The Latest Drop on our New Kabuki System
It may surprise you to know that Magnet Schultz Ltd is the designer of the industry-acclaimed Electro Kabuki drape release mechanism, which is used worldwide by many high-profile event organisers and live performing arts troupes.
Late last year we launched an updated system, the Electro Kabuki 2 (EK2) at the entertainment and technology exhibition, PLASA, held at London’s Earls Court. We developed the EK2 to meet the needs of larger, more sophisticated systems with features like DMX control, integral status monitoring & feedback, while remaining the perfect fit for smaller installations. It was exceptionally well received and our presence at the show resulted in a wave of new orders. As you can imagine, we are pretty pleased about that!
Late in 2011 we launched our newest Electro Kabuki drape release mechanism at the PLASA show in London. It was our first year at the exhibition and we were impressed with the calibre of products on display and with the show visitors attending from the live events and theatre industry. Now our Magnet Schultz Ltd team is looking forward to exhibiting EK2 at the show again later this year, and to providing live demonstrations on our stand.
The EK2 improves on its predecessor in many ways, including features like 2-channel firing, controlled test firing functionality, full system integrity monitoring for absolute confidence, DMX control and more resilient construction. Like EK1, the EK2 system is also designed expressly to deliver a faultless drop of a drape, curtain, screen, or any other object like a dummy or mannequin deployed within a show or event. The organisers of these sorts of event can’t afford any ‘hang ups’, and rarely get a second change to deliver the big reveal. Our existing users consistently report that Electro Kabuki delivers reliability that’s ‘second-to-none’ – it’s a key factor for them.
Perhaps the major new control feature of EK2 is its intrinsic 2-channel firing system. This cleverly allows a double drop via a one cable system, dramatically simplifying installation. A two-stage drop sequence is often used in reveal-and-discard applications, and the added bonus of the EK2 system is that the two circuits can also be fired simultaneously if required. This was a big talking point at the show and appeared to be of great interest to many of the visitors to our stand at PLASA.
Exhibiting EK2 at PLASA was a good move. Developing the EK2, imagining all its new features and refining our manufacturing process to produce the product efficiently was an even better move. But that’s a whole story in itself; suffice to say that we were pleased to be able to work with MAS South East when defining the lean manufacturing processes that enable EK2 to be better in so many ways. Along the way, our new product development journey identified Critical-to-Quality requirements, minimised parts count, simplified assembly, and greatly reduced the build time for an Electro Kabuki module to less than 15 minutes. In fact, lean manufacturing principles are having a big uimpact on other product lines as well.
To find out more about the EK2, please take a look at the dedicated Electro Kabuki website or contact a member of the Electro Kabuki team who will be happy to talk through the system with you.