TRAINING IN AARHUS AT MARTIN HQ

Electrosonic SA’s Suren Lutchman (Entertainment Lighting Technical Sales & Support) recently went on a Martin Professional training trip to Denmark and the Czech Republic. This is what he had to say.

Martin Professional:

The week began on Monday 8 September at Martin Professional’s HQ in Aarhus, Denmark’s second largest city and the country’s main port. There were attendees from all over Europe as well as from Japan and Singapore. The day’s training session kicked off with an introductory talk by Henrik Christensen, the new manager for Martin’s service team, which consists of eight people. Henrik mentioned that in the future Martin will focus more on training, and I discussed with him the possibility of getting some of his trainers to come out to South Africa.

After Henrik’s introduction Chris Walker, of JEM, took us through some of their smoke products. Chris explained that JEM are narrowing their focus to smoke, and smoke machines, and this has helped them make huge inroads into the American market. After lunch Kris Van Hullebusch, R&D, talked about Martin’s aim to improve their service, and to this end they are looking at appointing a permanent person at HQ to handle controller support. Both sessions were pretty intense with loads of information crammed in.

On Tuesday we were given introductory training to service procedures; we looked at DMX and RDM; and also focussed on video products. Martin will be launching some new LED video products, and a P3 controller, at LDI in Las Vegas. What struck me about the Martin video and LED products is the way they are calibrated. It's also worth noting that even after a few years you can send your LED products back to Martin for re-calibration.

On Wednesday we took a trip to the Happy Factory in Fredrikshavn. How many other companies have a manufacturing plant called the Happy Factory? Much thought went into the design of the factory to make it an employee-friendly workspace, hence the name. It was here that I discovered why Martin products cost a little more than competitor products: test procedures are very rigorous, and even the flight cases and cardboard boxes are dropped and shock tested. The Happy Factory produces five to eight hundred fixtures a week, and have, since its launch, sold 40 thousand AURAs and 10 thousand Vipers.

After lunch it was another two hour drive back to HQ for a historical tour of the museum and R&D testing facilities. In the evening dinner was arranged at a classy restaurant (glad I wasn’t paying), and the Italian wine flowed like lumens from a Viper (glad i stuck to beer). It was great fun, and everyone enjoyed the chance to network.

Thursday started off fairly slowly, after all the wine consumed on the previous night. So, we asked the training guys to skip most of the theory to allow us to get our hands on the hardware. We opened up the Quantum Wash, the Profile, and the Viper. The new products impressed me with their similarity in design and the ease with which one can take them apart. The Quantum Profile is a highly anticipated product, and rightly so.

On Friday, our last day in Denmark, training was focussed on the Rush products, and again we asked if they could skip the less important theoretical stuff so we could get our hands dirty. The quality of the Rush products are improving as the Martin guys spend more time at the factory, and there are some exciting new ranges being developed.

My impression of Martin is that it’s a robust and growing brand. They don’t have a huge range of products, but those that are being developed and manufactured are of the highest quality. The service guys were friendly and listened attentively to our questions. There was a suggestion that Martin sets up an FAQ web page, or forum, for service issues. They are also trying to re-launch the SWAG store. It was great putting a face to the emails and telephone calls and I look forward to hopefully seeing some of my new Martin friends in South Africa soon.

Milos Structural Systems:

The next part of my trip involved flying some 800 km to Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, to visit Milos Structural Systems. Milos started from humble beginnings, as a family business, and their ethos remains community oriented to this day. After building their factory in Rudonice, an old part of town, they were disturbed by the destruction of beautiful old buildings. They responded by buying off the entire area to conserve it. This they’ve managed to do, preserving even a farming community nearby. I’m glad for Milos, and others devoted to aesthetic preservation, because Prague is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.

My meeting with Milos’s Vladimir Hasman went really well. His main focus is certifications and new product designs; and he deals with a few regions (mainly English speaking) from a sales point. He took me on a tour of the facilities, which seemed very simple for what they produce. I expected much more automation, but instead discovered that almost everything is done by hand. It was a happy surprise to discover that craftsmanship still thrives in our cookie-cutter world.

Having acquired LITEC and TOMCAT, there are now a wide range of aluminium trussing and staging products made at the same factory. Milos have also taken over Mobiletech Lifts and will be producing three of the models, which can be used to lift trusses and PAs with limited weight ratings. There were also some interesting exhibition products. Milos are developing a small six by four roof system, which will need only two people to set up. And they are also updating their product guide. Vladimir was very open to my suggestions on their products, and he’s keen to grow the Milos brand in South Africa.

It was a truly amazing experience visiting Denmark and the Czech Republic. Not only did I visit interesting and beautiful places, but I also got to network with fun and fascinating people from different countries. With brands like Martin and Milos behind us, Electrosonic SA can only go from strength to strength.