Tom Hawes (Senior Sales Specialist) and Simon Gibbs (Head of Sales) recently took on a fact finding mission to Vicoustic HQ. They discovered a company working at the cutting edge of acoustic treatment, able to deliver all their knowledge directly into your AV and smart home projects.
All installers are aware that acoustic treatment for AV projects, such as media rooms and home cinemas, is a vital part of delivering the best performance. Many are also aware that acoustic treatment can work wonders for less obvious spaces, such as an echoey dining room or kitchen. However, it’s a challenge to find a partner with the knowledge and the products to deliver solutions that can be easily fitted into projects, combined with the support to make sure the right choices and installation approaches are used. However, we feel we have the answer to these issues in Vicoustic, a company that not only understands the technology but also meets the challenges facing installers.
Tom explains, “Vicoustic is an innovative acoustic treatment company. They make acoustic panels for residential and commercial markets, focusing on improving the acoustic environments in which people work, play music and watch films. They offer a really versatile, real-world, and extensive range of acoustic panels for multiple applications and aesthetic priorities. Ever since Pulse Cinemas started working with the brand back in 2017, we have been hugely impressed by the knowledge within the company and also the constant progress that the company has made to keep improving its offering.”
This progress includes recently opening one of the world’s most advanced factories for the creation of acoustic materials and treatments.
Tom reveals, “On our recent trip, Simon and I enjoyed a full tour of Vicoustic’s new building, which houses a new production facility for improving production capacity and speed of delivery. This building also incorporates new offices, training areas and reception spaces to welcome integrators and distributors. We met with Cesar Carapinha, CEO; Per Larsen, Vice President; Ekaterina Carapinha, CFO; and Carla Afonso, Marketing Director.
“We were able to visit key areas such as the company’s in-house acoustic chamber, which is a cutting-edge facility that can convert from a reverberation chamber into an anechoic chamber, allowing both diffuse field and free field conditions to be achieved. This gives the acoustic engineers the ability to test and develop a huge range of different products, meeting a growing range of use-case scenarios that dealers encounter. This impressive space has features such as a 4-ton motorised mechanical wall which can be placed in different positions, making it possible to study any product sample at precise frequencies.”
The company celebrated the opening of this new facility recently during the ‘Vicoustic Convention’, which served as a platform for the grand opening, attracting business partners from around the globe. Tom continues, “Clearly, the company has invested heavily in its ability to continue to innovate, allowing for increased production speeds so dealers can benefit from quicker delivery times. It will allow for larger storage capacity of products, boosting the logistics the company can offer. Ultimately, Vicoustic has positioned itself to develop a wider range of products and deliver them to market faster and more efficiently.”
SUSTAINABLE APPROACH
In a world where environmental concerns are increasingly important for many customers and the industry in general, Vicoustic has been active in this area as well.
Tom explains, “Producing acoustic solutions in a sustainable and environmentally conscious way has been at the forefront of Vicoustic’s mind for quite some time. In 2017, Vicoustic began a new path in the acoustic design world with its development and production of a new, sustainable raw material, VicPET Wool. The company delivered the first product line using this material, Vicoustic VMT. VicPET Wool is a non-woven textile with superb acoustic performance that is predominantly made from ocean-recovered recycled plastic bottles. Through extensive research and testing, Vicoustic fine-tuned this material, which can now be found across a range of the company’s products. This includes acoustic panels and clouds such as Flat Panel VMT, ViCloud VMT Flat, ViCloud VMT 3D, VicWallpaper VMT, Vixagon VMT, the VicOffice line, and the new GEN_VMT line.”
Vicoustic’s commitment in this area has directly led to the recycling of 250 tons of plastic, equivalent to around 22 million standard PET bottles (500ml), from the start of production with this raw material until the end of 2019. The commitment to making products in an environmentally friendly way is also being extended across the whole of the Vicoustic product line and is an integral part of future product development for the company. The goal is to replace all foam-based products with VicPET Wool and be a leading example for the use of sustainable materials. The new facility also incorporates sustainable practices, such as solar panels, reduced consumption and minimised waste through the reuse of leftover materials for packaging. Sustainability is not limited to manufacturing.
Vicoustic’s aim for a greener product is also evident in the quality and durability of the company’s creations, designed to have a long and lasting life.
Tom reveals his thoughts on what some of the key lines from the brand are right now, “The VicPattern Ultra Wavewood is the most iconic panel from Vicoustic. With its unique design, it is a popular choice, along with the Cinema Round, DC3, and VMT panels, which can be custom printed to fit in with any aesthetic ambition or colour palette. Dealers can call or email any time to find out more and, of course, visit the Pulse Cinemas showroom in Stansted, where we have an extensive range of Vicoustic panels on display showing just what the range can do.”
