Transcolor Invests in More Robe

	Prolight's Rafal Rzeczkowski, with Transcolor's technical manager Szymon Kosicki. Photo: Louise Stickland

Transcolor Lucjan Siwczyk, one of Poland's major rental companies, is located in greater Warsaw, since 2010 in a substantial purpose-built warehouse and office complex complete with two large studios which are regularly hired out by TV production companies to record a range of series and programs.

Television is a core market for Transcolor which also services other studios with lighting and video equipment -- together with concert touring, special events, and long term installations.

To assist with the busy schedules, there are now over 300 Robe luminaires in the rental inventory including 200 plus LEDWash 800s and over 100 Spikies.

They started looking at Robe in 2012 -- having been a distributor for a competitor brand for several years and consequently having a big stock of their fixtures -- it was a big moment -- explained technical manager Szymon Kosicki.

Having noticed Robe's star rising for some time, they approached Rafal Rzeczkowski of Robe's hard working and enthusiastic Polish distributor, Prolight, with whom they already enjoyed an excellent relationship. Transcolor wanted good quality and powerful LED wash light at this point, and after carefully looking at all the options, decided Robe was the best choice.

The first batch of LEDWash 800s was soon followed by several more. Kosicki notes they have been impressed with the continuity -- colors, quality, and appearance of the LEDs, etc. -- between batches, an area where they've had real issues with other brands.

"They are small, handy, lightweight, and a very universal product that is easy to handle and very reliable," and as a result, their LEDWashes are out all the time on various shows and events -- a scenario that's ideal for any rental enterprise.

The Spikies were purchased in the last year ... and in Poland currently seen to be the trending product with top TV lighting designers. "We really like the concept of this fixture" says Kosicki, listing some recent Spikie shows including Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (lighting designer Marcin Michna).

"New technologies are always interesting and we have our 'ears to the ground' constantly to discuss what's good and what's cool," says Kosicki.

Talking generally about Robe he likes the ideas and philosophy of CEO Josef Valchar who is extremely approachable and personally in tune with market needs and demands. "We feel that Robe is currently heading at the top of the industry," he concluded.

Transcolor is owned by Lucjan Siwczyk who founded the company 25 years ago. Previously he was a lighting technician, then a lighting operator and designer in Estrada Slaska and Spodek Arena in Katowice where his passion for the production industry and the technologies that create the magic began. Currently Transcolor has an optimal group of management and administration staff and around 50 regular "full-time" freelance technical crew including lighting designers, programmers, and operators, several who have been with the company many years. They concentrate on supplying kit with full crew rather than dry hires and provide full technical production to clients using the two studios, the largest of which is 1,500sqm with a generous 12m of headroom to the roof catwalks, and an impressive eight-tons of weight loading on each of the structural beams!

With business enjoying great buoyancy at the moment, on most days Transcolor trucks, with their striking black and white livery, can be spotted zooming around the country moving kit between projects.