Rumors have been circling since the end of September reporting “AKG shutting down.” Well, let us set the record straight. This is false.
AKG Shutting Down is Just a Rumor
The truth of the matter is AKG is shutting down one factory. However, the factory to be striped down is AKG’s Austrian headquarters in Vienna. The branch which has been around for nearly 70 years, will be laying off employees through June 2017. Â It is reported 131 employees will be affected. According to derStandard.at, “parent company Harman says it was a difficult decision that they were forced to make due to tough competition in the audio market” and “R&D teams that developed their products will not be retained by Harman.”
derStandard.at went on to add, “Many people said that AKG’s consumer products dropped in quality after production moved to China in 2009. Now the pro line (including favorites like the K700 headphones) might do the same.”
The affected employees, many of which are said to be over 50 years old, will receive the best possible severance package the company can provide as stated by Barbara Teibel, Viennese Regional Manager of the responsible trade union of private employees and SPÖ.
While this is still terrible news for the AKG Vienna branch employees, at least fans of the long-time manufacturer of headphones and professional studio and performance equipment can rest assure that their beloved AKG is still in business and “AKG shutting down” is nothing but a rumor.
