Since Rick Wilson, Harold Berlinski and Karen Haddon set up Le Maitre back in the '70s, the company has gone from strength to strength to become a global leader in its field of pyrotechnics and special effects.
"We've over 500 state-of-the-art products including the renowned PyroFlash and ProStageII ranges and we continue to bring out cutting-edge products. This year will be no exception with a stunning new range of pyro shortly to hit the scene as well as an exciting new development on the haze front later this year - watch this space," says Wilson.
"I'm delighted to be able to say that our product sales are greater than they have ever been. We have grown our distributor network to 75 companies globally and we have spent a great deal of time and expense getting worldwide approvals for product. We have an outstanding presence in the European market, the American market is in excellent hands since the establishment of Le Maitre USA LLC and we're now working on a new expansion phase in Asia and the Far East, in fact our Head Of Sales, Elaine Peake is in India right now for Palm Mumbai."
In addition to the manufacturing and sales side of the business, Le Maitre Events - spearheaded by Karen Haddon - has also been doing well.
"Business at Le Maitre Events has been booming with the supply, coordination and firing of pyro and effects at numerous events," says Haddon. "Most recently these have included live shows such as Britain's Got Talent and The X-Factor Tour; major film premieres including The Hunger Games and Titanic 3D; TV shows such as Sports Personality Of The Year and many concerts and festivals across the UK and Europe.
"Much of Le Maitre's success can be traced back to our staff of course - R&D, production, sales..... many of whom have been with us for as long as 25 years. Our success is based very much on the expertise of the people we employ, and this year we have recruited an additional three personnel for R&D - Dr. Hamish Cavaye (PhD), Tobias Phillips (BSc.) and Mark Rhind (MEng). We are all looking forward to the future and the continued growth of the business" says Haddon.
(Jim Evans)
