The Soundown Corporation of Salem, Massachusetts, the worldwide leader in noise and vibration control engineering, has acquired The Evolution Company of Rockland, Maine. Evolution is best known for their Evolution Shaft Systems, a set of components for marine vessels. These oil bath shaft systems encase propeller shafts in an oil-lubricated enclosure, which improves efficiency and reduces the whining sound often produced by high torque.
Soundown has worked with Evolution for decades, often recommending their shaft systems to customers whose vessels are suffering from grinding or whining sound pollution produced by their shaft systems. “Evolution makes a really solid solution. Over the years, they’ve become our go-to choice for reducing noise pollution in the shaft system,” says audio engineer Sam Smullin of Soundown. “Since it’s our mission to reduce noise as much as possible, whenever possible, it made sense for us to form a closer relationship with Evolution.”
The acquisition will enable Soundown to share the latest developments in manufacturing techniques and audio engineering knowledge, and combine them with Evolution’s proven hardware and long-standing reputation for quality and attention to detail.
“We’re very excited about the possibilities, going forward, to create seamless integration and the ideal solutions for our customers,” says Smullin. “This is an exciting evolution for both of our companies.” Evolution will continue to produce the products it’s known for, including the EMSS (Evolution Marine Shaft System), the Shaft Razor rope cutter, the Evolution Flexible Shaft Coupling, and more.