Robe is based in the Czech Republic and has wholly-owned subsidiaries in six key markets—the U.S., U.K., Middle East, Singapore (Asia Pacific), France and Germany as well as a talented regional sales management team which helps oversee and coordinate the worldwide distribution network covering over 100 countries. Robe’s moving and LED lights are working and installed on stages, in concert halls, and all types of other venues; lighting all genres of performance from music to TV to drama and opera; appearing on a myriad of diverse events as well as at theme park attractions and entering the specialist worlds of architectural and environmental illumination. On the occasion of Robe’s 30th Anniversary CEO & Co-founder, Josef Valchar shared with PLSN a bit of history and insight into one of the most innovative and dynamic manufacturers in the industry.
Tell us a bit about the start of Robe.
It was a mix of music, business and opportune timing. Ladislav Petrek and I first met in 1992—via another company—and there was an immediate synergy between us. Ladislav was a DJ who had started importing lighting effects from other European countries, which had only recently become possible. Until 1989, the Czech Republic had been a part of the Eastern European block of countries and was strongly influenced by the then USSR. Only after that communist regime collapsed was a modern ‘market economy’ introduced. Looking closer inside some of the lighting units that were available back in the early nineties, we knew that they could be designed and produced to far higher standards locally. The Czech Republic has always had a reputation for good engineers and technical skills.
I was fresh out of studying engineering at university; I really enjoyed being a communicator, had a special interest in sales, technology, and marketing, and was keen for a challenge. Ladislav and I thought about the idea of designing and producing high quality effects and lighting products that would be practical, robust, well-engineered and proudly ‘Made in the Czech Republic’. Everyone was dreaming big back then. We had a clear vision, lots of energy and the talent to make all this happen was right on our doorstep.
One of the main early challenges was getting our name out there and proving ourselves—as is often the case with start-ups. Robe was initially set up and gained some OEM manufacturing contracts for some very well-known and respected brands of the day—Steinigke in Germany, Coemar, TAS and Sagitter in Italy, Movitec in Holland, Starway in France, Elation in the USA. ‘Mr Scan’ was the first ever product sold, as a SCAN 250 via a German OEM customer in 1994. By 2002, we had the experience and the knowledge, and the manufacturing facilities and processes were all in place and running smoothly and efficiently. We also saw the success of our products being sold under other names and getting popular for their reliability and good engineering. We felt it was the right moment to move the operation—and the dream—forward. It was the next logical step to establish ourselves as a brand in our own right.
Where does the name ‘Robe’ come from?
RO—means the city of Roznov pod Radhostem (I grew up in this town), but also a river of the name BECVA which runs through the town. BE—comes from PROSTREDNI BECVA, which is the small village where Ladislav grew up. I am now living in Prostredni Becva and Ladislav in Roznov pod Radhostem, so we have switched.
What were a few milestones for Robe in the last 30 years that were pivotal to Robe’s growth in the industry?
For products, in 1999 the Spot 250 XT; in 2000 the Spot 575 XT; in 2003 the ColorSpot 1200E AT; in 2007 the ColorSpot 700E AT; and then in 2010 the LEDWash 600. The launch of the LEDWash 600 in 2010 was a ‘watershed’. It wasn’t the first LED wash light, BUT hand on heart, I can say it was the best. That really was a transitional moment for Robe. We corrected many of the issues that had been present in the first generation of moving LED wash lights released by others. We waited and were patient.
In 2013 the Pointe was also a big landmark—it was the first truly multifunctional moving light that performed all the different functions / modes really well. It kicked open numerous doors and still does today. Then in 2014 the BMFL series. This was a real defining and game-changing moment for Robe. BMFL became our signature ‘bright multi-functional luminaire’ and most powerful light source. We had been thinking about the design and development of this luminaire for three years, we had listened exhaustively to what end-users said they wanted and endeavored to incorporate all of this into one incredible light. Launching a range of products like BMFL definitely put us further on the map as a global brand, and fundamentally assisted in ‘cracking’ the North American market.
The DL7 Series was launched in 2015 and this started the development of theatre and performance-dedicated LED luminaires with incredible color mixing, super smooth dimming and quiet operation—all critical factors for this discipline. Then in 2016 the Spiider was the next generation of LED wash / wash beam. Followed by the MegaPointe in 2017. That has become our single best-selling product ever to date—so much so, we had to purchase, kit-out and open a whole new factory and production facility to keep up with the demand. It was—and still is—THE light that everyone wants, and even though the discharge lamp tech is rapidly becoming obsolete, you’ll find people worldwide who absolutely love MegaPointes and could not contemplate drawing up a design without them. In 2018 the T1 was the first luminaire in the current T-series of fixtures—available in Profile, Fresnel and PC versions—and perfect for theatre, performance, television, broadcast, and events, but specifically developed for theatre and the arts. With all the features designers working in these sectors had been requesting.
