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Bandit Lites Opens New and Larger Facility for European Operations
On January 5, 2009, Bandit Lites, Ltd. moved their European operations into a new, larger facility. The new building is located on Ampthill Road, very close to the Bedford bypass allowing access to the A1 and M1 motorway. This move is the next step in the continuing global growth strategy of Bandit Lites.
The 50,000 square foot facility includes 6,500 square feet of office space. The remaining space is divided between the Technical Services Department, LED & Special Effects Department and the Generic & Rigging Departments, as well as a virtual programming suite, storage space and a substantial amount of system prep areas, allowing Bandit to prep multiple lighting systems simultaneously.
Parking for numerous trucks is available in the rear of the estate with acreage for future construction when it is needed. There are offices and a full kitchen available for visiting lighting designers as they work in the virtual programming suite within Bandit to program their creations before the equipment hits the road. The entire Bandit staff onsite work tirelessly to service the needs of the visiting designers and make their days as comfortable and productive as they can possibly be.
The new building will also include a state-of-the-art computer network, servers and Wi Fi to handle the vast amount of electronic communication between the UK staff and Bandit's other locations throughout America and Asia.
Bandit will take delivery in late January of another large shipment of new Vari Lite products to bolster the already substantial investment in new technology. New VL 3000, VL 3500 and VL 2500 fixtures are in transit now.
Bandit Lites has been nominated again in 2009 for ‘Favourite Lighting Rental Company' in the upcoming TPI Awards to be held in London on February 9th. This comes on the heels of having won ‘Lighting Company of the Year' at both the Pollstar CIC Awards and the PLSN Parnelli Awards in 2008.
"The enthusiasm of the staff has been phenomenal," Bandit UK chief executive, Lester Cobrin commented. "We are confident that the facility will allow us to take on additional work while upholding the standard of service we are known for. There is an opportunity now to make improvements as to the way we work within a new environment. I am still stunned as to how much work we actually managed to shoehorn out of the old building within the smaller area. Our quality and service can only improve yet again!
"January 13, 2009 marked a new milestone for Bandit Lites as they loaded out UFC 93, the first job that was fully prepped at the new facility. The new facility is a show of dedication to the staff, their quality of life, the clients and their needs and the European market in general. It is of the utmost importance to Bandit Lites that they continue as the highest quality global solution to clients' lighting needs."
"It was a great sight to see the first trucks rolling out after so many months of planning and hard work," Bandit UK general manager, James Harden added. "Since I started working here, Bandit has continued to grow from strength to strength and I am thankful to be part of such a solid company."
15th January 2009
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