Made-to-order case company introduces “FlyWeight” cases.
The case brought back into A&S the other day was old — 22 years old. But it was hardly the historic artifact you might think.
The band that had been using it all that time had no interest in letting it go, rather, they just wanted some of the interior foam replaced. That’s not exceptional in the experience of A&S Case Company, but rather typical. “There are cases being actively used out there that were made when the company was first formed in 1976,” says Bill Waskey. “They may have had a caster replaced, and, of course, they look a bit worn but they are still very serviceable.”
Waskey, manager of operations and sales, says those stories of durability continue today through their new products, including the FlyWeight series, the cases they say will significantly reduce the fuel cost of transportation. “Reducing freight costs and simplifying the crew’s job of setting up and taking down gigs has become increasingly important in today’s environment,” he points out. It’s all in a day’s work at A&S.
“Our entire focus is on innovation, and meeting the changing needs of our customers,” Waskey says. There’s no “pulling-something-off-the-shelf” here. All cases are designed and manufactured to order. A large number of custom options are available to address specific needs, including table legs in the lid of a case, telescoping handles, dolly wheels, workman’s lamps, electrical outlets and more. An onsite specialist is available to sew plush linings into the cases when that is requested. “You tell us what you want and we make it a reality.”
Made To Order
“The company was started in 1976 by Owner Ken Berry,” says Waskey. The original facility was founded in Hollywood. “At the time, as it is now, he owned Studio Instrument Rentals (SIR), the largest renter of musical instruments. Basically, he felt like he was paying a lot for cases.”
“I started running the company about six years ago,” says Denise Berry, daughter of Ken. Prior to taking over the reins, she had spent a decade production managing events featuring Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson and the Doobie Brothers, among others. Waskey joined in 2005, having previously managed a number of companies in the music and aerospace industries including taking the reins of a major aerospace corporation, as CEO, and returning it to profitability.
Also in 2005, the company acquired the assets to Kriz-Kraft, a rack case line. They work exclusively with the original owner on those products. The basic construction of the Kriz-Kraft rack varies from their standard design in a few ways. Once the box is constructed, the doors are then precision-cut in the front and rear panels and fitted with a proprietary door jam and U-channel to provide a fit without impairing the structural characteristics unique to this design. Additionally, this design encapsulates the foam that provides shock-absorbent characteristics in a manner that reduces foam degradation over time.
Today, A&S Case Company is home to a 14,000-square-foot facility in North Hollywood, Calif., with roughly 20 fulltime employees. “We do everything made-to-order because people are always wanting something a little different, even if it’s the color of the cases.” He cites a current order for many pink cases ordered by a girl band that really wanted pink. “That’s not something you would stock.” The lead-time is impressive, typically going from initial concept to delivered product in 10 days or less.
An Answer to Fuel Costs
The company’s new FlyWeight series of cases are up to 60% lighter than conventional ATA cases and even stronger and more durable. “This series was inspired by a request from our auto-racing clients about a year and a half ago,” Waskey says. “They needed lighter cases to be able to take their tools and spare parts on planes and transport them to European races. That opened the doors to this whole new product line.” His experience and connection to the aerospace industry greatly hastened the breakthrough.
Berry adds that this product line could not have come at a better time. With skyrocketing fuel cost predicted to hit the $6-a-gallon mark by the end of the summer, every live event on the road is anxious to ease the load. “We can save people money with these cases, and that’s what it’s all about,” Waskey says. “When they load a truck or an airplane, they get charged by the weight. These cases can quickly pay for themselves.” He adds that the tradeshow industry is also taking a great interest in FlyWeight cases for the same reasons.
Any Requests?
There is nothing out of the ordinary at A&S. They say “yes” to any request, no matter how big or how small. “We’ve manufactured cases for clients for the Academy Awards, race car simulators, and just recently, we developed a FlyWeight Portable Ping Pong Table for bands to take on the road,” Berry says. “A&S is committed to providing solutions for your custom case needs, no matter how tricky or particular the requirements may be.”
“A&S is extremely well-respected,” Waskey emphasizes. “We deliver on time, and our quality is second to none. We have worked very hard over the last few years to improve efficiency so we can remain competitive in the world while not comprising on quality.”
A&S uses ACX fir plywood for their cases as opposed to basic interior ply or luan. They are constructed with a load-bearing wall enforced by split-riveting the corners onto the case, making their cases much stronger than those constructed with pop rivets. Their cases are compliant with ATA Spec 300 Category 1 specs as well as most standards of the MIL-SPEC/MIL-STD.
A Growth Spurt
Waskey says that the company is growing. “Word of mouth has been our biggest growth factor. When people do these large venue shows and see bands using our products, that helps. Also, we’re known in the industry as being the innovators. It doesn’t matter what you come to us with, we’re going to build it for you.”
The cases they build protect more than gear for live events — they also serve the aerospace industry and have been asked to create cases to protect the tools that go on the space shuttle.
Driving this growth are their exclusively engineered products like A&S FlyWeight and the A&S Nest — a Kriz-Kraft Plasma/LCD Lift Case, which protects the screen both in transit and during setup since the screen simply rises out of the case on a quiet electrical screw lift.
Another example is the A&S AxeBox — the multiple guitar case made 15% lighter and with revolutionary pocket doors making it more convenient.
But the work is never done. “We’re working with our caster supplier to come up with a new compound for casters that will be more durable and also have an added feature to allow them to stand out more — they will feature a safety orange visual element,” Waskey says. “We see a lot of bands needing to buy replacement casters as forklift drivers don’t see them and they get broken. But these will be made so all material handlers know they are there.
“We sit down with people, and create solutions. People rely on us for that.”
