The Czech Company’s North American Expansion Continues
In the past 25 years, Robe s.r.o. has grown from a little-known OEM startup on the Czech Republic side of the newly divided country once known as Czechoslovakia into a world-class lighting brand synonymous with innovation, reliability and quality.
Valašské Meziříčí is a bustling commercial hub in Wallachia, one of the most picturesque areas of Moravia in the east of the Czech Republic, replete with lush countryside and rolling hills rich and green in the summer, that provide excellent skiing in the winter.
This is where the Robe story begins. The early 1990s were a time of great transition and geopolitical change in the country and most of eastern Europe with the collapse of the old Soviet communist regime, countries re-gaining democracy and independence … and the instigation of a fledgling market economy. There was huge optimism. New opportunities abounded, and a sense of adventure permeated the national consciousness.
Dreaming Big
Robe’s founders Ladislav Petrek and Josef Valchar first met in 1992 — via another company — and there was an immediate synergy. Ladislav was a DJ and had started importing lighting effects from other European countries, which had recently become possible. Looking closer inside some of these units, he knew that they could be produced to far higher standards locally.
Josef was fresh out of studying engineering at a university, followed by an MBA … a great communicator with a taste for sales and technology and keen for a challenge.
Josef and Ladislav mused the idea of designing and producing high quality effects and lighting products that would be fundamentally well engineered and proudly “Made in the Czech Republic.” “Everyone was dreaming big then,” explains Josef, who is Robe’s CEO. “We had a vision, lots of
energy and the skills to make all this happen were right there on our doorstep.”
The name “Robe” (pronounced RO-BEE) is a fusion of the first two letters from ‘Rožnov pod Radhoštěm.’ the small and pretty town where their first office / workshop was located (about 15 Km from the current main 75,000 square meter factory premises and HQ in Valmez), and the River Becva, which bisects Roznov on its way from the mountains winding effervescently through the region.
“Robe Show Lighting” was officially inaugurated in early 1994 with the aim of designing a range of lighting products for international markets.
A few weeks later, Josef, Ladislav and their small team at the time attended their first Prolight+Sound expo in Frankfurt where an OEM partner exhibited their initial products on a section of its booth. That marked the start of international businesses for the young company.
For the next eight years, Robe grew steadily and won further contracts to produce OEM moving lights and effects. OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer — a company that produces parts and equipment that may be marketed by another manufacturer. Robe’s OEM products gained traction for their robust build, good engineering and meticulous attention to detail. The resources needed to sustain a quality operation were in plentiful supply locally, and the profits were all plowed back into the business and spent on establishing efficient production lines, implementing innovative and efficient working practices and sourcing quality components.
Brand Attitude
By 2002, the writing was on the wall, and it was time to step up to the next level from being a respected OEM manufacturer, so “Robe” was launched as its own brand. The move was extremely well received. The moving light market had become stagnant and complacent in terms of major players and the time was right for a shakeup.
With the Robe brand launch came the workhorse “AT” series of moving lights starting with the 1200 series ColorSpot and ColorWash. Right from the start Robe focused on being an all-European based operation and taking every area of the production process in house. This was to ensure quality control and guarantee swift turnaround times … and there was another important aspect — commitment to the community.
Robe is now one of the largest employers in the region, and being part of the local economy and providing work, careers and opportunities is one of the many reasons that Josef and Ladislav have been determined to keep everything right there and not been tempted to outsource in Asia.
State of Independence
Another aspect that is immediately apparent when visiting the factory and meeting Josef and Ladislav is their inherent modesty. For all the success, their feet have remained firmly on the ground. They are the first to attribute Robe’s achievements to everyone involved at different levels, and also cite the importance of remaining independent to their long-term strategic success.
This independent business model is one that flourishes in the crazy world of entertainment technology, and that’s not just “independent” from corporate ownership. Robe has firm and sensible financial foundations and the pitfalls of over extension and potential financial strangulation have been deftly avoided.
“For Robe to function the way it does, it takes a massive team effort and we have some amazing people” comments Josef. “We appreciate everyone’s work and will listen to all ideas and suggestions. We want to be ‘inclusive’ as an employer and keep the many complex relationships involved in a smooth-running business as harmonious, constructive and inspirational as possible.” Josef is very much hands-on and involved in the development of all products, and the fact that he’s regularly on the factory floor — in between a hectic international travel schedule — also goes down well. He is a CEO very much in touch.
There’s a “healthy respect” for competitors. “Everyone needs competition — it’s a strong force in driving the entire market forward, and the higher the bar, the more likely we are all pushed to excel.” states Josef.