The RoboSpot remote followspot system was also launched in 2017 and this is proving a seismic shift in the substance and essence of followspotting, allowing all involved in the production process—from the designer to the director, the production manager to the prompter—massive benefits and more flexibility to the core tasks of followspotting and key lighting in all environments.
In 2019 the TE TRANSFERRABLE ENGINE technology has been another complete game-changer in the world of LEDs. The hardware will outlast the light source as we already know, and now we have developed a ‘transferable’ or replaceable LED engine. Not only can this be used to replace LED light sources at the end of their lifespan, and therefore boost the investment value of the fixture hardware but different light engines with different characteristics can be swapped in and out—simply and straightforwardly—for light sources with different characteristics, e.g. high CRI, HCF, etc.. Making this an interchangeable element of our ranges—FORTE, ESPRITE, PAINTE—is groundbreaking.
The first of Robe’s brand-new FORTE series was launched in 2021 for mid to large scale applications, touring, and stadium shows. As Robe’s brightest LED moving head, it is also a contemporary equivalent of the flagship BMFL, hugely powerful, environmentally friendly—now available in iSeries versions and with different TEs—FORTE has a beautiful, flat field fat beam coming out the front. In 2022 came the iSeries with all the major / popular Robe product ranges are now available in fully IP rated versions for all environments and weathers. The fixtures are identical in features and near-identical in physical size and weight, so rigs of the standard luminaires and the iSeries ones can easily be matched together.
2023 saw the launch of the iFORTE LTX, which is the brightest LED moving head luminaire on the market right now and is rapidly becoming a new industry standard fixture for concert touring, rental, and staging sectors as well as popular for larger theaters and concert halls. And recently in 2024 the iBOLT has been launched. It’s a new mega-bright laser-source ‘searchlight style’ fixture for stadium shows and outdoor spectaculars, with a whole range of effects—very cool, and quite unique.
In terms of projects, really there have been so many thousands over the years, all of them memorable for different reasons, so it’s hard to recall. There was an amazing show with Robbie Williams in Dubai in 2006 with Robe kit flown in from the UK—at the time that was such a big moment for us; our kit was used on three unique Israeli Opera productions in the middle of the Masada Desert at the Dead Sea; the first fully inaugural show for BMFLs in 2014 was the Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where LD Tim Routledge had the faith to use our brand new luminaire on such a high profile event. Our equipment is and has been on tour with some of the highest profile artists recently like Taylor Swift and P!nk, on U2’s shows at The Sphere, classics like AC/DC, The Rolling Stones, Metallica, and other huge music stars and influencers like Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars.
There have also been some amazing Armin Van Buren shows plus other major EDM movers-and-shakers like David Guetta, Martin Garrix, global dance events like Tomorrowland and ULTRA, iconic festivals Like Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds, Coachella, EDC—there’s far too many to mention, but you name them, and pretty much all over Europe and further worldwide our products can be found lighting up stages on these events and appearing on the lighting rigs of so many artists. On the more ‘alternative’ performance front, we’ve seen Tetra2s used so dramatically for dance / contemporary ballet shows like FULL FRONTAL designed by lighting master craftsman Yaron Abulafia, and uber-cool installations created by light artists like Christopher Bauder of Dark Matter / WHITEVoid.
Not to mention the numerous major broadcast events including successive Eurovision Song Contests which will usually feature Robe fixtures and RoboSpot systems. Music TV shows like The Voice, Idol, Strictly and their international rollouts and versions, plus star-spangled awards shows like MTV’s VMAs, iHeartRadio’s Fiesta Latina … again too many to mention. And let’s not forget Opening & Closing ceremonies for major sporting events—where often Robe will have a significant presence. And our T-Series continues to gain traction and some notable installations include The Paris Opera, The Vienna State Opera, The Hungarian State Opera, the Baltic Opera in Gdansk, Poland, the Czech National Theatre just to name a few. All of these—and so many more—are all special in their own way.
How do the acquisitions of other industry leading brands fit into the Robe family?
Well for a start, there are some very talented and smart people working for all of those companies we have acquired in the last 2 years, all with fantastic knowledge and experience in their own specific fields of professional lighting. There is a great synergy between all of our brands, and the acquisitions solidify our capacity to provide full turnkey lighting control and design solutions for all clients.
Anolis, our architectural LED lighting brand was founded in 2005. We were ahead of the curve in anticipating the potential of LED lighting and how it would play into issues of sustainability and concern to preserve our environment. We were already manufacturing robust and practical LED products way before it became trendy.
