Plantronics, Inc. operates as a leading global communications technology company that designs, manufactures, and markets integrated communications and collaboration solutions for professionals.
The company offers a comprehensive selection of premium audio and video products designed to work in an era where work is no longer a place and enterprise work forces are increasingly distributed. The company’s products and services are designed and engineered to connect people with high fidelity and inc...
Plantronics, Inc. operates as a leading global communications technology company that designs, manufactures, and markets integrated communications and collaboration solutions for professionals.
The company offers a comprehensive selection of premium audio and video products designed to work in an era where work is no longer a place and enterprise work forces are increasingly distributed. The company’s products and services are designed and engineered to connect people with high fidelity and incredible clarity. They are professional-grade, easy to use, and work seamlessly with major video and audio-conferencing platforms.
The company’s major product categories are Headsets, Voice, Video, and Services. Headsets include wired and wireless communication headsets; Voice includes open Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and native ecosystem desktop phones, as well as conference room phones and speakerphones; Video includes conferencing solutions and peripherals, such as cameras, speakers, and microphones; Services includes a broad portfolio of offerings, including video interoperability, maintenance and troubleshooting support for the company’s solutions, as well as professional, hosted, and managed services that are grounded in its deep expertise aimed at helping its customers achieve their collaboration goals.
Additionally, the company’s cloud management and analytics software enables Information Technology (IT) administrators to configure and update firmware, monitor device usage, troubleshoot, and gain a deep understanding of user behavior.
All of the company’s solutions are designed to integrate seamlessly with a wide range of Unified Communications & Collaboration (UC&C), Unified Communication as a Service (UCaaS), and Video as a Service (VaaS) platforms, allowing its customers the flexibility to use the communications platform of their choice.
The company sells its products through a well-developed global network of distributors and channel partners, including value-added resellers, integrators, direct marketing resellers, and service providers, as well as through both traditional and online retailers, office supply distributors, and e-commerce channels. The company has well-established distribution channels in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific, where use of its products is widespread.
The company’s strategy is to offer best-in-class communications and collaboration solutions to meet the needs of customers ranging from the largest companies and governments in the world to individual professionals. The company leverages state-of-the-art technologies in its solutions that can be easily used with its strategic partners’ tools and communication platforms in both personal and office settings. The increased adoption of technologies, such as UC&C, Bluetooth, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Digital Signal Processing (DSP), Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT), and Video-as-a-Service (VaaS), each of which is described below, has contributed to increased demand for the company’s solutions:
UC&C is the integration of voice, data, chat, and video-based communications systems enhanced with software applications and Internet Protocol (IP) networks. It includes more traditional unified communications consisting of on-premise IP telephony, such as e-mail, instant messaging, presence information, audio and video conferencing, and unified messaging; and more modern team collaboration consisting of cloud-based persistent chat and team workspaces, integrated UC and application integrations, as well as browser-based online meetings consisting of integrated audio, video, and web conferencing. UC&C seeks to provide seamless connectivity and user experience for enterprise workers regardless of their location and environment, improving overall business efficiency and providing more effective collaboration among an increasingly distributed workforce.
Bluetooth wireless technology is a short-range communications protocol intended to replace the cables connecting portable and fixed devices while maintaining high levels of security. The Bluetooth specification defines a uniform structure for a wide range of devices to connect and communicate with each other. Bluetooth standard has achieved global acceptance such that any Bluetooth enabled device, almost anywhere in the world, can connect to other Bluetooth enabled devices in proximity.
VoIP is a technology that allows a person to communicate using a broadband internet connection instead of a regular (or analog) telephone line. VoIP converts the voice signal into a digital signal that travels over the internet or other packet-switched networks and then converts it back at the other end so that the caller can speak to anyone with another VoIP connection or a regular (or analog) phone line.
DSP is a technology that delivers acoustic protection and optimal sound quality through noise reduction, echo cancellation, and other algorithms which improve transmission quality.
DECT is a wireless communications technology that optimizes audio quality, lowers interference with other wireless devices, and digitally encrypts communication for heightened call security.
Video as a Service (VaaS) is the delivery of multiparty, or point-to-point, videoconferencing capabilities over an IP network by a managed service provider.
Segments
The company operates through two segments, Products and Services.
