WINDCRAFT INTERVIEW
Wind beneath their distribution wing. Jon (left) and David Dawkes.
“
Quality control is a vital part of the Windcraft service.
We are more compatible with retailers that want to get behind a product or a brand - Jon Dawkes
get right, but the mid-range and pro instruments have to be absolutely spot on. Already the student instruments are going well, but we need more work with working musicians to get the new mid- range and pro models right.” As mentioned, Windcraft is headed up
by Jason Stretch, and he has been joined recently by former Rosehill and Yamaha man, Mark Stevenson. Their main responsibility is quality control, which is tight to say the least, taking an average 20 minutes per instrument – longer for the student models, less for the European and US models. “With our retail experience, we know a
lot of big names that don’t set up their instruments – and this is a real problem,” says Dawkes. “Some of the items come through quite unplayable. We make sure each instrument is playable. From this experience, we can now make sure that each of our instruments is properly set up and ready to play. It shouldn’t be the shops’ responsibility to do this.” Having spent time getting the new instruments to carefully selected dealers in the UK, the next step was to reach out into Europe – and the best place to do this is Musikmesse, of course. While not exactly Frankfurt virgins – Windcraft last exhibited 13 years ago as the representative of a tool brand – there was still a palpable sense that the team was determined to get its stand just right. Again joining forces with the Hughes
www.mi-pro.co.uk
Partnership, the company had a repairs bench on the stand so people could see the team in action, whether that was technical drawing and R&D, repairs, maintenance or any other processes. “We’ve been working with the Hughes Partnership as our sales agent and we shared a stand with them,” he explains. “Alun was extremely supportive when dad died – he gave us a lot of advice and we had a lot of meetings when I was sourcing and now we are a sort of brass and woodwind solution for his export work.” The activity on the stand made for a
good talking point and created interest for the Windcraft instruments on show. And it seems to have worked. “It went really well for us,” he confirms. “We got a number of new clients as well as some old customers that came back after years. Good European exposure. We have set up about 70 new leads, most of those for the accessories and repair materials, but we have four or five new instrument dealers – and that’s why we were there.” With a success like that under
his belt, many would be thinking of getting the instruments out to an even wider audience, but Dawkes is cautious. “Places such as Mexico,
USA and Russia? Well, it’s extremely expensive to send one trumpet, so we haven’t
done too much outside Europe yet. I think if I were to set up, it would have to be the Windcraft USA model. We’ve started thinking about this, but it is very much a softly softly approach, but we are looking at it. To get product out to the States – cost-wise – we would have to have somebody there. “One of the reasons we went to Frankfurt was to find dealers – not distributors. I wouldn’t mind using them if they provided some quality marketing, but generally they don’t. As a distributor, we do a lot of work before sending something out, but many are simply box shifters. In this respect, we are more compatible with retailers that want to get behind a product or a brand. I feel a little out of control with a distributor – it’s out of your hands. With dealers it’s different and we are choosing ours carefully. But the focus is very much on getting the word about the Windcraft instruments out there.” To be honest, it’s not too often one can
get excited about developments in the brass and woodwind trade, but when something like the current Windcraft plans come along, it is just as exciting as any high-tech or rock n roll operation. The impressive thing is that there is
more on the way, so Windcraft will be making waves far beyond the sedentary banks of the Thames. Actually, maybe they should move that
‘Jewel of the Thames’ sign around the corner into Reform Road.
THE RETAIL OPERATION While wanting to keep the messages as separate as possible, it is worth having a quick look at what is going on at the Maidenhead retailer, as a fair amount of work has been going on at Dawkes Music of late. The shop has undergone a complete refurbishment,
departmentalising the shop floor and making space for special rooms. Among the ‘new’ rooms is what is called a VAE room (virtual acoustic environment) usng a system made by an American company, Wenger. This room is fitted with two quality, omni- pattern microphones and a four-speaker sound system that, thanks to digital processing, delivers simulations of pretty much any space a player might find him or herself in. From a busy nightclub to an empty church, customers can check out how an instrument will sound in different environments. “It helps customers choose an instrument,” says Dawkes, “but it also works for exam practice and making recordings for auditions.”
Also ‘on show’ are the workshops, with four full-time techs working on woodwind instruments and one on the brass, all in full view of the customers.
July 2011 33
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84