For today’s prosumer audio brands, success is often determined by a combination of calibre, consistency and craftsmanship. When people assess their products, they usually focus on what comes “out of the box” – technical factors such as core acoustic or performance characteristics. But what often gets overlooked is the box itself.
For over a decade, Ryder’s team has worked closely with leading audio brands to build cabinets that meet both acoustic and visual expectations. These highly specific components are a mixture of performance and perception. And by keeping wood cabinet production in-house, Ryder offers audio brands a shorter lead time, greater control and the accountability of a single supplier.
An end-to-end production process
At Ryder, we have developed a fully integrated cabinet workshop that handles everything from raw materials through to final packaging. It’s a setup that allows us to be hands-on throughout the entire process. It also makes us one of the few EMS firms to have in-house capabilities in cutting, CNC, polishing, Tolexing or Polyurea painting, assembly and inspection.
Whether our customers have their own exceptional acoustic engineering capabilities, bring their own cabinet designs or they need us to design the cabinet, we can help ensure that the final product is production-ready. We work with acoustic engineers to refine design – whether that’s providing feedback on structure, selecting materials or determining the most effective assembly methods. We also use our own Sound Pressure Level (SPL) chamber to help validate design decisions before anything moves into production.
Material and process optimisation
Wood is a critical resource within our cabinet production process, and we carefully select the right examples not just for cosmetic value, but of course also to maximise acoustic performance. We use trusted suppliers who understand the demands of audio cabinets, while also appreciating the need for consistency, traceability and sustainability. Everything we source also goes through rigorous quality control to ensure stability and avoid defects.
But cabinet production is not reliant on wood alone. We are also highly experienced in the use of vinyl / leather, metal and Polyurea paint, integrating in-house sewing and plastic specialisms. Our mixture of automation and traditional craftsmanship optimises production efficiency, while delivering consistently high-quality outputs – and managing the whole process against timelines and cost parameters required by our customers.
We have built our audio production lines to be scalable. For high-mix, low-volume runs, we use agile, batch-controlled workstations with skilful hand-finishing and rapid changeovers. For high-volume products, our automation assures quality and scalability. Ultimately we make the process easy for our customers; whether we are producing their flagship models or niche, high-end professional-grade products, we guarantee consistent quality and on-time delivery.
Success in partnership
We are always energised by forming great partnerships with our customers – and longevity of relationships is a core part of our business model. From material sourcing to acoustic tuning, Ryder integrates a comprehensive range of services that are not always available from an EMS. And we know from our customers that the ability to go from concept to final product with one partner, without compromising on either quality or timing, is a significant strategic advantage.