Product segment
Products segment includes the Headsets, Voice, and Video product lines. The company’s audio and video solutions are designed to meet the needs of individuals in home offices (from front-line staff to executives), open offices workspaces (such as cubicles for knowledge workers and contact centers), meeting rooms (from huddle rooms to boardrooms), mobile workers (using laptops, mobile phones, and tablets in or out of the office), back-offices (for management, monitoring and analytics of its systems), and other highly specialized applications, such as tele-medicine, tele-education, and remote management.
The company serves these markets through its product categories listed below:
Headsets - Within the company’s Headsets category, it offers a broad range of solutions, including corded and wireless versions, stereo and mono, with or without active noise cancellation, and connection options, such as USB, Bluetooth, and DECT. The company’s headsets are ergonomically designed to allow users to wear them for many hours without fatigue or discomfort. Certain models have incorporated advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning software to provide features, such as acoustic fencing and noise blocking capabilities.
Voice – The company’s Voice portfolio include open SIP desktop phones, conference phones, and personal speakerphones. The company’s certified Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Google desktop phones deliver a native experience that fully-integrates with each platform’s collaboration features. The company’s desktop phones provide crystal-clear voice quality to users regardless of location. The Trio line of conference phones is a collaboration hub that has a modular approach to high quality audio, video and content sharing solution for rooms of all sizes. Audio-only versions of the Trio are available in multiple sizes and price points. Trio supports native Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business interfaces, as well as connectivity to multiple popular voice and video platforms.
Video - The company’s Video portfolio consists of its new Studio P Series, a family of professional-grade personal video devices for remote work, the Studio USB video bar for small room deployments, the Studio X video bars and G7500, which share a common Poly platform and can run native applications, like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google, without the need for an external PC. These video solutions represent a complete portfolio designed to meet the needs of workers and information technology (IT) administrators configuring solutions for a variety of applications from the home office to the boardroom. In addition, the company continues to sell its RealPresence Group Series solutions, a portfolio of high-performance, integrator-ready video conferencing systems that also power its immersive telepresence video conferencing systems.
For customers that prefer on-premises video infrastructure, the company’s RealPresence Clariti solution is a powerful collaboration software platform through which customers can host audio, video, and content collaboration sessions connecting any device from anywhere. The platform also provides best-in-class interoperability, allowing any standards-based device to connect into Microsoft Teams without having to be replaced.
Services segment
Services segment includes maintenance support on hardware devices, as well as professional, managed, and cloud services and solutions. Poly offers a complete suite of services that are designed to ensure the company’s customers and partners can make their modern communications equipment work seamlessly. The company’s full range of service solutions include professional, managed, and cloud services. The company’s customers can mix and match different service levels to have the right level of assistance and expertise where and when needed. The company provides these services directly, as well as through its channel partners globally. Poly’s services smooth the critical path of the company’s customers' business processes, helping it forge stronger customer relationships. The company’s services solutions help its customers achieve their business goals, maximize their use of communications and collaboration solutions to enable employee productivity, and deliver a differentiated customer experience.
Support Services - In order to keep UC&C solutions operating continuously, Poly provides maintenance services that include technical assistance center support, software upgrades and updates, parts exchange, on-site assistance, and direct access to engineers for real-time resolution. The company also offers an online support portal for customers and a support community where customers can share information and access support 24 hours a day.
Professional Services - Poly’s full suite of professional services enables customers to effectively plan, deploy, and optimize their communications solutions in a UC&C environment. With Poly’s offerings, the company and its channel partners help customers each step of the way to more effectively leverage UC&C solutions to transform their businesses.
Managed Services - The company’s managed services help customers maximize their collaboration investments. Working directly with customers or with the company’s partners to jointly deliver services, its offerings allow customers to outsource day-to-day technology management responsibilities to its team of experts who can provide turn-key solutions as a strategic method to improve operations and accelerate a return on technology investments.
Cloud Services - The company’s cloud services enable IT administrators to configure devices in advance, monitor during usage, troubleshoot, and perform quick updates. Poly Lens is the company’s next generation cloud-based service that combines seamless management and updating tools with powerful insight into how Poly devices are being used to offer greater control and visibility to IT departments. Poly Lens supports the Poly G7500 and Studio X family of video bars, Studio P Series of personal video devices, Sync family of personal speakerphones, VVX and CCX families of desktop phones, Trio C60 conference phone, as well as a variety of popular headsets.