Team Building
Harry von den Stemmen joined Robe in 2002 — initially as international sales manager, then as sales director, bringing extensive experience and contacts to the position. His task was to start establishing a global distribution network for this young and animated brand. Harry had seen the buzz around Robe at the Rimini launch and knew that “the company already had a string of OEM success and all the ingredients in place to really kick ass.”
To build a successful and sustainable sales operation, Josef and Ladislav also knew they needed a core management team onboard who were invested in the brand and committed to the long term. After Harry, the central “Robe International” team at the core of the company started to evolve. “We have been extremely fortunate to have some seriously talented and highly focused individuals onboard” says Josef. With brand identity strong, there is space for individual growth and expression, and ensuring people feel valued has been key to cultivating the sense of family that is right at the heart of the company.
European Vision
Robe became established relatively quickly in Europe thanks to the tenacity of the distributors and its own sales and account managers, plus the reliability and keen pricing of the products. Most of the original distributors are still with the company which has created a continuity and stability also essential to the process.
The U.K., a key player along with the U.S. in the music industry generally, saw the first fully owned Robe subsidiary founded, shortly followed by the U.S., then Asia Pacific and the Middle East.
Product development was also a major influencer in Robe’s rapid progress. Thanks to its OEM background, Robe hit the ground running after the brand launch, however the first real watershed moment was eight years later in 2010 with the launch of the LEDWash series — 300, 600, 800 and 1200.
Robe wasn’t the first manufacturer to bring an LED wash fixture to the market, but soon drew notice with its beautifully homogenized light engine, sleek streamlined appearance and impressive zoom. The LEDWash series was also the result of communication and listening to what the market wanted, establishing direct connections with lighting designers, directors and end users, a strategy which has become one of the brand’s USPs — being out there on the frontline of shows and events, hearing and gathering feedback, listening, taking action and building this research into products.
Since 2010, Robe has launched a succession of innovative, interesting and successful products.
It was also on of the first companies in the industry to make greener technologies a key priority as vital to the future of the industry and the planet.
Cracking America
While business was expanding and gathering momentum throughout Europe, the Middle and Far East, and the Pacific Rim, North and South America remained elusive for Robe. As with any brand wanting to be truly “global,” the U.S. was an absolutely critical territory to “crack,” for reasons similar to the U.K. With so many shows and tours originating in the U.S. and its huge impact on specifications and crossover to the vibrant music scenes in Mexico and other central and Latin American countries, America had to be on the radar. It was a non-negotiable fact.
At the time, there were some very well established “professional” U.S. and European products dominating the American market which were ever-popular with lighting designers. “We often had ‘Who the hell is Robe?’ in our faces.” recalls Harry, as he details the battle. “We needed to succeed on a few projects first to even be accepted, and that was just the start of a long and arduous struggle to be considered reliable, affordable and worth the bet.”
Known only as an OEM company in the U.S. at that time, it was vital to establish themselves as an independent brand, so their own sales and distribution company — Robe America — was founded, headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Initially, interest picked up and the sales took off, but with the financial crisis of 2008-09, the commercial aftermath and a succession of “false-starts” in personnel appointments, Josef and Harry at one point were not convinced that the American mission should even be continued.
However, the passion and motivation to make Robe a worldwide success prevailed. Harry was appointed acting CEO of Robe America in 2010 with the quest to turn things around. Once again, the story reverts to getting the right people involved. “I soon realized I needed help,” says Harry, and “thank goodness we found Lorienn Cochenour,” who now holds two executive positions, CFO and COO and runs the office and operation with an iron hand and exceptional efficiency.”
Lorienn sorted out the office — they downsized and moved to smaller premises, dramatically cutting overhead costs as part of a series of austerity measures for dealing with the general economic downturn, while Harry searched for salespeople “who would work for moderate salaries and produce miracles.”
A Business Rebound
Simultaneously, the launch of the LEDWash initiated the general sea-change in attitude to the brand and the product opened numerous doors. Many who had not previously considered Robe thought again. The LEDWash series was followed by the compact LEDBeam 100 in 2012 and the Pointe in 2013 a small and truly multi-functional light, which was — and remains — an instant hit with designers working across all disciplines. Robe was also planning to launch something BIG in 2014, a project three years in the making and the result of extensive research, talking, listening, observing and some serious Imagineering by Robe’s R&D team in the Czech Republic.
Around a year earlier while visiting New York, Harry bumped into Bob Schacherl — an industry maverick whom he’d known for many years through working with other high profile moving light brands. Bob was looking for new challenges and horizons, and the serendipitous timing of this conversation led to his appointment as CEO of Robe Lighting Inc. in fall 2013.
