Over the last 45 years, Le Maitre has been driven by passion and dedication to the pyrotechnics and special effects industry. Since 1977, we have stood at the forefront of crafting Special effects to elevate performances, shows and events across the World – this hasn’t been easy, but by pushing the creative boundaries of innovation, we have succeeded in providing excellence to numerous clients, taking their shows to a whole new level.
When the COVID pandemic struck, like many others in the UK and Worldwide, Le Maitre’s position in the entertainment industry hit a period of turbulence and difficulty. This came with enormous challenges, including the swift closures of many venues and the cancellation of countless events where our pyrotechnics were scheduled to be a critical element of these shows. The herculean efforts of our dedicated team did not go unnoticed in their pledges to continue through times of business uncertainty – it is with their great help and dedication that we were able to continue operating as a business, albeit with the external factors acting as a hindrance on our ability to perform to the extremely high level of service we had built for nearly half a century.
Le Maitre 2.0 - A New Era
Despite the hurdles, challenges and resistance that the pandemic threw at us and so many companies in our industry, we have reemerged with great strength. The strategic investment of time, money and energy over the last three years has allowed us to get to where we are today, fondly coined as Le Maitre 2.0.
Rest assured, we sustain all of the same customer-centric values and high standards as ever before, but we are back and better than ever. We have driven many changes to Le Maitre, all designed to streamline and improve our operations.
On that note, we’d like to take this time to share with you some of the successes and exciting announcements we have to look forward to.
The New team at Le Maitre
Many of you may have noticed that we have a new team in the office, ready to bring their fresh ideas and passion to le Maitre. This consists of our new Sales Manager Millie, Customer Service Coordinator Jo, Office Manager Phil and Marketing Director Georgia, as well as many people behind the scenes who make us who we are. We are thrilled to have such a dedicated and passionate team in place to renew and revive our renowned customer service and hope everyone who has been dealing with Le Maitre has noticed and enjoyed the marked improvements in our communications.
Our New Home
Le Maitre has now moved our offices to join our manufacturing site in Peterborough - streamlining communication and efficiency between our office and production teams. This strategic relocation has made a marked improvement in the speed and accuracy of our orders and given us a better chance to apply feedback quickly and efficiently from our valued clients. Additionally, we have moved our hardware manufacturing site, whilst still in South London, to new premises.
Expanding our product range – New pyrotechnics coming soon:
With all of the time and money invested throughout our business, a large portion fell to ensuring our product offering was of the highest standards. With three new chemists joining our team, two of which are PHD level, our Gerbs, Mines and Comets, all the way through to our Maroons and flashes, have undergone intensive development and testing. This places them at a higher standard than we have ever reached before. The work on our products doesn’t stop there – we are excited to announce a whole new product range coming soon to Le Maitre – keep your eyes peeled for a whole host of pyrotechnics and special effects coming to our website soon!
New SFX Manufacturing Equipment
Le Maitre has strategically invested in state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment, increasing our efficiency and accuracy in the production of our largest selling ranges of pyrotechnics. This will not only surpass the already renowned quality of our special effects, but also allows us to meet the ever-growing demand for our pyrotechnics and special effects.
Our New Look
In an era of rejuvenation for Le Maitre, we recognise the need to be identifiable both on and off stage. We love showcasing what we do for our clients, and we know that they appreciate it too. After refreshing our content and branding strategy, we have begun the movement into expanding our online and offline communications. In other words, our website will become our hub for all things pyrotechnics, special effects and showcase the amazing imagery of our products, at your events, shows and performances.
Site and Storage Upgrades
Another important project has been a large investment into our manufacturing site, most notably into our storage facilities. This has allowed us to create more product for our stock, getting product to market quicker during busy seasons, as well as increasing the longevity of the effects.
Audits and Qualifications
We are proud to announce that due to these many improvements, we have now become ISO certified in both 9001, which demonstrates our dedication to quality and excellence as well as 45001 acknowledging our fierce commitment when it comes to health and safety.
The future of Commercial Special effects at Le Maitre
We recognise that change and evolution in business can be hugely beneficial in the long term. Whilst we struggled greatly through the pandemic, the position of Le Maitre today is at its strongest, with a new team, new home and new product range ready to drive us into the future.
The journey of Le Maitre 2.0 is just at the beginning and we are beyond excited to continue to leverage our solid foundation, built over the last 45 years, with a refreshed and modern strategy to our attitude both on and off stage.
We will continue to work tirelessly to elevate the world of pyrotechnics through our core values of Innovation, Quality, Excellence and Service. We are excited to see what the future holds and pledge to work with our valued clients to delight our audiences around the world.