As part of this month’s focus on South Africa InAVate spoke to Gideon Taljaard (Managing Director) and Leon Theunissen (Technical Director), the men behind integration firm Hattech. The company has been synonymous for a decade with the house of worship market but is about to spread its wings and move into the wider AV world.
What are your AV backgrounds and the origins of Hattech?Gideon - I’m actually a chemical engineer by training but parallel to that career I have been involved with church music since the very first gospel groups in South Africa, doing sound for them and then eventually hooking up a person running a small design and installation firm. As that side of things grew and grew I eventually gave up the engineering and entered the sound industry as a career.
Leon - Like Gideon I was also involved in the church music scene, as a musician, but before that I worked with companies such as SABC and Studer Revox SA on the maintenance side thanks to my electronics engineering background. From there we went into partnership in 2000.
Gideon - What I believe makes us almost unique as a company in South Africa is our independence. We always try to choose the appropriate solution for a venue rather than forcing a brand on the customer. We have a totally free hand to choose whichever product is right for the job. What is common here is integrators and dealers favouring a brand through a commission structure or exclusivity. We’ve always resisted the pressure to go down that route.
Do you have any brands that you use a lot of?Gideon - On the speaker side we’re able to design & supply systems, integrating brands such as JBL, Nexo, EAW. However I would say our success in the HOW market is the Bose brand. We have used a lot of it.
Leon - On the video side we’re authorised dealers for Sanyo, Mitsubishi and Sony, and also Kramer and Extron. At the moment there is little demand due to budget, for control solutions in the HOW market. However, with our new enterprise, these solutions will certainly become part of our designs.
Tell us about the new venture, what’s it all about?Gideon - Well the name Hattech has always been associated as a HOW brand company. We’re seen as “those guys who work with churches.†That sort of attitude has prevented us from breaking into other markets and being recognised as people who fully understand the processes and sometimes better than the some companies who work in these markets. We’ve therefore decided to introduce the MIT (Multimedia Integration Technology) brand. It’s something that has been on the cards for a while but for a number of reasons, including the continued development of the South African AV market, the right time has come. We really are looking to step up a gear and grow it, with the market into the government and corporate sectors. One of the things we’re doing straight away is to put our team through the CTS programme.
What’s your overall perception of the AV market in South AfricaGideon - In South Africa the poles are very far apart in terms of the levels of professionalism. There are the pro companies, and then there are the fly-by-night operators who will sell you a projector and their grandmother at the same time. It’s a real struggle to make an industry understand that it’s not always the cheapest, which comes with a free elderly relative, which will work. When you’re talking about the HoW they often have to buy two or three times to make the right decision. It’s almost an expected exercise to go through.
Leon - Something that we have managed to do is to start to win the argument about standards of work, to persuade people that when they select products they should be looking to make a capital investment, not just choose the cheapest option. We really feel that South Africa is starting to move towards the level of wanting quality and technical excellence. Our plans for InfoComm certification for our staff can only help to give the customer that peace of mind.
How well supported and recognised is InfoComm in South Africa?Gideon - In the past, InfoComm or its predecessors were not that well known here. It is now being marketed quite extensively as a standard in our national trade press. They have started to push contractors to talk about it and to get customers to ask contractors if they have CTS qualifications. Word is starting to spread. At the moment it’s the people who are registered with InfoComm who are raising the standards in our industry.
In terms of support from the organisation, there is going to be a classroom course offered for the first time in October. The intention is for these courses to be run regularly and I think this will make a big difference in raising awareness and combating the fly-by-night operators. They are seriously hurting our industry at the moment. Hopefully the adoption of CTS qualifications by our industry will finally bring about a professional standard, all to the benefit of the end-user client.
Meet the teamBehind the scenes, Hattech has a highly motivated team of professionals to support its management. They also have the makings of a band. Takalani Ranwedzi, also known as Takkie, is on Bass and vocals as well as being the Installation Manager. Lesedi Sennelo is on lead guitarist and Projects manager. He ensures that the planning, stock and technical drawings are all in order. Kathu Netshikulwe manages the wiring team and stands in for Takkie when thigns are getting busy. Sam Tshada, drummer, is the newest member of the installation team.
Making sure everyone else is where they should be is the band’s manager Charmaine Pienaar. She’s the friendly voice on the telephone and responsible for general administration.