Looking Fit 02/2005: Alpha Industries

Alpha Industries
Combining European Quality With U.S. Service

by Wendy Craft

Rick Pierce, president of UVA SunSystems, Inc., near Greensboro, N.C., recently visited the Alpha Industries plants in both western and eastern Europe and agreed to become the company’s U.S. commercial distribution center. The relationship between Alpha Industries and UVA SunSystems will bring together a dedicated team to deliver high-quality, European tanning equipment to U.S. tanning salon owners using a unique distribution model.

“We are now the single-point distribution center for all Alpha Sun products,” Pierce says. “Our goal is to offer Alpha Sun products direct, without the usual layers and marketing expenses involved with traditional distribution methods. Experienced tanning salon owners with their own technical staff will be able to save significantly because they only pay for the support they need, instead of the usual ‘cost averaging’ that a traditional distributor must charge.”

The relationship between the companies began about three years ago when UVA SunSystems began importing Alpha Industries residential equipment for sale in the United States. Pierce was impressed with the low turnover among Alpha’s distributors, as well as the familytype atmosphere shared by their employees and distributors alike. “The longevity and loyalty of their distributors speaks volumes about the way they do business and to the quality of their products,” he says.

Alpha Industries manufactures its equipment in Moldova, an eastern-European country located between Romania and Ukraine. The corporate headquarters are located in Hasselt, Belgium. The equipment is shipped direct to UVA SunSystems, which also carries a full inventory of replacement parts under the same roof.

The Incotan, Sun Executive and Elegance are the leading Alpha Industries products, with innovations unique to the industry, says Kurt Kühn, international sales and marketing representative for Alpha Industries.

“The Elegance is an exceptional value, with the look and feel of a megabed, yet with the price-point of a standard system,” he says. “It will raise the bar for tanning beds in this price range.”

Pierce believes the newly redesigned Elegance model will sell the most. A combination high- and low-pressure bed, the model features 36 lamps, rated at 100 watts, 160 watts or 180 watts each, plus up to three facial lamps. Available colors include burgundy red and diamond silver. According to Pierce, salon owners now can replace their base beds with the Elegance models because they perform like upgrade beds but have about the same price-point as many base models.

In terms of an overall performance leader, the Sun Executive is at the head of the class, Kühn says. A sleek and elegant airconditioned design is available in diamond silver or burgundy red. The model is equipped with 46 HO or VHO-R lamps and up to eight of the newest technology facial lamps: the Heraeus Varius System.

The Heraeus Varius System is a plug-instyle configuration that creates less heat and is easy to change and maintain, Pierce says. “They consume less power for the same amount of intensity and they don’t need near the cooling that the old-style facial lamps do,” he says.

The Incotan is a fully enclosed system designed to be more than a piece of tanning equipment, Kühn says. The fully integrated system gives a look of performance and stability. The Incotan is one of the larger models and is available in wood grain or diamond silver, featuring 51 lamps with 12 facials, shoulder tanners and air conditioning.

“One of the nicest features is the counterweight lift system,” Pierce says. “There are no shocks or springs required and you can lift it with your finger.”

UVA SunSystems is planning a strong 2005 marketing campaign that includes trade-publication advertise-ments, direct mail, trade-show participation and an updated Web site.

The site, www.alphasun-usa.com, is very extensive, with wiring diagrams, installation guides and equipment pictures that can be rotated to view them from all angles, Pierce says. “Our Internet site will be very popular, especially for start-ups.”

The relationship between Alpha Industries and UVA SunSystems creates a dedicated team, intent on delivering highquality, European equipment to U.S. tanning salon owners at competitive market prices.

“Together, our focus is to raise salon owners’ expectations, to give them a better value for their money without sacrificing quality or results,” Kühn says. “By aggressively positioning ourselves in the market, we expect to turn a few heads and create new opportunities for both ourselves and our customers in the future.”