With the soft launch of the BMFL (bright multi-functional luminaire) series in summer of 2014 and its hard launch that September … the formula was a winner. Phones rang off the hook when Bob’s appointment became public and a few months later, and collective jaws dropped worldwide at the brightness, light weight and flexibility of the BMFL. It was unique fixture, introduced at a watershed moment in Robe’s history.
Emerging as a Serious U.S. Player
Naturally, there was still an enormous amount of work to be done. With the infrastructure that Harry, Josef and Lorienn had established and fine-tuned, when Bob arrived with his massive contacts book, all was in place for him to start — over a short period of time — to amass his ultimate sales team.
Craig Burross came onboard as the national business development manager. Craig is out and about living and breathing the music, live events and production scene, tirelessly working his vast and very social network of friends, acquaintances and colleagues who include numerous creative and technical movers-and-groovers.
There are five respected and highly proactive regional sales managers — Thommy Hall, who deals with the southeast U.S.; John McDowell covering central U.S.; Adam Camp who works the western U.S. and John Bilyk who struts his stuff in Canada. The latest news from Robe North America’s sales force is the addition of lighting designer Marty Postma, who has come off the road and started this month in the northeastern U.S. region.
Their aggregate knowledge and expertise has been instrumental in getting the brand and the products out there all over the U.S., and in front of LDs, rental companies and venue operators in all sectors. There is also a North American dealer network in place offering virtually complete coverage of the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. All dealers must send someone from their service department to attend the technical training courses run at the Florida HQ to ensure they can also give outstanding support to their customers.
As a management team, Lorienn and Bob’s different personalities and approaches have proved a good mix … and Bob’s appointment four years ago also freed up Harry to concentrate his full energies on the development of Robe’s global sales. North America has continued to grow steadily and impressively into Robe’s largest and most successful marketplace.
While the BMFL series provided the bedrock for stadium and arena tours, festivals and larger installations, other luminaires like the Pointe, Spiider, Spikie and most recently the MegaPointe are now regularly specified for a diversity of projects from small-to-medium sized tours, all sorts of events, TV shows and theatrical productions plus a variety of installations.
As the sales force was busy engaging customers, canvassing rental companies and impressing creatives, all aimed at making it a go-to choice for international touring riders, back at base Lorienn worked on building a solid technical department and the after-sales support team essential for the operation to be sustained. She admits it took a degree of trial-and-error, but this is now the backbone of the company on the U.S.’ East and West Coasts.
A ticket tracking system ensures customers receive optimal after-sales service, and nothing falls through the cracks, and there is a 24-hour tech support line for reliable, knowledgeable and friendly assistance with solving any immediate issues.
Ambrose Gumbs joined the tech service team in 2014 bringing plenty of working knowledge and practical experience, and he is joined by Francesco Auciello and David Gonzalez at HQ in Florida. With Ambrose’s arrival, senior technician Ivan Perez relocated to California and started the West Coast Service Center, where he works alongside Sing To and Brady Quisberg. Every product is quality-controlled and thoroughly checked prior to dispatch from Robe North America and a technical liaison specialist also then visits customers and introduces them to any new products. Training and product induction/awareness programs can be arranged according to individual needs.
Robe North America currently has 28 full time employees. In addition to sales and service, fundamental administrative and infrastructure support includes marketing coordinator Lisa Caro and controller Dawn Adams, who manages the accounts department, while product manager Peter Moore keeps an overview of product development and frequently visits the factory in the Czech Republic.
Three people, business development manager David Chesal together with Tal Janowitz and Anthony Morin on sales, are dedicated to working for Anolis — Robe’s LED architectural brand — and all of these, plus other office and warehouse staff ensure a smooth and efficient operation maintaining superlative customer experience.
Bob Schacherl notes that, as with the wider company, teamwork and getting the right people onboard who are invested in the company, its values, vision and long-term strategies has been the key to building Robe North America. While his previous employers were market leaders at the time, he admits that Robe has been “hands down the best company I’ve ever worked for.”
Moving Forward
Preparations are advancing for a major move into an all new purpose-built premise in Fort Lauderdale in the early New Year which will provide more space and a custom designed facility.
The additional space means locally held stock will be increased for even quicker turnarounds on delivery and there will be a larger demonstration area in which to welcome visitors and showcase products.
“The Czechs have enormous pride in their work and that’s directly and noticeably reflected in Robe’s products,” says Lorienn. That bodes well, she says, for the company’s future, which continues to shine bright.
For more information, visit www.robe.cz
