denmark and Singapore with roots going back to 1878 and Siemens AG. The current company was created following the 2019 merger of Sivantos Group and Widex.
Demant
Demant is another Danish manufacturer. It was founded in 1904 by Hans Demant under the name Oticon. In 1997 the company changed its name to Demant.
- Hearing Aid Brands: Oticon, Philips, Bernafon, Amplifon (for Amplifon), Sonic, Oticon Medical
- Retail Clinics: Audika, Hearing Life
Amplifon
Amplifon is the world’s largest hearing aid retailer. It was founded in 1950 in Milan and now has a presence in over 29 countries. Amplifon does not manufacture its own hearing aids but sells its own branded version of other manufacturers’ devices.
- Retail Clinics: Bay Audiology, Bay Audio Hearing Experts, Amplifon, Attune
Sonova
Sonova is a Swiss manufacturer and holds 24% of the global hearing aid market in terms of sales.
- Hearing Aid Brands: Lyric, Unitron, Kirkland (for Costco), Amplifon (for Amplifon), Phonak
- Other Brands: Sennheiser
- Retail Clinics: Connect Hearing, Blamey Saunders Hears
GN
In Denmark yet again for the Great Northern Telegraph Company, as GN was called when founded in 1869. GN expanded its hearing health offering in 2000 when it acquired Jabra.
Starkey
Starkey Hearing Technologies is an American privately owned company based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, that makes hearing aids and is one of the largest hearing aid manufacturers in the world. As of 2019, the company had more than 5,000 employees in 24 facilities, serving more than 100 markets worldwide.
- Hearing Aid Brands: Starkey
- Retail Clinics: iHear
Other brands and organisations
Here, we have only looked at vertically integrated organisations with retail outlets for their products in Australia. Other brands and products are in the market, including several new entries and single-brand manufacturers. These include brands we already know of in Australia and more we may hear of soon if they expand into our market:
Also on the map are cochlear implant manufacturers and brands, including Cochlear and Medel.
We’ll keep an eye out for any updates and reflect those in this article as they happen.
