A Focus on TAF for the Dutch
YOU CAN RELY ON TAF
At the invitation of the Czech brand TAF (Truss Aluminium Factory), AV & Entertainment visited their factory in Olomouc. TAF may not be the best-known brand in the field of truss and rigging, but many people who work in this branch of the entertainment industry will have used TAF products, whether they realize it or not.
Truss Aluminium Factory has been active in the aluminium truss industry since 1998. During this time, TAF has established itself as one of the leaders on the global market for the production of high-quality aluminium truss. Their products are versatile, lightweight, robust, and user-friendly. All qualities you would expect from higher grade aluminium truss. But the design and versatility of TAF products go far beyond these standard qualities.
WORLDWIDE
In 2009, TAF USA was opened in Florida. This distribution office stocks TAF products and serves customers in North, Central, and South America, as well as the Caribbean. In February 2024, TAF UK was established in the West Midlands to serve customers in Great Britain and Ireland. Both TAF USA and TAF UK have a large warehouse stocked with truss to ensure timely deliveries. Deliver to Europe and the rest of the world is handled directly from the Czech Republic. Since 2023, TAF has positioned itself as more of an independent brand and is focusing on products that are sold under its own brand name.
CONTACT
During our visit to TAF, we are accompanied by Pieter Van de Velde (Light & Rig Brand Manager) and Luka Lukusa (Marketing) from the Belgian company XLR, which is the TAF distributor for the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France. Thanks to their close collaboration with TAF, XLR distributes truss products from its warehouse directly to customers. The advantages of this shortened process are obvious to customers: delivery at the agreed time (one of the key promises of the TAF brand) and products that can be tailored to the specific requirements of different applications. “TAF truss is trusted worldwide by event professionals,” says Luka Lukusa. ”It offers us the perfect combination of structural reliability, modular flexibility, and stylish design, whether for stage structures, rigging, or custom projects.”
ROBOT
Although TAF has more than forty welders at its disposal, part of its production is automated. To apply curved or angled ends to tubes, there is a new laser cutter that does this in a matter of seconds and can process kilometers of tubes at high speed, leading to greater efficiency and higher production output. There is also a machine that welds connectors to the tubes and does so in a fraction of the time (1.6 times faster, to be precise) than human welders would require. The factory is also equipped with the industry’s first welding robot that independently assembles truss and welds on the connectors, once again with astonishing speed and accuracy. TAF’s standards of quality are very high, with welds and integrity of truss segments continuously monitored. Welders are constantly on hand to check all products and make adjustments where necessary.
NINJA COURSE
TAF truss systems are used for a wide range of applications, from small lighting designs and exhibition/display booths to the largest support structures. They are utilized in the entertainment, music, and corporate event industries, as well as by architects and designers.
A few standout projects that TAF has carried out include those for Apple and NASA, along with obstacles for the modern pentathlon and Ninja Courses. The latter can also be expanded upon.
Ninja Courses that utilize truss were born from the now well-known and infamous obstacle courses, but are built above swimming pools for recreational purposes, for example at hotels or campsites. The creators of such courses receive support from TAF's engineering and design team. Unlike the entertainment sector, where structures are normally built to support static loads, people swing on Ninja courses. As a result, there are many dynamic forces at play, such as large
jumps, violent swaying, and other movements that generate complex loads. All of these forces must be taken into account by TAF's engineering and design team when creating the overall design of the structure. That is why TAF's HT-34 truss is mainly used for smaller structures and its larger 40mm truss for larger structures.
SOLUTIONS
Our visit to the factory is warmly welcomed by Markéta Šimková and David Gore, both from the Marketing Department, and General Manager Jakub Rozbořil. Pavel Žerotínský, with the title of Brand Manager – in this case a collective term for Product Manager, Project Manager, and Technical Supervisor – briefly joins us during the factory tour for some down-to-earth insight. “Truss is truss,” jokes Pavel Žerotínský. “We do try to develop new things, like everyone else, but if you want to fundamentally improve one thing about truss, it would have to be the connections. But all connections are already there, such as bolt connectors, for which we still have customers, but the current quicklock connectors are already perfect, in my opinion. I can hardly imagine any major advances. At the moment, it's mainly about making small improvements with regard to, for example, pre-rig truss and specific structures for hanging LED screens. At the moment, we are mainly improving existing designs, such as roof structures and, in particular, in the area of user-friendliness. Much of this is based on feedback from users. Since I became Brand Manager last year, I've been traveling a lot and gathering ideas from customers. I then turn these into concepts that can be worked on in the factory. These aren't just about structures for live events, but about all kinds of systems.
For example, I recently spent four days overseeing the construction of a Ninja Course. Some of the structures are based on standard setups, but hundreds of people will be hanging from them every day, so you have to come up with different solutions. But apart from that, the most important difference between truss brands is the service they provide to their customers. Our delivery of design and engineering services, ability to work on custom projects, quick response to customer requests, and punctual deliveries of orders have always been our focus and what customers value. They can rely on TAF.”
SOFTWARE
When this edition of AV & Entertainment is published, a new version of the TAFtool software will have been released, provisionally under the name TAF Tool 5.0, as the software itself has been around for much longer. It allows users to build virtual structures using real TAF products and realistic dimensions. Users can view standard/profile/top views of their construction, rotate the camera angle, and zoom in and out. Once the virtual structure is complete, it can be saved and shared with other users, as well as with TAF. All dimensions and part numbers are generated from this exported file, which can be used to prepare a price quote. If desired, an order can also be placed based on this quote.
IN-HOUSE
“What we really want to emphasize,” says David Gore, “is that everything is produced here in the Czech Republic. TAF products are then delivered directly to TAF distributors in the UK and the US, and by TAF headquarters to the rest of the world. TAF also has an extensive portfolio of products: not only truss and roofs, but also towers, stage decks, and complete exhibition stands.” “Another important point,” adds Markéta Šimková, ”is that thanks to our many years of working with OEM customers, we are used to being flexible with meeting specific requirements and applications. Customization is something we do naturally and is one of our strengths. We are always open to ideas, because we can design and develop everything in-house.” ‘We are currently working on projects for some very large tech companies, whose names we cannot reveal yet,’ she continues with a smile. ‘They clearly have confidence in us!’
ASSIGNMENT
Brussels-based XLR naturally agrees. The intensive collaboration and direct deliveries only benefit their customers, with guaranteed delivery times playing a key role. They take their job seriously. Luka Lukusa: “Behind every event, every performance, and every concert is precise technology, advanced know-how, and above all, a team you can rely on—that's who we are. In TAF, we have found the ideal partner for this.”
The article in Dutch can be found here.
