Area Four Industries America - West

IN PROFILE

AREA FOUR INDUSTRIES AMERICA – WEST

To mark the official opening of Area Four Industries’ West Coast operation, TPi’s Stew Hume hopped onto an LAX-bound plane to meet Adrian Forbes-Black, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, to discuss the group’s latest venture.

Since 2016, one of the most recognisable names in trussing and rigging technology - Area Four Industries - has increased its presence in the US. Even with a successful East Coast Knoxville, Tennessee operation, CEO Franti Zykan knew further expansion was necessary to meet the demands of the American market. Under the watch of industry veteran, Adrian Forbes-Black, the group’s West Coast office was created. Nestled away in Thousand Oaks, California, the new branch is conveniently situated on the 101 Freeway. The region is a veritable hot bed for the live events industry, with Downtown LA, Hollywood and LAX all within a relatively short drive. Keen to catch some Californian sun, TPi caught up with Forbes-Black at the new facility to discuss the group’s reception in America.

Don’t be fooled by his Birmingham accent; Forbes-Black has more

than enough experience within the American entertainment industry having previously worked with Total Structures before moving to Area Four Industries. Thanks to his encyclopedic knowledge on the history of trussing, he is the perfect candidate to oversee this latest expansion. “You could really think of this base as a hybrid,” began Forbes-Black as we walked the warehouse floor. “We have a small dedicated sales team here that represents Tomcat and James Thomas Engineering (JTE) as well as Area Four Industry brands Milos, Litec, EXE Technology, Mobiltechlifts, Xstage and Xtruss.” Working alongside Forbes-Black on the West Coast team are Sales Managers Douglas DeBusschere and Gene Matera. Another recent addition to the team is Devan Edwards, the company’s Warehouse Manager.

From a European standing, the ‘Four’ in Area Four Industries stands

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Opposite: Adrian Forbes‐Black, Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Area Four Industries America - West.

for Litec, Milos, Tomcat and JTE. However there is still somewhat of a separation within the American market, as Forbes-Black explained. “Both Tomcat and JTE are leading brands in the US entertainment industry with a lot of history within the region,” he stated. “As far as we are concerned right now, Area Four Industries America is one incentive while Tomcat and JTE have their own market space.” That said, Forbes-Black outlined the longterm goal of replicating the European model, with all brands firmly under the Area Four banner while operating as separate entities. “The relationship is very clear if you look at both JTE and Tomcat’s websites, which both feature the Area Four Industries logo,” stated Forbes-Black. “People are becoming more aware of the relationship. For example at the last LDI show in Vegas we had 2 separate booths next to each other. At this year’s show we are going to be under one big booth with each faction having their own space.”

According to Forbes-Black the real advantage of the relationship is giving clients the choice to ensure they get the right product for the right event. “Obviously on the large, heavy custom jobs, Tomcat provides one of the best solutions. But there are certain markets where some of the other arms really have filled out their own niche.” He pointed to Milos as an example, which has become incredibly popular with the latest boom in Ninja Warrior assault course gyms. The sales managers situated in both the LA and Knoxville offices are able to sell Tomcat and JTE along with other brands under Area Four Industries. “It really gives us the opportunity to

offer the client the best possible solution for each job,” enthused Forbes- Black.

The growth of Area Four Industries has given the group an opportunity to introduce new products to the market. EXE Technology’s EXE-Rise Chain Hoists are one such example, which Forbes-Black was excited to bring to America. Engineered to comply with EN and DIN standards relating to lifting in the entertainment industry, this is one product that has certainly been creating a stir. Unfortunately, given the nature of the work, Forbes-Black had to be rather tight-lipped about where the chain hoists had been used - such is the joy of NDAs. “But they have been successfully received,” he asserted. “The market for them is growing and we are getting new customers every month as the word spreads about their quality and features.”

Forbes-Black went on to describe the immediate effect that the West Coast presence has had on the wider American operation following the first 6 months of business: “I think it’s unlikely we are ever going to be the same size as our East Coast operation, which is around 60,000sq ft with 75 employees,” he began. “The first goal for us was to make sure there was product on the shelf to start trading. If we have a customer that needs something custom built, our colleagues in Knoxville are able to create it in their shop.” With trucks traveling from the Knoxville office every 2 / 3 weeks, there is a constant flow of product crossing the country to keep the West Coast shelves plentiful. “We’ve already had experiences where we have

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been able to supply gear to clients the next day with our stock,” he stated. “Before this West Coast venture, clients would have had to wait weeks. Now they can send their trucks round and drive away with stock that day!” Its location has also been particularly useful to other entertainment hubs. Early this year, the branch announced the sale of its first EXE DST (Dynamic Stack Tracks) system to a customer in Las Vegas. This customer bought over 200ft of the truss and 6 of the motorised trolleys, amongst other items - yet further validation for the new development.

Chiming in to discuss the benefits of the new operation was Forbes-Black’s counterpart in the East Coast, Carmen Savarese, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Area Four Industries America - East, Tomcat and JTE. “From the first day I moved to the US, I realised a stronger presence was needed on the West Coast,” commented Savarese. Area Four Industries America - East is located in Tennessee, which is a very strategic position for serving the East Coast in the mostefficient manner. However, it is 5 days away from the West Coast, as far as truck shipments are concerned. “If you add the time needed for manufacturing and product packaging, dealing with the West Coast from Tennessee is like being in another country,” stated Savarese. She also highlighted the benefit of the face-to-face business opportunities the new venture could create. “Customers nowadays want to meet their vendor, as the challenges are more and more demanding as time passes,” concluded Savarese. “The need for tailor-made solutions is growing together with

“Before this West Coast venture, clients would have had to wait weeks. Now they can send their trucks round and drive away with stock that day.”

Adrian Forbes‐Black, Area Four Industries America - West

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the need to impress the audience at every show. You cannot sell solutions on the phone - you have to be there!”

If the enthusiasm of the West Coast office is anything to go by, there are exciting times ahead. “We just need to keep getting the word out!” asserted Forbes-Black, clearly itching to take the branch to greater heights. With a fully stocked warehouse, even through busy summer months, Area Four Industries America - West is ready to take the region by storm. “California and Los Angeles, in particular, has a special place and role in the world’s entertainment industry,” he concluded. “I’ve lived here for 12 years and it still amazes me what the area can produce.”

But it’s the future that the Vice President is particularly excited by - and you can see why. In the past months it has already been announced that LA will be the home of the 2028 Olympics, not to mention becoming a host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Not wanting to rest on its laurels, the West Coast team is already in conversation witha number of venues and designers who will be involved with both events.

So it’s a ‘watch this space’ moment for Area Four Industries America, as its overall presence on the continent continues to grow. Californiadreaming no more, the group has yet another territory on its global map. TPi Photos: TPi and Area Four Industries www.areafourindustries.com www.tomcatglobal.com www.jthomaseng.com