Artistic License was the first in the recent run of new ‘Robe business’ brands, that was September 2022. It brings many clever networking and control products and gizmos to the table, complete with patents and considerable experience. Networked control is the way it’s all going, so you can see the logic in this move.
Avolites was a major shift into lighting control. The brand has a fantastic name, a great heritage, some cool people—and an established community which is very loyal. We believe that their newest products—and future ideas—have massive potential and will be super-competitive backed by the resources and energy of Robe, so stand-by for a few surprises.
LSC is another very solid brand with a great name and reputation in the power distribution and control universe plus an outstanding set of current products, bubbling with ideas for the future. The company is imaginative and well run, and enjoys the culture of working hard that we have always embraced at Robe. Additionally, we think it will be brilliant to have some of that great Australian pragmatism, creativity … and sense of humor. Apart from anything else, I think it’s time that competition in these areas increases.
How do you see Robe’s position in the industry today?
I see Robe as a market leader. Among the top brands / manufacturers in professional entertainment lighting, known as an innovator and a major influencer in our sphere of business. We have a strong identity, a great team and a very distinctive approach to business.
Why do you think Robe’s products are so valued by customers?
Originality, we have currently over 120 patents pending or issued, they cover the USA, EU, and Chinese territories. Innovation, we have become a true leader in the innovation and development of new technical solutions which are used smartly in our products. The iSeries, T-Series and all the TE fixtures are good examples here—replete with these original new technologies, which are changing the way we design products, enhancing their flexibility and usage potential to benefit everyone’s creativity.
Range, we have a good range of fixtures to suit different applications in diverse markets including theatres, concert halls and opera houses, television, concert touring, festivals, rental and staging, clubs and multipurpose venues, etc. There are some cross-overs of course, but I can honestly say that depending on the size and the complexity of the project, Robe has a very good choice for all aspects of lighting.
And reliability, time and time again over the years, our products have proved their reliability and robustness, usually lasting well past their expected lifetimes and providing outstanding ROI.
What are three key innovations that have helped differentiate Robe over the years?
There are so many key innovations we have brought to the market, and I can only name a few of these. Each of them is proprietary to Robe and patented in US, EU and China. The hotspot control in the luminaires using discharge lamps. The zoom optical system for multi-chip LEDs. The Multi-Level prism system, which is now massively copied and can be found in almost every product. MCFE—Multi Colored Flower effect which is an essential part of our all LED wash lights. Plano4 framing shutters used in all our profile fixtures. The 4Door internal barndoors and RotaScrim—graduated scrim control, which both are integral features in all our wash fixtures. MSL—Multi Spectral Light Source—used in our T-series products. TE-technology, Robe’s Transferable LED Engines, powering all of our white LED luminaires. RAINS groundbreaking technology that not only prevents ingress, but actively manages a fixture’s micro-climate. iBOLT technology covered by 6 new international patents. Sorry, that’s more than three isn’t it, but honestly, I could not limit it to three.
What do you hope that people in the industry, and readers of PLSN, understand about Robe today?
We are a privately owned company with all manufacturing in the European Union in the Czech Republic. We can make decisions quickly and efficiently on all levels which helps our general agility as a business entity. Over the years, this independence has assisted in periods of rapid growth, and combined with carefully structured financing—and not taking on potentially crippling financial packages—this has helped us survive and even thrive through unprecedented external circumstances like the pandemic. People matter. We are an investor in people and believe that different personalities and experiences are enriching to our overall business culture. We are proud of helping to build, and being part of, a community. Robe is one of the most important employers in our region of the Czech Republic, with a reputation for offering good, sought-after jobs and being a desirable company to work for which can offer career paths and opportunities. In terms of the industry, we are perceived—and I believe respected—as an innovator, and think some of our technologies have become standard-bearing. We are also in the process of developing an international educational program that will support infrastructure and systems training the next generations of production and lighting industry professionals. For the Robe brand, building a viable future from which others can benefit is a core principle.
Are there any concluding thoughts about Robe as it celebrates its 30th Anniversary?
To meet changing global environmental challenges, many improvements have been made to our factory as part of our Green Initiative. These include solar panels—creating 1.2MW peak of power—a fleet of electrical vehicles, the installation of charging stations across all Robe facilities, new eco-friendly packaging for all our products, and a dramatic reduction in printed brochures and catalogues. We are proud to announce that Robe has been awarded a prestigious sustainable Company Certification which recognizes our commitment to environmental sustainability and responsible working and production practices. In addition, all our products are certified according to Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) which is an ISO type III Environmental Declaration acc. ISO 14025 standard. We are the only lighting manufacturer to achieve this certification and be listed on the EPD database. We are looking towards the future, so here is to the next 30 years. I hope they are as interesting, productive, positive and fun as the first 30 have been.
