Denmark-based entertainment automation specialist, Motor Stage Automation (MSA), has made a substantial investment in leading brand Kinesys, comprising 30 Kinesys Apex 500kg hoists and 30 Kinesys Apex V2 drives plus three Mentor 401 safety controllers.
As such, offering SIL3 safety over Ethernet and safety control of up to 60 devices simultaneously.
This follows up a second-batch purchase of 21 Kinesys Apex 500kg hoists and 26 Kinesys V1 Drives, a Mentor 401 and Vector control delivered last year, bringing MSA’s current total of Apex hosts to 72, including Apex 1250Kg motors that arrived when the company launched in 2021.
While that might be a lot of Apex hoists, it seems there are “never enough” according to MSA’s Christian Vigso.
MSA is a brand-new company, and before launching in 2021, Vigso and his team scoped out the market to find brands that were reliable, respected, flexible, and good value and assessed the advantages of each.
They also wanted brands that were omnipresent worldwide as MSA’s horizons have always been international.
“We soon realised that Kinesys ticked all our boxes and that there was a substantial need for Apex hoists on the market,” noted Christian, adding, “Wherever you look for automaton around the world, Kinesys is always present, which means there is also an infrastructure, technical support, a network of good techs and operators … as well as parts.”
Apex offered all the operational benefits like high levels of safety, user-friendliness, compatibility with all the European standards together with compact size, plus the option to rig the drive units in the truss or on the deck as required.
“It’s really incredibly adaptable to serve all sorts of automation requirements,” confirmed Christian.
The first and second Apex purchases came with the V1 drives, while the third investment was delivered with the newer V2 drives ready for onward compatibility with future Kinesys products that are being developed.
When it comes to Vector control, Christian commented that it is exceptionally straightforward to use.
“Within five minutes you can have the hoists running on it,” he declared, which is great for techs and operators.
He also liked the ergonomics: “The console is compact, solid, it looks good, and the screen is also excellent.”
He reiterated that as the software has become a global automation standard, sourcing good operators in most territories is also easier.
At least some of this kit will be warehoused in the UK, close to the bustling northeastern industrial port of Grimsby, with easy access to all major UK rail and road networks.
MSA has a lot of ongoing business in the UK, plus there’s been a big demand for Apex for UK-based tours and events.
For numerous administrative, practical and geopolitical reasons, it also makes sense to host a quantity of equipment in the UK.
Technical sales specialist Jimmy Johnson, who recently joined the MSA team is based in the UK, and will co-ordinate things.
He commented: “Our UK hub will be a springboard operation, negating the need for UK companies hiring MSA equipment to have to deal with import-export regulations and costs!”
Talking about Kinesys generally, he thinks the brand excels at bringing new solutions to the market and meeting specific requirements and custom requests.
“Dave Weatherhead and the team have a lot of knowledge and experience that they are willing to share, which is very helpful!” MSA’s Kinesys kit has already been utilised on many shows and events.
In Europe, that includes two large-scale musical productions, the Danish tour of Pretty Woman and a six-month run of The Bodyguard the musical at the China Teatern in Stockholm, Sweden, both for Lion Entertainment.
For these popular shows, MSA designed and delivered automation that moved stage revolves and various props, set, and scenery pieces.
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