Electric Tugs Go Behind The Scenes For Audience Systems

Based in Wiltshire, Audience Systems is the UK’s leading manufacturer of retractable and auditorium seating for theatres, schools, universities, sports venues, and arenas.

Audience Systems, part of the Kotobuki Group, provide durable modular staging systems and sports grandstands. These mobile retractable seating systems are both tall and heavy – and need to be brought in and out of buildings and sites that have limited space and access.

Staging is a problem

Traditional methods of moving staging systems and grandstands are both inefficient and come with increased risk to health and safety.

Typical environments that Audience Systems serve often have acoustic requirements, needing solutions that will be as quiet as they are efficient and need to be able to navigate difficult conditions such as wooden flooring and outdoor spaces.

Over a decade ago, we started working with Audience Systems to develop new processes for moving this large, cumbersome equipment that is safe for staff, increases productivity, and is near-silent in operation.

A collaborative solution 

The team at Audience Systems have been using a range of electric tugs from MasterMover as the solution to their challenges. Electric tugs ensure that all staff can safely move staging systems and sports grandstands in any environment, whether inside auditoriums or across stadium car parks, with no operator license required.

A more recent project demonstrates the scope and scale of support that MasterMover offers across this type of application.

When Audience Systems again turned to MasterMover to help a client take the strain out of opening and closing retractable seating at a school’s performing arts centre in Wales, our experts worked with the Audience Systems team to determine the best solution for their client.

They specified a TOW200 for the project, to interface with the client's chosen seating system. This allowed the platforms to be opened safely with minimal strain and effort for the operators whilst also being near-silent with a rechargeable battery unit delivering a quiet and sustainable method of power.

Ideal for projects indoors and out, the TOW200 MasterTow offers a strong, safe, and agile means of moving loads up to 2,000kg. Assured traction, controlled acceleration, and automatic braking are just some of the features that have made the machine a popular choice across the globe and

Audience Systems’ engineering manager, Nick See continues:“ The tugs are suitable for the sort of large loads we need to move, and there’s a good product range with different attachment methods which suit the different products in our range. Over the years we’ve fine-tuned the interface between our systems and the tugs, and the result is a very robust moving solution.”

No matter the industry, no matter the size or weight of the load, MasterMover is the go-to expert for making it easy to move heavy loads.