Electronic Theatre Controls
| Private | |
| Industry | Theatrical and studio lighting equipment |
| Founded | Madison, Wisconsin, U.S. (1975) |
| Founder | Fred Foster |
| Headquarters | Middleton, Wisconsin, U.S. |
|
Area served
|
Worldwide |
|
Key people
|
Fred Foster, CEO Dick Titus, President |
| Products |
Lighting control systems Stage lighting instruments Fixture dimming Stage rigging Automated Rigging Systems Power distribution systems |
| Website | ETCConnect.com |
Electronic Theatre Controls (ETC) is a privately held corporation with global headquarters in Middleton, Wisconsin, United States. An international manufacturer of professional entertainment and architectural lighting, and rigging systems, ETC produces lighting fixtures, lighting control consoles, dimming equipment, power distribution, networking equipment, and rigging systems.
Well-known products include the Source Four® line of incandescent lighting fixtures, LED lighting fixtures, Eos®, Ion®, and Element™ lighting control consoles, Sensor® and Unison® dimming systems, architectural lighting control, and a line of networking gear. The company also manufactures the Transtechnik brand of dimming and control systems.
In 1975, Bill Foster and his younger brother Fred founded ETC while students at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Bill was the first president and Fred is the current chief executive officer. During its first decade, the company established itself as a manufacturer of microprocessor-based lighting control consoles.
By 1990, ETC had acquired Lighting Methods, Inc., a Rochester, New York-based manufacturer of entertainment dimming systems. Soon, ETC became one of the largest fully integrated entertainment lighting control manufacturers in North America, with offices in Middleton, Wisconsin; Orlando, Florida; Rochester and Hollywood.
In 1995, they acquired the lighting control division of London-based distributor ARRI GB. Also that year, they opened an office in Hong Kong. In 1997, the firm opened a marketing office in Copenhagen, and a year later opened an office in Rome.
In 2002 the company acquired Transtechnik Lichtsysteme of Holzkirchen, Germany, widening the market share in Europe. The next year it took an equity position in AVAB Transtechnik, Paris. They acquired Dutch sine wave-dimming manufacturer IES in 2004, including its industrial weighing and measuring division Penko Engineering BV, both located in Ede, Netherlands.
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