Sun, Spain and HMI fixtures: Power Gems interviews Alfons Grau Pitarch of Grau Luminotecnia
Power Gems talked to Alfons Grau Pitarch the owner of the Barcelona-based film lighting equipment company, Grau Luminotecnia. Last year Power Gems welcomed Grau Luminotecnia as an official dealer for the Power Gems range in Spain.
You founded Grau Luminotecnia in 1984, how are you responding to the advances in technology and the increasing complexity of lighting system?
We started as a small family business with incandescent and small HMI fixtures…easy. As lighting has evolved so has the company, first with electronic ballasts for HMI and fluorescent lights, then with high speed HMI ballasts and now with LED technology. Basically, we are always looking to work with manufacturers who adapt and respond to the latest demands from the lighting rental market.
You are a significant player in the Spanish TV, cinema and photography lighting market. How is the Spanish market different to other parts of the world?
Spain has the sun all year round which attracts European producers who come here to shoot outside. As a result, service companies such as ourselves, adapt easily to products that are new to Spain but which are in demand in different parts of the world. Over the years we have worked mainly with American, German, British and French companies. Each has a different way of working, but all are looking for brands that are familiar in their home country.
We receive a lot of knowledge from the Spanish technicians who work on each foreign production. One big difference we notice is, those in the north of Europe, at most they use the 9kW HMI, in Spain we still need to use 18kW HMI fixtures due to the strong sunlight we have here.
You have well-established relationships with rental companies across Spain. Where are Grau Luminotecnia products being used right now?
We work closely with all the leading lighting rental houses and studios in the Spanish mainland and the Balearic Islands. From equipment for feature films and commercial shoots to TV shows, we can provide all the gear for each type of lighting setup.
As mentioned before, location lighting remains popular and HMI products are an important part of each lighting package. We are pleased to have worked with Power Gems in marketing and selling your products over the last year. We know people enjoy working with Power Gems because of the ballast reliability and extra features such as the multi wattage output connectors and 1000Hz high speed, all put into the ballasts at no extra cost.
As specialists in lighting, you also supply the architectural market, focusing on museums. What installation are you most proud of?
Unfortunately, most museums in Spain need public investment, and recently due to the lack of investment, there have been few opportunities to get involved. Our latest project was a restaurant with 40 Dedolight DLAD9 – it was impossible to take pictures because the lighting fixtures were camouflaged on the ceiling. Our most spectacular installation has been in the Museo de la Evolución Humana (Museum of Human Evolution) in the Spanish City of Burgos.
You have warehouses in Madrid and Barcelona where Grau Luminotecnia is based, what impact has the political situation in Catalonia had on business?
At the moment the political impact does not affect our company because we are specialists in lighting for professional people who just want the best solution and service. For example, the last installation we did was for the Spanish Government in Madrid.
Our thanks to Alfons Grau Pitarch for sharing his experience of the lighting market in Spain. You can find out more about Grau Luminotecnia at www.grauluminotecnia.com
