MartinLogan Ltd., a Lawrence-based designer and maker of high-end audio speakers, is moving its on-site production work to a larger plant in Canada, a move that will eliminate 12 jobs in Lawrence.

MartinLogan will retain its distribution, sales, marketing, product development, quality control, accounting and warranty-repair functions in Lawrence, where the company now employs 50 people at a complex at 2101 Del.

Employees losing their jobs will be production personnel. The move is expected to take effect March 26, with production handled by a sister company in Mississauga, Ontario, a town on the northwestern edge of Lake Ontario.

“Based on current economic conditions, we are taking steps to make sure that MartinLogan remains a viable, ongoing concern,” said Tim Valters, the company’s president and CEO.

Sue Agnitsch, MartinLogan’s vice president for finance, said that employees were told of the production consolidation during meetings Thursday.

MartinLogan has been in Lawrence since 1982, with the creation of Gayle Sanders and Ron Sutherland designing and building electrostatic loudspeakers for discerning customers — including notable musicians like Lenny Kravitz and sports superstars including Albert Pujols.

Today, the business is owned by ShoreView Industries, and its products range from home-theater speakers sold in select Best Buy locations to the electrostatic equipment that ranges from $2,000 to $50,000 per pair.

MartinLogan’s sales during the past six months are up 25 percent from the comparable six months a year earlier, said dean Tassio, the company’s senior vice president for sales and marketing. And, helped by the launch of a new line of home-theater speakers, MartinLogan expects record sales this year.