'89 '89 SAS becomes B-Tech Limited The BT26 Phono Pre-Amp sales increase in Europe New offices & warehouse opens in New Addington MPB Audio (Supreme Audio Services) changes name to B-Tech Limited '82 Launch of first video control switch BT21 Scart Control '85 Starts participating at the Olympia Live shows in London, increasing consumer exposure '86 BT16 was B-Tech's first TV mount designed for use with for 16" CRT Televisions. Later a range of 'Viewlogic' mounts was introduced to cater for larger TVs B-Tech exhibition booth and offices in the early 90s. Finding ways to relax at the weekend Martin stock car racing in his B-Tech sponsored Ford Escort Supreme Audio Service acquired Lennard Developments Ltd., Expanding the company customer base '85 At around the same time, visual devices such as camcorders and video players were entering the market. Televisions typically only had one auxiliary input which created an inconvenience when users wanted to use more than one device with their TV. My father’s solution was to design a switchbox that connected the multiple auxiliary inputs to the television, this would save the hassle of repeatedly plugging and unplugging pieces of equipment, by allowing the input to be changed with the flick of a switch. It also minimised potential damage to the plugs. With a hunger to develop additional original products, Martin visited Taiwan for the first time in 1981 to meet his supply partners. During this visit, he designed and developed the BT21 Scart Switchbox. This was quickly followed by further Scart controls such as the BT22, and then RCA/Cinch controls for non-Scart TVs. Switches and input controls for loudspeakers were also developed, including the BT12 TwoWay Speaker Control, and the BT13 for four speakers. These products would go on to become the ‘industry standard’ with many replicas being made and sold widely. The brand name given to the products he had designed was abbreviated from Bennett Technologies and became the first application of the name used in our brand today... B-Tech. As the Company moved through the 1980s it continued to expand. A key development was the acquisition of Lennard Developments in 1985. Lennard Developments was a specialist audio accessories distributor, based in Enfield, Middlesex. This acquisition allowed Martin to expand the number of products, which included a comprehensive range of record styli, cartridges, turntable belts and attachments. Among them was the Bib range of hi-fi accessories, including video headcleaner cassettes and the industry famous ‘Groov-Kleen’ record cleaner. Unbeknownst at the time, Bib would later feature heavily in the B-Tech story. B-TECH LIMITED Whilst expanding the Company operations, Martin continued his passion for designing products. After the success of the speaker brackets, he decided to venture into designing mounts for televisions, and developed the company’s first wall mount for old-style 16" CRT TVs (BT16). It was the era when households began owning a second television for use in a different room, such as the bedroom or kitchen. With limited space or shelving, the option of mounting a television on a specialist wall mount out of the way gained appeal. This development, which was quickly followed by mounts for 18”, 21” and for what was then very big, 25” televisions, would prove to be a fundamental step in the history of B-Tech. From being a generic audio-visual accessories distributor, B-Tech now also had a portfolio of original designed products, for a range of different equipment. To reflect the increased market awareness of the B-Tech brand, it was decided to change the Company name. The growing market presence created interest from established, big-name brands, who wanted to take B-Tech products on an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) private label basis. Aside from licensing some of the audio video controls to be sold in this way to companies such as Hama and Bandridge, B-Tech also reached agreements with several speaker brands to supply them on an OEM basis, including Tannoy, Panasonic and Target Hi-Fi. The collaboration with Target Hi-Fi in the 1980s led to our first foray into the North American market, with the BT1 being rebranded under the Target name and distributed by May Audio. B-Tech continued to explore any opportunities for market expansion no matter where in the world they came. Our first partner was Derek Flett, of Sherlane Agencies in Ireland, and it was not long before partners were added from Germany and Norway. In Germany’s case, it was a family hi-fi accessory business run by Thomas Barz and his father Gunther Barz, called Barz Electronic Berlin (BEB). BEB had a comprehensive range of hi-fi accessories, especially for vinyl, and Thomas had been interested in B-Tech’s latest design - the BT26 Phono Pre-Amp. THE ORIGINAL B-TECH LOGO! In 1989 MPB Audio Ltd (trading as Supreme Audio Services) became B-Tech Limited. '89 1985 saw Record Styli & Cartridges added to the B-Tech / SAS Range A BR I EF H I STORY OF B-TECH WWW.BTECHAVMOUNTS.COM INFO@BTECHAVMOUNTS.COM 8
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