COMPANY PROFILE
2015
Gearhouse SA
+ 27 (0) 11 216 3000 | www.gearhouse.co.za
company profile
Lighting up the entertainment industry Editorial: Harriet Pattison
With its roots first planted back in 1991, Gearhouse SA has made a truly successful name for itself in the world of stage technical equipment and entertainment. With Managing Director, Ofer Lapid, at the helm, his drive, passion and knowledge has helped to position this company as the go-to technical supplier across South Africa.
Gearhouse SA has an irrefutable reputation in South Africa as the leading technical supplier to the live events and entertainment industry – a title that remains deservedly so, offering its clients the widest range of services, all under one roof. With offices in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban, Gearhouse has built an impressive repertoire of equipment and experience which now exceeds any other event technical supplier across South Africa. It is this well rounded range of services which places Gearhouse SA in such a competitive position within the industry as a turnkey provider. Clients benefit from its technical expertise with individual specialists in different fields, all from one single contact. Gearhouse SA’s roots were first planted in 1991 with a much smaller Johannesburg-based business, Lighting Unlimited, founded by Ofer Lapid, now Founder and joint Managing Director of Gearhouse SA. “The original goal and objectives were to bring the technical service industry in line with the international standards, in South Africa by South Africans,” explains Lapid.
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Lighting Unlimited was then acquired by Gearhouse PLC, the UK based company, in 1996. With operations spread across five continents, this small company has now turned into an industry leading technical solutions provider, following a management buy-out in 2001 which helped to secure the South African division of the company. In February this year, Gearhouse SA erected two new dome venues in Johannesburg, one on Krugersdorp hill which forms part of Tsogo Sun’s Silverstar Casino located in Muldersdrift and a smaller replication erected at Tsogo Sun’s The Ridge Casino Hotels & Entertainment complex situated in Emalahleni, Mpumalanga. The first was designed and built by Otoo Wijnberger from In2Structures and includes a stage, PA system and a basic lighting rig, ensuring it is a self-sustained venue for when Silverstar hosts smaller shows. A member of the Gearhouse Group, In2Structures (Pty) Ltd designed and built both dome structures. The SupaDome, located at Silverstar, measures 71m x 35m with a height of 17m while the Maxi Dome, located at The Ridge site, measures 49m x 28m and stands 13m tall. Both dome structures have been designed and erected
Gearhouse SA
with strict safety measures and the intention to withstand large imposed loads such as suspended equipment and wind pressures. The ease of rigging also means these domes provide a multipurpose venue solution for a variety of entertainment events and shows.
GREEN INITIATIVES Maintaining sustainable and green initiatives throughout the company, Gearhouse SA has implemented several step by step processes. Even smaller differences including recycling batteries, generator oil and consumables have been employed to make a significant change and ensure a sustainable influence. In an additional attempt to maintain this sustainable approach, the company strategically streamlines its equipment and services, helping to achieve its full potential. In many of the company’s services, these green approaches have already been implemented and tested. Substitute LED technology for lighting is being used, drastically reducing its power outlay whilst achieving the same lighting intensity.
In its trussing sector, Gearhouse SA has tried to reduce its transport requirements by using folding truss, helping to save on average four meters of truck space per load. Looking at its audio visual, Gearhouse SA has worked to produce effective and stand out digital signage and LCD screens rather than printed paper banners, ensuring they produce much more of an impact statement and of course, it is a much more environmentally friendly option. Paper and printing is often where companies fall short of maintaining a sustainable approach, but Gearhouse SA uses digital consoles to help reduce the amount of paperwork it produces. Its use of a new generation switch-mode amplifiers also delivers four times the power at the same consumption.
MAINTAINING A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE Held at The Forum, Bryanston on 26th November last year, Gearhouse SA was the proud recipient, for the 4th consecutive year, of the Best AV Supplier Award at the EXSA (Exhibition and Event Association of Southern Africa) Awards. “Our competitive advantage lies in the fact that we
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company profile provide a turnkey technical solution with specialists in each field and are unique in having the widest range of services currently available in SA,” explains Lapid. “And because we are used to working together, the individual technical production aspects fit together smoothly under the co-ordination of our project managers. “This means our clients get the benefit of a single contact access to the whole range of services, technical expertise as well as the advantage of a globally negotiated price.” Gearhouse SA is also the sole South African representative of the AV Alliance – an international network of similar companies which are all committed to faultless service and quality to the highest standards, the company assists with audio, structures, daylight screens and power, to name but a few.
PASSIONATE SERVICE From the offset, when Lapid first founded Lighting Unlimited over 25 years ago, it was his passion, integrity and industry experience which helped to give Gearhouse SA the success and reputation it has today. “My own passion lies not only in creating a future for lighting, studio and AV technicians, stage and set builders and the rest but also to find a way of educating people towards both greater knowledge and greater recognition,” Lapid explains. “We have a hard earned reputation for technical service excellence and creative distinction, and a stringent system of client service checks for every event. Delivering a consistent and thoroughly professional service is key to our success. “We are the industry leaders in southern Africa and the largest by far. But there are plenty of smaller competitors and we are doing our best to stay a step ahead.” It is clear that happiness of the client is of prime importance to this company, ensuring that its services match their expectations, both during the job and maintaining an after sales relationship too. “In our industry after sales means maintaining an excellent relationship with your client. A good gig for us is when our client standing next to us is happy with the way everything went, places his trust in us and Gearhouse becomes the ‘go-to’ for all things technical going forward,” Lapin explains. “Music makes people happy. In sport you have an audience that is supporting two opposing sides, but at a music event the people are united in their support of the band. “Everyone is equal regardless of colour, age or gender,
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and most of the time it is a happy gathering. And that makes me happy.”
GEARHOUSE KENTSE MPAHLWA ACADEMY Alongside the care and consideration it takes with its clients, Gearhouse SA is also the proud organiser of its very own annual training program held across three different locations, Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban. A free program, the academy aims to teach theoretical and practical approaches to students including; audio visual, lighting, power and sound and structures. Introducing up to 30 Gearhouse Kentse Mpahlwa Academy graduates into the industry every year, the course works to produce industry-ready entrants which is a requirement for the Technical Production Services industry. “The Gearhouse Group has an extremely proactive training and development policy, with a high priority placed on ongoing training and skills development to keep personnel abreast of all the latest technological advancements,” explains Lapid. Continually meeting high expectations and aiming to provide a flawless service to its clients, it’s no wonder Gearhouse SA maintain such an industry leading position within the technical entertainment industry. On this occasion, it certainly seems that the contagious passion and integrity of this company and of its founder, Ofer Lapid, rightly places it amongst the world leaders working within the industry.
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Gearhouse SA
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