The case brought back into A&S Case Company the other day was old — 22 years old. But it was hardly the historic artifact you might think.
The band that had been using it all that time had no interest in letting it go, rather, they just wanted some of the interior foam replaced. That’s not exceptional in the experience of A&S Case, but rather typical. “There are cases being actively used out there that were made when the company was first formed in 1976,” says Bill Waskey. “They may have had a caster replaced, and of course they look a bit worn, but they are still very serviceable.”
Waskey, manager of operations and sales, says those stories of durability continue today through their new products, including the FlyWeight series, the cases they say will significantly reduce the fuel cost of transportation. “Reducing freight costs and simplifying the crew’s job of setting up and taking down gigs has become increasingly important in today’s environment,” he points out. It’s all in a day’s work at A&S Case.
“Our entire focus is on innovation and meeting the changing needs of our customers,” Waskey says.
There’s no pulling-something-off-the-shelf here. The cases are all designed and manufactured to order. A large number of custom options are available to address specific needs, including table legs in the lid of a case, telescoping handles, dolly wheels, workman’s lamps, electrical outlets and more. An on-site specialist is available to sew plush linings into the cases when that is requested. “You tell us what you want, and we make it a reality.”
Ken Berry started the company in 1976 in Hollywood. “At the time, as now, he owed Studio Instrument Rentals (SIR), the largest renter of instruments,” Waskey says. “Basically, he felt like he was paying a lot for cases.”
“I started running the company about six years ago,” says Denise Berry, daughter of Ken. Prior to taking over the reins she had spent a decade as production manager for Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson and the Doobie Brothers, among others. Waskey joined in 2005, having previously managed a number of companies in the music and aerospace industries.
Also in 2005 the company acquired the assets to Kriz-Kraft, a rack case line. They work with the original owner on those products. The basic construction of the Kriz-Kraft rack varies from their standard design in a few ways. Once the box is constructed, the doors are then precision-cut in the front and rear panels and fitted with a proprietary door jam and U-channel to provide a fit without impairing the structural characteristics unique to this design. Additionally, this design encapsulates the foam that provides shock-absorbent characteristics in a way that reduces its degradation over time.
Today, A&S Case operates out of a 14,000 square foot facility in North Hollywood, with a crew of about 20 full-time employees. “We do everything made-to-order because people are always wanting something a little different, even if it’s the color of the cases.” He cites a current order for many pink cases ordered by a performance school. “That’s not something you would stock.” The company is often able to go from initial concept to delivered product in 10 days or less.
The company says its new FlyWeight series of cases are up to 60 percent lighter than conventional ATA cases and even stronger and more durable. “This series was inspired by a request from our auto racing clients about a year and a half ago,” Waskey says. “They needed lighter cases to be able to take their tools and spare parts on planes and transport them to European races. That opened the doors to this whole new product line.” His experience and connection to the aerospace industry hastened that development.
Berry adds that this product line could not have come at a better time. With fuel costs predicted to hit the $5 a gallon in the not-too-distant future, every live event on the road is anxious to ease the load. “We can save people money with these cases, and that’s what it’s all about,” Waskey says. “When they load a truck or an airplane, they get charged by the weight. These cases can quickly pay for themselves.” He adds that the tradeshow industry is also taking an interest in FlyWeight cases for the same reasons.
A&S does its best to accommodate any request, big or small. “We’ve manufactured cases for clients for their Academy Award Oscars, race car simulators and just recently we developed a FlyWeight portable ping pong table for bands to take on the road,” Berry says. “A&S is commited to solutions for custom case needs, no matter how tricky or particular the requirements may be.”
“A&S is extremely well-respected,” Waskey emphasizes. “We deliver on time and our quality is second to none. We have worked very hard over the last few years to improve efficiency so we can remain competitive in the world, while not compromising on quality.”
A&S uses ACX fir plywood for their cases as opposed to basic interior ply or luan, for example. They are constructed with a load-bearing wall and it is reinforced by split-riveting the corners onto the case. That makes the cases much stronger than cases constructed with pop rivets. A&S cases are also compliant with ATA Spec 300 Category 1 specs as well as most standards of the MIL-SPEC/MIL-STD.
The company, Waskey adds, is growing. “Word of mouth has been our biggest growth factor. When people do these large venue shows and see bands using our products, that helps. Also, we’re known in the industry as being the innovators. It doesn’t matter what you come to us with, we’re going to build it for you.” The cases they build protect more than gear for live events — they also serve the aerospace industry and have been asked to create cases to protect the tools that go on the space shuttle.
Along with A&S FlyWeight, Waskey cites another company exclusive, A&S Nest, a Kriz-Kraft Plasma/LCD Lift Case, which protects the screen both in transit and during setup, noting how the screen simply rises out of the case on a quiet electrical screw lift. Another example is the A&S AxeBox, a multiple guitar case made 15 percent lighter, and with convenient pocket doors.
Although it might seem to be a mature manufacturing segment, there always seem to be opportunities to make subtle improvements. “We’re working with our caster supplier to come up with a new compound for casters that will be more durable and also have an added feature to allow them to stand out more — they will feature a safety orange visual element,” Waskey says. “We see a lot of bands needing to buy replacement casters as forklift drivers don’t see them, and they get broken. But these will be made so all material handlers know they are there.”
Like any other business, success depends on continuously coming up with new ideas to solve problems. “We sit down with people and create solutions. People rely on us for that,” Waskey says.
