The 50,000sq.ft facility includes 6,500sq.ft 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 programme their creations before the equipment hits the road.
"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."
13 January 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. "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 said.
(Jim Evans)
