Acquisition · Musical instruments
Roland buys acoustic drum maker Drum Workshop for about ¥9.25 billion
- Buyer
- Roland (Hamamatsu, Shizuoka)
- Target
- Drum Workshop (DW), Oxnard, California
- Value
- About ¥9.25B (about $65M)
- Status
- Completed October 2022.
- Date
- 2022-09-12
Electronic instrument maker Roland agreed to buy all of Drum Workshop, a California maker of acoustic drums founded in 1976 whose brands include DW, PDP, Latin Percussion, Gretsch Drums and Slingerland. Roland put the price at about ¥9.25 billion in its Japanese filing. DW's founders and CEO stayed on to run it as a separate business.
Why it matters
Roland, strong in electronic drums, gained top acoustic brands and plans hybrid drums that combine the two.
About DW
Drum Workshop is based in Oxnard, California, and its drums are used in more than 60 countries. It had sales of about ¥9.03 billion and an operating profit of about ¥447 million, so Roland paid roughly one year's sales. Chief executive Chris Lombardi and co-founders Don Lombardi and John Good kept their roles.
Electronic meets acoustic
Roland is known for its V-Drums electronic kits and had recently launched the V-Drums Acoustic Design series, which looks like an acoustic kit. Roland chief executive Gordon Raison said DW "stands distinctly apart" in acoustic drums and that Roland would support it in doing what it does best.
Sources
Kakehashi M&A News home
