Lumini Invests in Robe DL Series

	Bellalite's Bjorn Arnason and Lumini's Peter Johansson. Photo: Louise Stickland

Lumini is a lighting rental company in Billesholm just outside Helsingborg, Sweden, that is owned and run by Peter Johansson and has recently invested in 28 Robe LEDBeam 150 fixtures and also DL4S profiles.

The LEDBeam 150s are the newest purchased, and will be used primarily for illuminating tables during conference and dinner events, especially when the venue has low headroom.

The eight DL4Ss were an earlier investment for multiple reasons, with the near-silent operation being a big consideration, especially useful for some of the high-end corporate work in which Johansson is regularly engaged.

Johansson loves the LEDBeam 150s. "The zoom range and the excellent color mixing are ideal for the style and format of many of the events that I light," he stated, adding that the incredibly light weight of just 6Kg is perfect for rigging in all sorts of places when there's no space for trusses.

"They are GREAT value for money," he enthuses and already has them booked out on several events over the summer.

On the DL4S he explains, "Sometimes the lights have to be right above or very close to the audience or the speakers and presenters onstage, scenarios where fan noise can be very distracting."

The shutters were another important feature, and in addition to this, the compact size of the DL4S is perfect for the majority of shows that he is servicing. "There are many other cool and useful features making them an excellent choice and a good quality all-round fixture," he commented.

As soon as the DL4S units were delivered, they went straight out on an event in Malmo, and then on to a show in Portugal. Most of the time since then they have been out earning their keep ... which is exactly what Johansson had in mind.

He didn't have any doubts about making either investment. "I know from my own experience that Robe products are reliable and rock solid." He thinks Robe has definitely designed and geared specific product ranges to rental and staging companies over the last two or three years.

This approach also makes his LEDBeam 150s and DL4Ss of value as cross rental items, and if he needs more for a particular show, it's a relatively straightforward exercise.

He says his long term relationship with Robe's Swedish distributor Bellalite is another plus. He knows he can rely on great support, not that much technical back up is needed for Robe as the kit just goes on and on working!

As soon as he started utilizing the DL4Ss on shows, his customers immediately noticed the quality and brightness of the fixtures and the difference this brought to their set ups. He says he's expecting a similar reaction to the LEDBeam 150s.

Johansson actually purchased his first lighting equipment when he was about 18 -- 12 PAR cans and a Pulsar rock desk -- during which time he was also working for Fremlab, a well-known rental, production, and installation operation based in Helsingborg.

The main focus of his rental business now is touring and music, coupled with quality corporate events, all bringing a good dynamic mix of projects and taking him all over Sweden and regularly to other parts of Europe.

Johansson has been involved with music most of his life, however his career in lighting really got started when he was a teenager and there were two bands in Billesholm at the time, both with audio kit ... but no lights!

Spotting a commercial opportunity, and once he had the lighting kit on-board, he lit both bands regularly and played keyboards and bass in one of them.

While he didn't get famous as a musician, in the meantime he has become a well-known and respected figure in the Swedish production industry. The lighting business grew rapidly, and in addition to supplying equipment via the company, Johansson still takes on freelance design, programming, and production management work.

The very first Robe moving lights to join the Lumini inventory appeared back in the early days of the original Robe XT series, shortly followed by the AT series, so almost from the start of "Robe" as an own-brand. He uses MA Lighting grandMA for control.

His busy season tends to start in the spring and continues apace until the end of the year. He loves the sheer variety of the work and the different challenges it brings.