Training Services - On-going training services for those customers and partners who prefer to self-manage their deployments.
Competition
The company competes broadly in the UC&C market, where it has multiple competitors (depending on the product line) on a global basis. These competitors include Avaya Inc.; Aver Information, Inc.; Cisco Systems, Inc.; DTEN; EPOS Group A/S; GN Group; Grandstream Networks, Inc.; Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.; Huddly; Logitech International S.A.; Neatframe, Inc.; Vaddio, LLC; Yamaha Corporation/Revolabs, Inc.; Yealink Network Technology Co. Ltd.; and others.
Sales and Distribution
The company maintains a worldwide sales force to provide ongoing global customer support and service. To support its partners in the enterprise market and their customers' needs, the company has well-established, two-tiered distribution networks.
The company’s global channel network includes enterprise distributors, direct and indirect resellers, retailers, network and systems integrators, service providers, wireless carriers, and mass merchants. The company’s global channel network resells its commercial headsets, voice, and video endpoint products and related solutions and services.
In addition, the company has built a strong foundation of alliance partners, which allow existing and future distribution and reseller partners to sell into Microsoft, Zoom, Google, and other service provider environments. The company’s commercial distribution channel maintains an inventory of its products. The company’s distribution of specialty products includes retail, government programs, customer service, hospitality, and healthcare professionals. Poly branded headsets are sold through retailers to corporate customers, small businesses, and individuals who use them for a variety of personal and professional purposes.
The company’s commercial distributors and retailers represent its first and second largest sales channels in terms of total net revenues, respectively. Two customers, Ingram Micro Group and ScanSource, accounted for 25.0% and 18.4%, respectively, of total net revenues for the year ended April 2, 2022.
Intellectual Property
As of April 2, 2022, the company had over 2,000 worldwide utility and design patents in force, expiring between calendar years 2022 and 2047. The company owns trademark registrations in the U.S. and in a number of other countries, as well as the names of many of its products and product features. The company has pending and issued U.S. and foreign trademark applications in connection with its Poly brand name and certain new products and product features.
Governmental Regulations
The company is subject to various domestic and international anti-corruption laws, such as the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the U.K. Bribery Act, as well as other similar anti-bribery and anti-kickback laws and regulations. The company is subject to provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act intended to improve transparency and accountability concerning the supply of certain minerals originating from the conflict zones of the Democratic Republic of the Congo or adjoining countries.
The company is also subject to laws and regulations governing data privacy in the U.S. and other jurisdictions, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union. The company’s customers can use certain of its product offerings that provide product management and analytics, such as Poly Lens that collect, use, and store certain personally identifiable information (PII) regarding a variety of individuals in connection with their operations.
In addition to environmental and worker safety regulations, the company is subject to regulation by numerous other governmental regulatory agencies, including the U.S. Department of Labor and other state, local, and international bodies regulating worker rights and labor conditions. Regulations limiting or banning sales from or into certain countries, including China, or to certain companies, have impacted the company’s ability to transact business. The company is subject to the regulations of the U.S. and certain other jurisdictions in selling or shipping its products and technology outside the U.S. and to foreign nationals, including tariffs, trade protection measures, import or export licensing requirements, sanctions, and other trade barriers, such as the U.S. Export Administration regulations and Entity List restrictions imposed by the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
In this regard, the U.S. government imposed significant new tariffs on China related to the importation of certain product categories following the U.S. Trade Representative’s Section 301 investigation. In addition, effective June 29, 2020, BIS tightened export controls with respect to goods, software, and technology, including increasing the licensing requirements and due diligence expectations that apply to trade with, China, Russia, and Venezuela, when military end users or military end uses are involved.
Environmental and Climate Change
The company is subject to various federal, state, local, and foreign environmental laws and regulations, including those regulations that are administered by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and other regulations governing the use, discharge, and disposal of hazardous substances in the ordinary course of its manufacturing process.
The company is required to comply, and is compliance, with the European Union and other Directives on the Restrictions of the use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (RoHS) and on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) requirements. Additionally, the company is in compliant with the Restrictions of the use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (RoHS) initiatives in China and Korea.
History
Plantronics, Inc. was founded in 1961. The company was incorporated in the state of Delaware in 1961.
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