Gold Coast-based Avation, the Australian distributor of RTI, Xantech and Vivid Audio, has started 2012 with a bang by signing audio heavyweight SpeakerCraft.

As of right now, Avation will represent the full line of SpeakerCraft products, including the company’s popular multi-room audio and control systems, as well as the vast and renowned range of architectural speakers.

“Mark (Hamilton) and his team at Avation are exactly what we look for in a sales force. They share our passion for the industry and the energy to succeed,” says SpeakerCraft director of international business Chris Lehnen.

“SpeakerCraft is committed to providing our Australian partners with the best products, pricing and service possible. Avation is the right team to deliver this commitment.”

SpeakerCraft has a history of innovation and a vast range of speakers to ensure it has a product for every application and every budget. Products like the patented AIM range have set the performance benchmark and allow the entire speaker to pivot towards the listener. They also incorporate a unique wave plane that reduces diffraction and interference found in a conventional ceiling speaker.

“To be appointed to represent a prestigious brand like SpeakerCraft is an enormous privilege for us,” says Avation managing director Mark Hamilton.

“We believe there is excellent opportunity for the growth of SpeakerCraft products in Australia and we look forward to representing a line that features so many innovations and unique features.

“That being said, breaking into the Australian speaker market is very difficult. The market has become really, really aggressive. I believe SpeakerCraft is more than capable of becoming a major player in our market.

“Naturally our intention is to leverage our existing dealer network; I think our existing dealers are in the perfect position to include SpeakerCraft in their jobs. It isn’t a cheap product, so it’s not going to compete with cheap brands, which is perfect for our existing dealer base.”

The announcement of the new distribution deal comes at the start of what is set to be a busy week for Avation, which is also launching Pro Control into the Australian market for the first time.

“We have grown very significantly, almost non-stop, since we opened almost two years ago. In a market that has really been shrinking we have been growing,” Mark says.

“We already had a speaker brand, but it wasn’t a high-end product and it didn’t have any brand recognition in Australia when we started distributing it. We needed another prominent brand to take our company to the next level and I believe that’s what SpeakerCraft is.”

The signing of SpeakerCraft will see Avation move into a new facility on the Gold Coast, complete with showrooms and training facilities.

“We’re ready to take orders today,” he says.

“We have an air freight shipment on its way with stock and a container arriving in February. We’re bringing in by air all of the products that we believe will be popular, at a considerable cost to us, but we need to be ready to service our dealers.

“We also commit to our dealers that if they order something that isn’t in the initial air freight shipment, we will have it air freighted in from the US. We’re not going to say you’ll have to wait until February, we’ll absorb the cost of shipment and get you the product straightaway.”

The 2012 CEDIA Expo in Brisbane in May will give installers the opportunity to check out all of SpeakerCraft’s new wares, including the long awaited (and proving to be quite successful) Nirv.

Mark says in the immediate future, his company will be running extensive training sessions on SpeakerCraft products, particularly on the Profile series of loudspeakers.

All enquiries can be directed to the team at Avation by contacting 07 5580 3300 or visiting www.avation.com.au.