“I want to be a specialist – I don’t want to be a competitor,” explained Kristof Soreyn, CEO of Twenty Three, when talking about the steps the company is taking in becoming a powerhouse in the live events industry. Now in its fifth year, Twenty Three has become a well-known name within the live events sector, providing specific LED framing solutions. As well as providing solutions used in the install market, the company’s framing solutions have also found themselves on some of the world’s biggest tours for the likes of Harry Styles, Ed Sheeran and Red Hot Chili Peppers. However, as Soreyn asserts, he does not want to compete with any staging specialists or become a rental house, but to offer a much-needed solution for those who use LED in the entertainment space.
With bases in China and Belgium, the company has recently expanded into the US, opening a new factory in Nashville. Soreyn talked through the new hotspot and its benefit of centralisation in the US while also distinguishing the difference between the China office. “We don’t want to replicate what we’re doing in China, which is focusing on the mass production of the LED frame,” he commented, explaining how the European and US offices focus more on the custom solutions for productions that require bespoke LED framing solutions. “The combination of different factories and the different kinds of people makes us strong in delivering high-quality products.”
Twenty Three strives to become the ‘backbone’ of LED manufacturing
Utilising sophisticated manufacturing to meet the ever-growing demand and increasing scale of productions, Twenty Three values quality over quantity. The company employs the latest technology in the pursuit of the highest standards.
One technology that is unique to the market is the ‘water jetting’ method used to cut sheet metal. While water jetting is much more expensive than alternative methods, Soreyn explained that the precision that comes with it is worth the extra expense.
“Laser cutting generates a lot of heat, which can result in expansion, whereas water jetting doesn’t allow this room for error. Industries such as aerospace use water jets for precision as they don’t want the changes to materials.”
In addition to its water jetting and multi-access CNC machines, Twenty Three is looking towards future investments in the next year. Further automation is key for Soreyn. “That can improve quality even further,” he commented. “Especially in mass production, so you can eliminate the margin for human error while maintaining quality levels.”
Despite exponential growth over the past five years, further expansion into different parts of the world isn’t a priority for Soreyn. Instead, he wants the company to build further out of the US factory due to the scale of the market in the US and the number of rental companies in Nashville. “The growth of a company is important but maintaining the quality standard is even more important, therefore, we must balance our growth,” he concluded.
Words: Alicia Pollitt
Photos: Twenty Three
