Johannesburg, South Africa based rental and production company MGG has made a sizable investment in new Robe moving lights, taking delivery of the 76 fixtures from Robe’s Southern Africa distributor, DWR Distribution, including the first iFORTE and iFORTE LTXs and the first SVB1 luminaires on the continent of Africa.
The total order comprised 24 iFORTEs 48 SVB1s, and four iFORTE LTXs which are for use with the four RoboSpot BaseStations they already own.
MGG – which this year celebrates its 25th birthday – started as a small company when owner and managing director Mark Gaylard was still at school and running mobile discos. It has steadily grown and become a highly successful and visible technical supplier in South Africa.
MGG purchased its first Robe products in 2008 – 8 ColorMix 250 ATs. “Robust build quality and longevity of the products is a major reason for our continual investment in Robe” commented Mark, pointing out that their original ColorSpot and ColorBeam 700s are still working well and are in general use for those more budget-conscious projects. “They are still excellent moving lights for many applications.”
A selection of different BMFL joined the inventory around 10 years ago, shortly after this game-changing Robe product was launched, and these are also still going strong and are relevant today, but it was also the time to invest in the latest LED tech.
“Robe offers such great value, and we know the kit will last for many years which is essential for the SA market which has a slower attrition rate for fixtures than some others” stated Mark. “Robe’s TE (TRANSFERABLE ENGINE) was always of great interest to us” commented MGG project manager Günther Müller, and this was a route they first bought into with 34 ESPRITES purchased in 2020.
“The ESPRITES have worked extensively and brilliantly to become our new workhorses” explained Mark, adding that they have done almost the same hours as the BMFLs in half the time. Mark and the team then thought it was time to add the more powerful iFORTE series to their stock.
“The innovation of the iSeries was a big thing for us” noted Günther. He highlights reduced maintenance offered with with Robe’s ‘I’ branded ranges, and thanks to the fantastic climate in SA, outdoor shows make up good proportion work, therefore IP rated kit is a must. These also happen to be their first Robe i-series fixtures.
Mark initially spotted the SVB1s on the internet when scouting about for more LEDBeam 350s and 150s after PLASA 2024. Having ordered 24 of each sized LEDBeam to their existing stock of these handy little fixtures, he and the team also decided to go for some SVB1s.
Apart from all the technology, “it is always exciting to be ‘the first’ with anything ” confirmed Mark, putting MGG in a trailblazing position. With the SVB1s residing at the Johannesburg HQ, they can also move some of their LEDBeam 350s and 150s to their Cape Town branch.
MGG now has a wide selection of Robe moving lights built up over the years, and these are out working most of the time. Their LEDWash 600s and 1200s are still hugely popular across all the sectors – music concerts and television productions to local and international high-end business events – underlining how investing in Robe is a solid business decision.
Meantime, Mark’s all-time favourite Robe fixture remains the Tetra2. “There are so many cool and creative ways that the Tetra2’s sheet of light effects can be applied” he commented, admitting that his preference may change with these new arrivals.
Gunter commented that the iFORTE LTX and RoboSpot offers what he feels are “the ultimate flexible follow combinations” allowing accurate front and back follow spotting for any event.
All the MGG technicians and engineers appreciate how Robe is always pushing, investing, and developing products for the future, a strategy which will keep them interested in the brand for years to come.
