The Mumbai-based sound and lighting company had previously been operating as a dealer, and has been working with the Martin Audio brand since 2006, both in a rental and installation capacity. During that time it has fitted out many auditoriums and specified a vast range of systems, from Blackline+ and AQ series, up to the W8L Longbow, W8LC Compact and W8LM Mini line arrays.
IES set out primarily as a distributor/dealer for multinational companies, manufacturing intelligent lighting, control and sound equipment, and has been steadily growing its distribution portfolio, adding lighting brands such as Robe.
Said director Kekul Sheth, "We are delighted to be handling the Martin Audio distribution exclusively and will be ramping up our infrastructure even further to accommodate this. Martin Audio has good brand visibility in India and offers great sales potential in all our core markets; in many cases this will be repeat business."
However, both he and business partner, Rasesh Parekh, said they were particularly relishing the opportunity to introduce the MLA family to the local market adding that the latest addition - the MLA Mini, which celebrated its global launch in Frankfurt - would be perfectly placed for the country's large nightclub and bar market.
Martin Audio export sales manager (EMEA), Dominic Jacobson, added, "We've been talking to IES or a very long time and we are delighted to have reached this conclusion.
"We had been looking for solid distribution in India and IES' penetration - particularly of the installation market - is extremely strong. They also have good connections in live sound and associated sectors and this intuitively feels like a natural fit."
* Martin Audio has appointed Istanbul-based InfoGroup Sound Lighting and Visual Systems Ltd as its new Turkish distributor. The partnership was confirmed, with immediate effect, by Martin Audio's Dominic Jacobson at this year's Prolight+Sound Show in Frankfurt. He said that the company offered impressive credentials and would promote the entire Martin Audio portfolio.
"We needed to find a dynamic partner that was active in all our key markets - in order to boost market penetration in the region," he said. "We short-listed two potential partners, but were particularly impressed with the professionalism of InfoGroup. They took me to meet customers in each of their core sectors, and there was clearly a lot of warmth and positivity towards them."
(Jim Evans)
