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AYRTON OPEN DAY Prior to the official launch of two new fixtures at PLASA London, Ayrton invites members of the press to take a look around its Paris base, guided by CEO, Christopher Ferrante. TPi reports…
It’s been more than two years since news came through of Ayrton’s acquisition by Chinese Lighting manufacturer, Golden Sea. Since then, the company has seen some large developments in both its product line and European staff base. With fixtures such as the Khamsin-S making appearances on a selection of tour riders including Hugh Jackman, Take That and Shawn Mendes, it’s an exciting time for the lighting company. Greeting TPi and other members of the press at Ayrton’s French base, just South of Paris, was CEO Christopher Agius Ferrante, who discussed what lay in store for the company. “Following Golden Sea’s acquisition back in January 2017, several strategic decisions were made,” began Ferrante, standing outside the Ayrton facility, which opened officially in March last year. “One of these key decisions was that the company should remain in Paris. This facility is only down the road from our original office.” This bigger space – which includes a lobby, more office space, a warehouse, meeting rooms and a permanent 220 sq m showroom – was specified to make way for the investment in a new staff base. The company has grown from six in-house employees to
23 employees in two-and-a-half years. “Our vision was clear,” stated the CEO. “Retain the original team, drive new investments, move into a new building, add team members, drive a shift in product focus, all while never losing sight of Ayrton’s DNA – the incredible innovation and attention to detail driven by our founder and CTO, Yvan Peard.” Ferrante spoke candidly about Ayrton’s past that had its own place in the market. “Historically, Ayrton produced products that were incredibly niche, specialist and ahead of their time,” he began. “They were very cool and found themselves on some of the largest shows in the world, but due to their nature, they had shorter lifecycles than Ayrton may have liked. “Since 2017 we have shifted our focus to more ‘bread and butter’ products. This brings its own challenges such as competition, but it’s also a much larger market for us to work in. “We also have an incredibly clear roadmap, called Multi 21. It outlines our development cycle up until the end of 2021, ensuring clarity among our partners and is backed by a clear strategy where we will not replace any of our existing product in the roadmap. In a world where product comes and 18
