ELC appoints ECM S.A. as distributor
- Details
Founded in 1971 by Claudio Merlo, and based in the southern Canton of Ticino, ECM S.A. found success as a supplier of popular lighting brands, such as Coemar and Optikinetics, to the booming discotheque market. At the end of the 1970s, the business base expanded to include Swiss theatres. From its beginnings in rented garage spaces, the company has grown to employ 14 people and now serves the whole country from a modern headquarters and centralised warehouse, with branches in German and French-speaking Switzerland.
Welcoming the ELC brand to the ECM S.A. portfolio, managing director Lorenzo Merlo comments: “As a pioneer in the field of IP lighting networks for over 20 years, ELC has benefitted from strong distribution in Switzerland right from the start and has long been one of the recommended standards for fixed installations. Also, many rental companies are loyal to the ELC brand.”
Manufactured in Gemert, in the Netherlands, ELC’s network solutions already provide a respected complement to the console and dimmer brands in ECM’s S.A. portfolio, guaranteeing system homogeneity. The inclusion of ELC now enables ECM S.A. to respond to system requests of all sizes, from simple DMX control points to complex IP networks, giving customers the convenience of having a single point of contact for the entire control chain.
Of ELC’s strengths, Merlo points to the wide-ranging configuration possibilities and ease of use. “For example, ELC’s DMXLAN software,” he says, “which is constantly evolving, enables remote control of all network components, as well as the fixtures connected to them, and facilitates setup work with or without the use of the RDM-QR.”
He adds: “Generally, ELC’s durability means that products and parts can be supplied over very long periods. This continuity enables users to upgrade or maintain their installations many years after commissioning.”
Merlo sees great potential for the ELC brand in Switzerland, both in legacy systems and as the industry continues to evolve. He says: “The opportunities we see are as diverse as updating ELC installations that are over 15 years old, to introducing ArtNet, sAcn and DMX protocols in home automation and architectural lighting.”
Over more than half a century, ECM S.A. has established itself as a leading supplier of renowned brands from across the entertainment industry. Active in theatre, television, live music, conferences, hotels, cinemas and multipurpose venues, as well as in architectural fields, ECM S.A. supplies professional equipment to installers and rental companies throughout Switzerland.
Silvio Cibien, ELC’s international sales manager, says: “We are very pleased to welcome ECM S.A. to our international family of distributors. Of course, we have known of the company and its strengths for many years, so this is an exciting time! As we look to the future, to the next stage of our growth in the Swiss market, ELC could not be in better hands than with ECM S.A..”
