The Case for Efficiency In our business (or mine, anyway) the biggest cost we bear is the cost of talent. In the company I run, payroll and benefits outweigh all other costs combined, including equipment, rent, vehicles, and coffee (although the importance of coffee can’t be overestimated). On the purchasing side of things, we buy two kinds of gear. the first, of course, is primary rental equipment. Projectors, monitors, switchers, screens, sound gear – the list goes on and on. These are the items that clients ask about, and from which we derive most of our equipment rental revenue. Obviously, this gear has to be competitive in the market, and most companies concentrate their purchasing dollars here. The second major category is accessories (which we often refer to loosely as “gakk”). This includes cases, transport gear, adapters, etc. All companies try to limit their spending on these items. But, personally I find intelligent purchasing and planning in this area to be one of the characteristics that sets aside truly professional companies. Because intelligent work here can really maximize the performance of your largest investment – the people. Let me start with my favorite example – cases. Many of the smaller companies I’ve worked with seem resentful of case costs. Lots of them seem to use the old “utility case” system, where lots of gear is sitting naked on the shelves, and is then packed into miscellaneous roadcases for transport. This does indeed reduce case costs. But let’s examine how it influences the big labor number, and a number of other costs. Packing Packing a show is difficult enough, but unless you have an enormous pull floor (read: space costs) it’s difficult to do an accurate pull with uncased gear. Normally, it’s done by pulling items and placing them into cases, checking them off on a list and adding the time of producing lists for individual cases contents. It also adds the time of wrapping and padding the items as we place them. Repacking Invariably, people’s accuracy and memory then comes into play. Did we pack all the antenna distro parts? Sigh and unpack a case. Or two. Or three, depending on how good your lists have been kept. Shipping costs Even if you’re transporting it yourself, non-fitted cases take up more room, don’t nest properly, and generally take more space (and weigh more) than they need to. Finding it on a truck Generic cases stink when it comes to finding a piece that needs to come off a truck. And, if the item is packed with other items, cost time in unpacking and repacking in the difficult confines of a loaded truck. And if you’re in a union venue, probably involve increased drayage costs. Finding items onsite The biggest labor loser here is that it becomes difficult to find things onsite. Looking through cases for the piece you need right now can be frustrating, time consuming, and expensive. Repacking onsite When you travel, have you ever noticed that the things you brought never fit back into the luggage you brought them in? Multiply that by a factor of a thousand or so, and add the fact that the repacking is being done by a tired crew who wants to get out the door, no matter how good they are. It results in overtime, lost gear, and breakage. Now compare those costs (the real ones) to the costs of buying the right gear in the first place. I’ve made my case. JRR
Thanks to our sponsor, Da-Lite Screen Company
New WUXGA Projectors From projectiondesign Two projectors from projectiondesign are getting the WUXGA treatment. The F10 and F30 are now available with 1920 x 1200 resolution and 16:10 aspect ratio. These are DLP-based projectors. The F10 and F30 projectors both feature a variety of projection lenses, and up to 3500 and 4100 lumens respectively. More model variants and custom options will be available in the second quarter of this year. For more information, go to http://www.projectiondesign.com/Default.asp?CatID=1673 Nice. As I’ve said in previous issues, it’s nice to see the projector manufacturers (and of course, TI and the various LCD manufacturers) chasing resolution rather than brightness for a while. –JRR
NEC Announces Widescreen Installation Projector The projector can connect to wireless networks, and with optional quick-mount bayonet style lenses, can project an image from 40-500 inches. It includes HQV video processing. Interestingly, it makes use of the Windows Network Projector functionality within Windows Vista via the wireless adapter or integrated RJ45 without the need for additional proprietary software. And USB connection for a mouse and keyboard allow desktop control when using the NP3151W to connect to a remote desktop via a wired/wireless network connection. That’s a lot of features, especially for a price tag of $4,999. The NP3151W ships this month. For more information, go to http://www.necdisplay.com/cms/documents/PressReleases/NP3151W%20release%20FINAL.pdf Projectors with network connectivity without a directly attached PC. Looks like a nice projector, but the use of the Windows Vista Network Projector system is a benefit that remains to be seen, IMHO. Why not VNC, or any of the open standards that support multiple operating systems (like all the other flavors of Windows)? Very, very few of my larger clients have made the move to Vista, which makes the capability moot. Only one question: Does the projector show the “Blue Screen of Death” when it locks up? –JRR
Aligning Multiple Screens Made Easier With Chief ENS Chief Manufacturing announced a product that makes it easier to align multiple screens when setting up menu boards, digital signage and more. The ENS Lateral Shift Extrusions are available in custom lengths for forming video walls by mounting multiple Chief fixed and tilt mounts side-by-side. The accessory is compatible with Chief's PSM and PST fixed mounts, or the PRO and PLP tilt mounts. You can order per inch up to 108" (274.3 cm). For added length, order multiple extrusions. For more information, go to http://www.imakenews.com/chiefmfg/index000241447.cfm Great idea, especially since we get asked more and more for odd plasma arrays. The photo is inspirational, though – it looks like the unistrut we use for this purpose now. -JRR Rotating Outlets on New Tributaries Power Strip Organize Power Cords Tributaries Cable has a new power strip, the T12, that smoothes those installations where you have a lot of power cords. The T12 has 12 outlets, eight of which can rotate up to 90 degrees. It provides 4320 joules of surge suppression and noise filtering for AC power, and signal-line protection for telecomm (RJ-11), network (RJ-45), and cable, antenna, and satellite (F-connector) signals. The T12 has two status LEDs. The blue “Grounded” LED will illuminate when the electrical system is properly grounded; the red “Protected” LED, when lit, shows the AC surge protection is operating properly. The T12 is rated for heavy duty use at 15 amps for up to 1875 watts of load. The T12 is available now with an MSRP of $120. For more information, go to http://www.tributariescable.com/products/sheets/HNP_T12.pdf Wow. I had no idea a plug strip could become this advanced <grin>. I can see them as being nice for some in-house rentals of sensitive gear. In staging, however, we have a word for plug strips that contain breakers. We call them “Showstoppers”. -JRR Well, that's it for this edition of rAVe! Thank you for spending time with us as we muse the industry's happenings. To continue getting my newsletter, or to sign up a friend, click the link below. To send feedback, don't reply to this newsletter – instead, write to Contributing Editor Joel Rollins at joelrollins@mac.com, Publisher Gary Kayye at gkayye@kayye.com or Editor-in-Chief Denise Harrison at dharrison@kayye.com A little about Gary Kayye, CTS, founder of rAVe and Kayye Consulting. Gary Kayye, an audiovisual veteran and columnist, began the widely-read KNews, a premier industry newsletter, in the late 1990s, and created the model for and was co-founder of AV Avenue – which later became InfoComm IQ. Kayye Consulting is a company that is committed to furthering the interests and success of dealers, manufacturers, and other companies within the professional audiovisual industry. rAVe Pro Edition was launched in February 2003. The rAVe Home Edition co-sponsored by CEDIA launched in February, 2004. rAVe Rental [and Staging] launched in November 2007. rAVe Ed [Education] launches this May. To read more about my background, our staff, and what we do, go to http://www.kayye.com rAVe Rental [and Staging] contains the opinions of the authors only and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of other persons or companies or its sponsors. Copyright 2008 – Kayye Consulting – All rights reserved. For reprint policies, contact Kayye Consulting, 400 Meadowmont Village Circle, Suite 425 – Chapel Hill, NC 27517 – 919/969-7501. Email: dharrison@kayye.com |