Progression of a speaker company:
1) Make from OTS drivers2) Have OTS drivers tweaked.3) Have driver company manufacture to your spec.4) Buy sub-components from driver companies and assemble.5) Full turn-key
Where you are in that progression is a function of volume, margin, exclusivity (ties back to margin), and business model, both yours and of available driver companies.
OTS drivers can be excellent, but you are limited to their parameters so it can be difficult if building a product family, as large volume companies do, that is "consistent". Tweaking parameters on OTS can allow you to avoid a trade-off you really didn't want to make, or even change your cabinet size a bit for aesthetic reasons.
Building your own drivers is about differentiation, but also about controlling the margin stack, accepting less "profit" in one part of your operation to support another design decision.
If you have a high dollar high margin product, you may have more flexibility w.r.t. custom design at low volume as well.
Low cost custom MFG in Asia has changed business models as well. Where it may have made sense to bring it in-house before at a particular volume, now that volume is much higher as someone can do a somewhat full custom for you cheaper, similar to how many companies do not manufacture in house any more, at least for most subassemblies, unless really high volume.
1) Make from OTS drivers2) Have OTS drivers tweaked.3) Have driver company manufacture to your spec.4) Buy sub-components from driver companies and assemble.5) Full turn-key
Where you are in that progression is a function of volume, margin, exclusivity (ties back to margin), and business model, both yours and of available driver companies.
OTS drivers can be excellent, but you are limited to their parameters so it can be difficult if building a product family, as large volume companies do, that is "consistent". Tweaking parameters on OTS can allow you to avoid a trade-off you really didn't want to make, or even change your cabinet size a bit for aesthetic reasons.
Building your own drivers is about differentiation, but also about controlling the margin stack, accepting less "profit" in one part of your operation to support another design decision.
If you have a high dollar high margin product, you may have more flexibility w.r.t. custom design at low volume as well.
Low cost custom MFG in Asia has changed business models as well. Where it may have made sense to bring it in-house before at a particular volume, now that volume is much higher as someone can do a somewhat full custom for you cheaper, similar to how many companies do not manufacture in house any more, at least for most subassemblies, unless really high volume.