COMPANY 149
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1. The Robe factory in Valasske Mezirici. 2. All moving heads are assembled by hand. 3. Products in the warehouse, packed and ready for shipping. 4. Owners Josef Valchar and Ladislav Petrek. 5. The on-site showroom where customers can see Robe products in action. 6. The production line. 7. After assembly all Robe fi xtures are throughoutly tested.
sidiaries in the UK, USA and UAE plus sales offi ces in Russia, Uruguay and Singapore. Along with expansion on a global level, Robe’s factory in Valasske Mezirici, Czech Republic, has also under- gone various renovations over the years, which has resulted in an all-in-one facility. “We try to manufac- turer most of the components in our factory, we have our own PCB production, plastic production, metal production and most recently we’ve installed our own powder coating line, which is now fully operational,” explained Josef.
R&D is also in-house, so all the mechanical, optical, software and PCB designs are carried out by the R&D team to ensure that all new products remain top secret until their launch date.
Having every aspect of the manufacturing line on-site allows Robe to have full control of pricing, quality and delivery times. “Because we make everything in the factory we can prioritise what to do fi rst, what to do second,” said Josef. “Companies that have to use sub- contractors can’t always adapt to market demand and that’s becoming more important these days because nobody wants to wait for products, they want it now, tomorrow is late.” Robe’s product development has been consistent over the years, with regular new releases and additions to existing product series. Possibly one of the company’s
landmark products is the 250 SpotXT - launched in 1999 - which until more recently had been Robe’s best selling product. Robe invested serious time and effort bringing the Robin LEDWash Series and the Robin DL Series to market between 2009 and 2011 and when the Robin LEDWash 600 was launched it quickly took over the top spot of the best selling product ever in the company’s history. Early predictions are that even these remarkable fi gures could be overtaken with the launch of Pointe earlier this year.
The introduction of Pointe at Prolight+Sound, Frank- furt topped off a spectacular 12 months for Robe, the company’s most successful year to date. The Pointe was the result of extensive customer feedback which indicated the demand for a multipurpose fi xture that was small, compact, lightweight and eco-friendly. This is already extending the company’s success in 2013 which is on track to increase its previous turn- over once again.
Josef said: “The Pointe has already gone way beyond our expectations. This light is not a one-trick-pony, it’s a complex product that combines spot, wash, beam and effects all-in-one fi xture. It gives customers the opportunity to use it in so many different applications. It can do all types of events - concerts, theatre, TV and installations.”
Alongside development of new products, over the
last four years, Robe was integrally involved with the planning of the prestigious Showlight lighting industry event in May 2013, for which it was host and co-or- ganiser. The conference takes place once every four years in a different location. “We are very very proud that we could host the event in the Czech Republic and we chose the location very carefully,” explained Josef. “When I was thinking of the right place, Cesky Krumlov immediately sprung to mind. There were many factors, the place itself is beautiful, it’s like a little Prague, everything is within walking distance, you can actually walk across the city in a matter of minutes. It is home to an impressive authentic Baroque Theatre, the Castle and an open air theatre with revolving auditorium, all very beautiful things that you don’t often fi nd in one place.”
Robe also saw this as a chance to introduce those from the lighting world to the Czech Republic. “Many people used the opportunity to visit our factory after the conference to see how we manufacture our products and also experience the lifestyle and culture. I think it was a big eye opener for many people who came to the Czech Republic and especially to Cesky Krumlov,” said Josef. “We’d be happy to host Showlight in the Czech Repub- lic again in 2017,” he added with a cheeky smile.
www.robe.cz
www.mondodr.com
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