Demant A/S is a Danish multinational company involved with

hearing Hearing, or auditory perception, is the ability to perceive sounds through an organ, such as an ear, by detecting vibrations as periodic changes in the pressure of a surrounding medium. The academic field concerned with hearing is auditory sci ...

care,

hearing aid A hearing aid is a device designed to improve hearing by making sound audible to a person with hearing loss. Hearing aids are classified as medical devices in most countries, and regulated by the respective regulations. Small audio amplifiers ...

s, audiometric equipment and personal communication devices.

History

The business was founded in 1904 by Hans Demant, under the name Oticon. After his death in 1910, his son William Demant took over. Already before

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Oticon increased its sales volume to cover

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

and

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

. In the twenties and thirties, a network of agents was established in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Oticon started its own production due to the scarcity of goods from other countries. In 1957, William and his wife Ida Emilie donated the Demant family's shares in the company to the Oticon Foundation, which is now called the William Demant Foundation. The Foundation's general aim is charity, with particular emphasis on helping people with a hearing impairment, and the Foundation is the main

shareholder A shareholder (in the United States often referred to as stockholder) of corporate stock refers to an individual or legal entity (such as another corporation, a body politic, a trust or partnership) that is registered by the corporation as the ...

in the company, with a stake of app. 61%. During the 1990s, the company expanded further, buying the

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

hearing aid manufacturer Bernafon, Phonic Ear, the headset manufacturer DanaCom and Interacoustics. In 1995, the company was listed on the

Copenhagen Stock Exchange The Nasdaq Copenhagen, formerly known as the Copenhagen Stock Exchange (), is an international marketplace for Danish securities, including shares, bonds, treasury bills and notes, and financial futures and options. Nasdaq Copenhagen is on ...

. In 1997, it was decided to change the name of the company from Oticon Holding A/S to William Demant Holding A/S, because it was considered disadvantageous to use the same name for both the corporate group and for one of its businesses. In 2019, the company changed its name to Demant A/S. In February 2017, it was announced that then-President and

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

Niels Jacobsen would step down after 25 years in charge of the company. Instead, he would become CEO of William Demant Invest A/S. , the company has been led by President and CEO Søren Nielsen and by board

chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

Niels B. Christiansen. Demant is headquartered in Smørum (northwest of

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

) and had sales of DKK 13.9 billion in 2018. In April 2022, Demant announced it had agreed to sell Oticon Medical to Australian company

Cochlear Limited Cochlear is a medical device company that designs, manufactures, and supplies the Nucleus cochlear implant, the Hybrid Electric acoustic stimulation, electro-acoustic implant and the Bone anchored hearing aid, Baha bone conduction implant. Bas ...

for DKK850 million and would exit the hearing implant business. In June 2022, Demant acquired Chinese retailer ShengWang at a cost of RMB 1.8 billion. In November 2022, Demant acquired Japanese retailer MTHA.

Business units

The company focuses on these business units: ; Hearing aids : Oticon, Bernafon, Sonic Innovations, Neurelec (

cochlear implant A cochlear implant (CI) is a surgically implanted Neuroprosthetics, neuroprosthesis that provides a person who has moderate-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss with sound perception. With the help of therapy, cochlear implants may allow for imp ...

s, being divested) and Oticon Medical (bone anchored hearing aids) sold to Australian company

for DKK850 million. ; Audiologist / Hearing aid sales : Audika (Australia, Germany, Denmark, France, Hungary, Italy, New Zealand, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland) : Telex (Brazil) : HearingLife (Canada, United States) : SWTL (China) : Acoustica Medica (Greece, Portugal) : Hidden Hearing (Ireland, United Kingdom) : MTHA (Japan) : Hearing Partners (Malaysia, Singapore) : Van Boxtel (Luxembourg) : Idis (Turkey) : Medton-Hedim (Israel) ; Diagnostic instruments
Maico DiagnosticsInteracousticsAmplivoxGrason-StadlerMedRx, Inc.
AudioScan
an
Inventis
; Personal communication : Phonic Ear, Sennheiser Communications (defunct)
EPOS
; Instrument dealers : Gordon Stowe & Associates Inc., Northeastern Technologies Group Inc., Midlantic Technologies Group Inc.

References

External links

* {{authority control Health care companies of Denmark Electronics companies of Denmark Otorhinolaryngology organizations Companies listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen Companies in the OMX Copenhagen 25 Danish companies established in 1904 Danish brands Companies based in Egedal Municipality Technology companies based in Copenhagen Health care companies established in 1904 Hearing aid manufacturers