In Svencino & Co, for simplicity, can be seen as a conglomerate of partnerships. These were decided on to help mitigate stock cost, availability and delivery time. Below are the working partnerships with people across South Africa.
It becomes a sound sharing environment when established instrument making, maintenance and sales partners contribute to new and necessary need throughout our country.
Ways that we have been building on this since 2007.
Training
Initially Svend’s Violin worked with the Johannesburg Youth Orchestra Company where we looked into training a crew to care for and look after their inventory. This was a hard lesson. Challenged by space, where to start, what to start with, what needs to be bridged and more. This was an interesting wake up call that illuminated our educational shortfalls for developing new skills.
As we all got on with it and saw the process for teaching and learning about the violin our understanding became clear. The hardest was accepting that a shaky school foundation, most of the learners – all above 23 years of age, it was hard to get to the detail. We limped along until it was put to bed 01 November 2011.
The following year the initiative was rekindled by the ECPO (Eastern Cape Philharmonic Orchestra) in Port Elizabeth when Judy Speyers asked Svend’s Violin to revisit this training initiative so that the inventory in their strings program could be upgraded and better maintained. Finally, the lessons learned in what was perceiveably a failure with the Johannesburg Youth Orchestra Company project, turned out a success. Today there are two more Luthiers still growing into a workshop that further enriches our musicians.
Training workshops
Additional to new trustworthy luthiers we have also worked with various schools and violin studios around South Africa where we invited teachers, parents and pupils to come and investigate the detail of their own instruments. This has been a pleasure with a lot of interest and participation on the part of all those who attended. So far we have held workshops at:
- Pridwin Boys Preparatory School in Rosebank, Johannesburg
- Carien Roux’s Violin Studio at Eureka School in Kimberley
- Sound post sessions at the Musicon, with Tilla Henkins, in Bloemfontein
- Hugo Lanbrecht in Parrow, Capetown where we held a talk on the violin explained.
Luthier partnering
As far as partnering is concerned there are some who find benefit in working together. Despite the fact that Svend’s Violin has worked with training up the two new Luthiers in the ECPO Strings Repair Workshop in Port Elizabeth they have decided to continue their growth with further partnership. We have collaborated on different restoration projects where part of the project was done at Svend’s Violin and the remaining part in their own workshop. Additionally, they have been advised on what to buy, supplied by Svencino, so that the cost of procurement is reduced to allow for them to profit and buy just what they require..
Sales distribution points
Currently the ECPO strings repair workshop is growing into becoming our first tested trade partner for better and cheaper distribution coupled with advice and services that may be needed at collection.
This allows them a Just-In-Time methodology with svencino.co.za having all of their Information, tooling, material and instrumental parts available with a click-to-courier response time.
Additionally, without their need for capital investment to have ready stock, they now profit from facilitated sales that keep their growing client base happy. The same is happening in Bloemfontein and we aim to make this available anywhere someone is interested in this caree.
me we aim to be able to offer just about everything available from all of our suppliers and contemporaries. Of course, we are rather selective and fussy about what we are willing to sell to our clients. If it does not live up to sound instrumentation after regulating it, then we are not willing to show it off!