Astera Announces DWR as South African Distributor

	(Left to right) DWR's Duncan Riley, Bruce Riley and Jannie de Jager are looking forward to a long and successful working relationship with Astera.

Battery powered wireless LED manufacturer Astera LED has announced DWR Distribution as its exclusive distributor in South Africa which will include other southern and central African countries.

DWR is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, with bases in Cape Town and Durban as well as extensive contacts across southern and central Africa. The company is headed by Duncan Riley, Robert Izzett, and Bruce Riley and is a proud supplier of an array of premium brands and products and equipment for the entertainment and architectural sectors which includes lighting, audio, AV, and staging.

"I am hugely excited," comments Astera's sales and marketing director Sebastian Bückle. "I think the African and South African markets are vibrant and full of potential and I have heard so many great things from around the industry about DWR and their incredible customer service! I am looking forward to a great working relationship with Duncan, Sherryn and their dedicated and very enthusiastic team."

Riley is also looking forward to a great working relationship with Astera. He was keen to get involved after hearing so many people talking about the brand and its reputation for quality and innovation as well as starting to notice Astera projects in the press. It also came recommended to him by a couple of other high-profile industry contacts whose opinion he respects.

He reckons Titan Tubes will be a big success in Africa and in fact, before this press release or the distribution was even announced, DWR had already sold their first set of Titan Tubes through word of mouth!

Riley sees the products being popular for film, TV, and photography due to the high TLCI and CRI of 96 as well as in the staging market with the smooth color mixing and dynamic pixel control. The battery operation, he thinks, is an absolute bonus in all cases and ideal for lighting set pieces, buildings, rooms, sculptures, and other applications, especially in hard to access places and locations. They are also great for the African market where power can be an issue; being greener and eco-friendlier is a primary consideration for all events.

"I really like the full flexibility that is inherent in all the Astera product designs," he states.

In addition to the product's good engineering, Riley has heard "great things" about Astera's own technical support and backup, elements that are vital to establishing top brands in new markets as DWR knows - they have enjoyed considerable success with names like Robe lighting, MA Lighting, Absen, Green Hippo, DiGiCo, L-Acoustics, and many more.

"I've just got a feeling about Astera," says Riley. "They seem to be 'all about the people,' which is a direct fit for us and seeing some of their projects around the world was another deciding factor."

DWR's sales team are getting trained on the Astera products and with Mediatech Africa, the biennial entertainment technology expo coming up in July, there are high expectations for a lot of interest to follow very quickly.