Serpro FORTE-fies for the Future with Robe

	(l-r) Serpro's owner Emmanuel Gonzalez with SHOWCO's Estuardo Zarate. Photo: Louise Stickland

Based in the commercial and industrial center of Monterrey, the capital of the state of Nuevo Leon in northeastern Mexico, and occupying 7,000 sq. m. of warehouse space, Serpro Producciones is Mexico's largest technical production company, offering lighting, audio, rigging, stage, and backline rentals.

Led by Emmanuel Gonzalez, Serpro has built a strong reputation for service quality and is active in all sectors of entertainment, with a particular focus on the music industry. The company supplies numerous festivals, including the renowned Pa'l Norte Festival in Monterrey, as well as concerts and touring shows of all types and sizes.

A regular Robe investor since 2016, over the last two years, the moving light inventory has jumped substantially to now include 120 Robe FORTES, 13 iFORTES, 24 iFORTE LTXs, and a 12-way RoboSpot system, all delivered by Robe's Mexican distributor, Showco.

Before that, 50 Pointes and 74 MegaPointes were already in stock; Pointes were the very first Robe purchase back in 2016.

The first order of FORTES -- 80 fixtures -- was delivered in late 2022. "We wanted a powerful LED luminaire and looked at all the options," Gonzales says. "iFORTES were bright, robust and packed with features, a good multipurpose workhorse -- everything we needed!"

He added that "a great experience" with the Pointes and MegaPointes, which are still going strong as rental items, was a major factor in them staying with Robe.

The transition to LED started in 2020 as the company could see the curve and wanted to stay on top of it. A couple of years later, the company noticed that "FORTE was appearing on all the band riders," and so "it became imperative that we have it available."

All Serpro's major lighting vestments are rider/spec-driven.

"Our crew absolutely love working with Robe products," Gonzales says. "They tell me all the time to get more! They like the good engineering, reliability, and the fact that they don't have to spend any time fixing the lights!" Serpro enjoys a great relationship with Showco, which also has an office in Monterrey.

The 12 RoboSpots were another massive commitment to Robe. "This system is hugely popular with lighting designers and directors," Gonzales says. "They like having plenty of control over the fixture and the fact that, depending on the setup, the followspot operators can be in closer proximity to where they are working at the console."

Eight RoboSpot BaseStations joined the company in the initial batch, which all thought would be enough. More were soon required, so the number was bumped up to 12. "They are all out all of the time," explains Emmanuel.

Gonzales recently visited the Robe factory in the Czech Republic, and was suitably impressed with the operation: "It gave me a much clearer understanding of the philosophies and thinking behind Robe as a brand and its products," he comments, underlining that Robe's commitment to innovating and staying relevant and ahead of the game is "very evident."