30 l April 2014
www.psneurope.com
livereport
I’m responsible for a group of sales companies – and we need to expand this into other countries. It’s not even a wish; it’s a necessity.” What then, of the Synco
Marcel Albers: renewing Synco base
We’re on top of that with the best possible people. This is where I have two hats on – I’m a distributor in a market, and
Network? Founded by Heuves, the idea behind the Synco Network was a novelty in the live entertainment industry at the time: partners were offered a ‘plug-and-play’ PA package – amplifiers, cables, rigging – with guaranteed compatibility should the need arise to source extra kit from partners within the network. Today, the idea of a plug-and-
play system is widely embraced by several big-name PA
CHANGING TIDE AT ATLANTIC AUDIO
IN NOVEMBER 2013, former Atlantic Audio MD Wolfgang Garçon formed a new distribution company, United-B, and immediately added Martin Audio, DiGiCo, MC2 and XTA to its roster – all previously with Atlantic Audio. Commenting on the future of the distribution company, whose absence was notable at this year’s Prolight + Sound in Frankfurt, CEO Dick van Berkum told PSNEurope: “We decided in November [2013] to close Atlantic Audio. Since we still have clients in Germany that want to work together with us, we will be starting business up again in Germany – but from scratch with Peter [de Fouw]. He has a lot of experience in international business so we are looking at the
possibilities of starting over. That will take some time, but at the moment we are working on it.”
For his part, de Fouw sees a silver lining in having to scale back the company’s German sales operations: “Seeing how the crisis hit the markets, the right decision was made to focus on the core businesses and to run the business from the Dutch HQ. Now that the organisation is back on track, we can start looking forward,” he says. “The decision to close down our German operation gave us the time and the means to re-energise the healthy parts of our operation. We are now well-organised and in good enough shape to look forward again.”
manufacturers. “It shows that the concept was a good one,” says Heuves – still a shareholder of the Ampco Flashlight Group, and currently acting as a consultant to the business – with a smile. “There’s not much sense in
repeating that kind of concept because it’s already there, so that changes the whole idea of the Synco network. It is a challenge to figure out how to move on from that and give the partners the support [the Ampco Flashlight Group] gave them as the locomotive of the Synco Network.” Enter Marcel Albers, who joined the Ampco Flashlight Group as Synco’s commercial director in January 2010. “I stepped down from the idea two years ago that Synco is only about boxes,” he says. “Synco should be a state- of-the-art network of PA companies that work together. The work can be handled by our own equipment, but also by other equipment. More importantly, [network
Peter de Fouw: looking forward
companies] have to try to act as a group and develop their people – educate them, have them work together and do their marketing together, then you build a state- of-the-art network. That’s the philosophy behind the idea.” Currently, Albers is still in
the process of renewing the network and the development of products. “Synco was a novelty in the live entertainment industry, and we will keep on developing future Synco products. These new products will be innovative niche audio products for the benefit of the Ampco Flashlight Group and the network partners.” Just one of many next steps
ahead for both the Synco Network and the Ampco Flashlight Group, whose team of directors all share a common goal (as described by Albers): “We have the philosophy of co- operating closely with other European companies, working together, expanding the existing network and being a solid competitor in other markets.”
www.ampco-flashlight.com
Massively successful DJ Afrojack played a huge show at the Heineken Music Hall in Holland during ‘The Amsterdam Dance Event 2013’. Ampco Flashlight was once again responsible for the whole package: audio, lights, rigging and video
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