THINK ABELE
COMPCOMPANY
YEARS OF MOTION
GERMANY
Kinetic solutions specialist, Think Abele, are set to mark a major
milestone next year, when founder Andrew Abele and his team
celebrate the company’s 25th anniversary.
Think Abele is most well known for being the exclusive distributor
of Movecat equipment worldwide. Based near Stuttgart in
Nufringen, Germany, Think Abele actually began as a supplier of
equipment to the entertainment industry before developing into a
system house for audio visual equipment, with the focus on tailor-
made special solutions satisfying very high standards in terms of
both quality and safety. Solutions of this kind from Think Abele
can be found in places such as the Saxon State Opera in Dresden
and the spectacular new national opera house in Oslo, Norway.
After 10 years of experience in the industry, Think Abele began
the development and production of its own devices: chain hoists
from Movecat with load-bearing capacities ranging from 125 to
6,000 kilograms and the requisite controllers. Movecat is Think
Abele’s own brand; its products are developed and manufactured
exclusively at the company headquarters. Movecat’s product
Founder Andrew Abele
range includes modular kinetic solutions both for classic BGV D8
rigging, BGV C1 applications in theatres, studios, multi-function
halls, and for events, and D8 Plus hoists and controllers. With this
line up, Movecat can offer a complete solution for every area of
application, allowing users to assemble from drives, controllers or
cables, to create a perfectly functioning system that has been fully
tested in practice.
Compliance with the highest safety and environmental regulations
is an indispensible Movecat standard. Among the most interesting
aspects of the intelligent systems are safety-relevant features that
bring the devices into compliance with DIN EN 61508 SIL1-SIL3,
which in their maximum implementation, allows them to be used
for the movement of loads over the heads of people, without
special authorisation needing to be sought - thereby obviating a it possible to extend systems in line with changing needs without
time consuming and often expensive process. undertaking radical changes or needing to replace components.
It is also possible to integrate the equipment seamlessly into pre- The utility of the standard hardware can be enhanced and
existing systems, as well as control additional drives for things such extended through the integration of carefully considered special
as podiums, screens, personal flying gear, rotating platforms and solutions such as load measurement systems, trolleys that can be
curtains. An important advantage from the user’s point of view positioned with ease and precision, and both fixed and variable-
is the function compatibility of the systems which embraces both speed drives - the latter offering speeds variable from zero to up
their fundamental structure and their user ergonomics, making to 42 metres per minute. Think Abele also offers maintenance
contracts and UVV testing for kinetic equipment to its customers.
Think Abele headquarters in Movecat’s new Touring Racks are the latest addition to the range.
Nufringen, Germany
‘All-in-One’ was the watchword of the product developers, who
worked closely with a number of major rigging companies in their
development. Each compact rack accommodates not only the
controller itself, but also the control panel and power station. The
features of the new Touring Racks include automatic phase and
rotating field detection and switching, up and down master run
with only one switch, illuminated display of all operating conditions,
and the possibility of connecting external enabling switches. Up
to 256 drives can be linked into one network, which represents
a considerably more affordable solution than the corresponding
number of individual controllers.
Think Abele has also recently founded the Movecat Academy to
provide qualified support and the requisite know-how for users
and operators of motorised lifting gear. The establishment of this
institution was predicated on the ever steepening legal obligations
applicable to the upkeep and operation of technical equipment,
which stem from a plethora of guidelines and regulations
promulgated by a wide range of institutions. The current
programme of seminars offered by Movecat Academy is available
for download from its website.
090 January / February 2010
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