The move is indicative of APG's broader international strategy throughout the EMEA region. According to APG's VP global sales, Bruno Garros, the decision to go direct has been maturing for some time. "It is clearly the best solution for APG in the UK," he commented. "The traditional distribution model puts too many obstacles between us and the customer. We felt very strongly that the best way forward for us was to have a direct link into the UK with someone who is actually employed and trained by APG - it means a direct link to the factory, to R&D and to marketing with access to all of the resources that we provide as a company. This approach provides clear benefits to the client and enables us to fully manage our operations in the UK."
APG's Xavier Pion, who has been managing the UK up to now, is in full agreement. "Our strategy has effectively been defined for some time," confirmed Pion, "but strategy is meaningless without the right people to implement it, so the key to it all was finding the right person to spearhead our UK operation. We are confident that Scott has everything it takes to be successful with APG in the UK - his technical abilities and experience are beyond question, his focus being on designing and delivering complete system solutions wherever possible, and he is also an accomplished salesman. In short, he has all the qualities we were looking for - he even likes rugby! I'm genuinely looking forward to working with Scott."
Fraser, whose professional experience includes many years with Yamaha in the installed sound division as installation manager, plus a number of other stints with reputable audio companies, is equally looking forward to his new role. "APG's portfolio offers unique technology, sounds fantastic and is backed up by a great team of people who are passionate about what they do," said Fraser. "It's not just about having the best sound out there - it's also about doing things in partnership and having some fun whilst we do it."
"Having listened to the Dispersion range, I'm amazed that these speakers have not been taken up by a larger customer base in the UK," he continued." They out-perform the competition whilst being more cost-effective and having better integration options. They couple extremely well with the Uniline system, combining both as a full-range system for 10,000+ concerts, whilst still being modular enough to cater for intimate 500-seater gigs."
"I think we have a great future in the UK," concluded Fraser. "I can think of many rental companies that will be very interested in listening to what APG has to offer and buying into the APG family. Also, the high level integrators who really care about their sound will love the options we can provide. Whether it's off-the-shelf products, RAL colour-matched or an entirely bespoke product, there's nothing we can't cover."
(Lee Baldock)
