The lightness of power: 30 years of Powersoft

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Italian pro-audio manufacturer Powersoft. Paul Milligan sat down with the three co-founders in Florence to explore how you grow a business, how it has met challenges and how to stay focused.

image L-R: Luca Lastrucci, Antonio Peruch, Claudio Lastrucci

ISE 2025 will be one of the first events in what will be a year-long celebration of Italian pro-audio manufacturer Powersoft turning 30 years old. The three founders started the business in a small garage in Florence, Italy, and the company’s products are now sold in more than 100 countries.

A pioneer in switched-mode technology, Powersoft mastered the design and development of a new Class-D amplifier that was able to deliver consistently reliable high power levels, which subsequently helped overturn the industry perception that switched mode power supplies were unreliable. We sat down with LucaLastrucci (co-founder and CEO), Antonio Peruch (co-founder and production engineering director and cost assessment) and Claudio Lastrucci (co-founder and R&D director) to look backover the past 30 years to discuss how to grow a business, what the biggest challenges have been,and if there is anything they would have changed.

What do you think the Powersoft name represents after 30 years?
Luca Lastrucci:
30 years ago, the name Powersoft was chosen almost as a joke. We didn’t want it to appear as an Italian name, and it had to take into account the different ‘souls’ of the founders, as well as software and power hardware. Today it still represents the technical soul of the company, but we can also give it a different meaning: lightness of power or the power of software.

How does a brand successfully build a name for itself?
Antonio Peruch:
By consistently delivering quality, both in its products and processes. This requires full control over production, a commitment to in-house manufacturing, and careful management of the entire supply chain, as exemplified by our ‘Made in Italy’ approach. Over the years, we’ve re-shored critical assembly and testing phases to reduce lead times and meet market demand more efficiently. While OEM products like amplifier modules for self-powered loudspeakers are outsourced to stay competitive, our suppliers (EMS) are true partners, with whom we invest in advanced technologies to enhance quality and automation.

What do you know now that you wish you’d known 30 yearsago when you started?
Claudio Lastrucci:
Things have been changing a lot since we started, not from a marketpoint of view, but personally speaking, because when you start you’re very young. You think the products you make for certain applications will have success in the market, and that’s not necessarily true. Sometimes you have to blend good ideas with the demands of the markets, sometimes the market doesn’t know what it will need in the next 10 years. We’ve had some examples of products that gained popularity 15 years after they were conceived. You must be convinced what you’re doing is the right thing and has a real benefit for the market. You can’t expect what you make is going to be immediately understood.
Luca Lastrucci: I wish I’d known we would be here today, because it was not a given! Thinking and planning in the longer term and managing even complex situations, are qualities that are acquired with experience. I wish I’d had this awareness before.

What product are you the proudest of launching?
Claudio Lastrucci
: Any newproduct is like a child, they may have more or less success, but we put our heart in to every product. The first one that was really the start of us becoming successful in the market was the K Series. It coincided with us launching in the USA, it was a very strong product, and very unique compared to what was in the market at that time. It went through a long development because the company was smaller then, and it took a lot of effort, but it was all paid back.

What is the biggest challenge Powersoft has faced in 30 years?
Antonio Peruch:
One of ourbiggest has been navigating component shortages in the industry. We’ve addressed this through strategic planning, flexible engineering, and proactive investment in essential materials, ensuring production continuity even during difficult periods. Our in-house control over technologies and rapid decision-making allow us to adapt quickly, redesigning and optimising projects as needed.

How do you stay motivated to keep going after 30 years?
Luca Lastrucci:
When you do something you’re passionate about, even challenges help keep your energy up. It’s inspiring to know that your work makes a difference. It’s essential to stay curious, humble, and willing to learn. Having a team that shares these things is a huge incentive and help for me, especially in difficult times.

Is there one decision you madein the last 30 years you’d like to go back in time to change if you could?
Luca Lastrucci:
A lot of them, no doubt! We made those decisions in the past with the experience we had at that time. Fortunately, none of them had serious consequences in these years.
Claudio Lastrucci: Probably believing that whatever you produce is going to be successful immediately. Through this 30-year journey we’ve made many mistakes, but if you don’t make mistakes you don’t learn. If we hadn’t made those mistakes then we wouldn’t have learned enough to make it better, so we don’t worry about mistakes.

What was the craziest idea fora new product you had that never made it to market?
Claudio Lastrucci:
Years ago we looked at a chair or vehicle that was based on a sphere and had its own balancing system, this was way before the Segway and other vehicles that are on the market now. It was fun and got to a pretty advanced stage, but we just didn’t have enough resources to go in that direction.
Antonio Peruch: Crazy ideas have always been the foundation for developing products that drive market growth. We’ve always been thoughtful about introducing products that meet real needs or solve specific problems for our clients, as listening to them is a core part of our product development process. However, crazy ideas are plentiful, and I hope they always will be, as they are the true engine of innovation.

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