Background. Adeal was established in July 1976 as an importer and distributor of photographic accessories. It soon became evident that small photographic accessories and consumables, which had played an important part in the establishment of the Company, would not be enough to support continued strong growth. A decision was then taken to seek photographic and video hardware products from quality brand manufacturers throughout the world. These brands were selected to fit the philosophy of top quality, market leading brands at competitive prices and supported by outstanding customer service.
Famous international brands such as Leica (1991), Print File (2000), Hoya (2002), Delsey (2003), StormCase (2005) and Tokina lenses (2006) have been added to the product line over the last fifteen years. These provided support for Hama, various accessory brands and Adeal's own brand - Inca which was created in 1982. Inca is now a leading brand in its own right. Products such as camera and video bags, tripods, batteries for video camcorders & digital still cameras, battery chargers and accessories are drawn together under the now high profile Inca label. These products are strongly marketed and sold throughout Australia by our highly regarded team of sales professionals.
In 2003 Adeal purchased Kayell Marketing and products such as Manfrotto, Gitzo, IFF, Klame and Superior joined the other fine products in the Adeal range..
The Adeal sales team operates in all states of Australia and is supported by a state-of-the-art warehouse, a sophisticated computer system and an internal team of skilled individuals committed to customer service. Adeal has established a reputation for reliability, integrity and customer service across Australia, which is the envy of our competitors and the delight of our customers. Adeal is widely acknowledged as a leader in the marketing and distribution of photographic, video, digital, optical and battery products.
We service almost every retail photographic, professional photographic, video, chain stores, and many electronic outlets throughout Australia. Strong contact with the buyers of all leading photo/video/ electronic groups, mass merchants and specialty retailers contributes to our on-going success and offers prospective suppliers a positive entry to the broad spectrum of the Australian photo/video/ digital/optical market for amateur and professional products. All imported products are supported by a well-equipped Service Department. Our technicians are experienced, well trained and understand the Company mission of providing exceptional customer service.
Directors
Brian D'Arcy has been involved in the photographic import and distribution field for 33 years. In 1977 Brian became the founding Vice President of PIMA (Photographic Industry Marketing Association) which grew to be the single association of importers, manufacturers and distributors of the Australian photographic industry. After a number of terms as Vice President, Brian then served two 2-year terms as President during subsequent years. PIMA has now become PICA - The Photographic Industry Council of Australia, which organises the annual Photo and Imaging Shows.
In early 1979, Brian joined the small four person importing company Adeal as a partner. With his guidance the business has continuously expanded its import lines and market penetration over the last twenty-eight years. In 1988 the D'Arcy family purchased the remaining 50% of Adeal. Sieglind D'Arcy joined the company at this time. Sieglind D'Arcy has a solid background in administration and finance, working in the printing, banking and photographic industries. In 1988 she wrote new computer programmes for Adeal's distribution requirements.
In 1990 Sieglind took on the position of Finance Director of Adeal. She holds a Certificate of Financial Management from the Australian Institute of Management and is also a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (FAICD). Sieglind has overseen some dramatic changes in the way Adeal does business. Her hands on approach and business acumen has helped guide Adeal successfully through various business minefields. Her latest installation in 2002 was the Adeal e-Commerce site known as e-Login. Providing a new on-line service, E-login allows customers to check stock availability and pricing, verify account information, obtain copy invoices and place orders. Brian and Sieglind are continuing to build a skilled and energetic management team, who carefully plan, implement and manage the strategic directions of Adeal.
Milestones in Adeal History
1976 July Adeal commenced operation
1979 March Current Managing Director Brian D'Arcy joined company as a partner.
1979 July Business incorporated as Adeal Pty Ltd.
1980 May Became the first importer of soft camera bags into Australia.
1983 May Commenced operations in NSW and Qld.
1991 August Appointed Australian distributor for LEICA products.
1995 June Relocated to 2 Baldwin Road, Altona North.
1996 July Celebrated 20 years in business.
1998 May Brian D'Arcy received Golden Tripod Award, for outstanding contribution to the photographic industry from PICA (Photographic and Imaging Council of Australia).
2002 March Appointed sole Australian Distributor for HOYA Filters.
2003 January Purchased Kayell Marketing Pty Ltd and gained the agencies for Manfrotto, Gitzo, IFF, Elinchrom, Prolinca, Superior and Quantum.
2003 Sept Appointed sole Australian distributor for STORMCASE.
2004 March Celebrated Brian D'Arcy's 25 th Anniversary at Adeal.
2006 Jan Appointed sole Australian distributor for TOKINA lenses
2006 July Celebrated 30 years in business.
Company History - The Early Years
Adeal Importers - Distributors commenced operation in July 1976. The founders were Jack and Ursula Engelbert and they had one employee, Jos Kay. Jack was a well-known identity in the photographic industry in the 1970's and with his wife Ursula, commenced their business activities as distributors of photographic accessory products to the Melbourne photographic trade.
Since 1976 Adeal has grown strongly. Managing director, Brian D'Arcy joined as a partner in March 1979, Adeal then had a staff of four. Soon after, the business was incorporated and became Adeal Pty Ltd. Today Adeal has 65 staff and operates in all states of Australia. The name Adeal came about because Jack Engelbert wanted to have the first entry in the photo industry listings that would appear before Agfa, a prominent industry company. Jack's daughter suggested "Why don’t you call it, 'Let's do A'Deal"? and the name developed from there.
For the first few years, Adeal only traded with a limited product range in Victoria and southern New South Wales. The range was mainly comprised of batteries, gadget bags, tripods, flashguns and other small camera accessory items. The product portfolio was expanded in 1978 with the acquisition of the German Hama Photo accessory range and the Varta battery distributorship. Both are prominent agencies remaining with Adeal to the present day, although Varta had a name change to PowerOne in December 2004.
Brian D'Arcy explains, "After I joined the company in 1979, it became obvious that Adeal had to expand nationally." This statement marked the start of a new period of company growth that still continues today. Agents were soon appointed in South Australia and Western Australia and the business continued to trade well and expand its product range. In 1983 we terminated a distribution agreement in NSW and Qld and commenced direct operation in both states.
In March 1988, Jack Engelbert retired from the company he founded. He was now 69 years of age. Jack had been working in the photographic industry for over forty years. Brian and Sieglind D'Arcy took over full ownership and management of the company.
The Adeal Management Team
Mark Cummins, our National Sales Manager is an important member of our executive team. He has overseen dramatic growth in Adeal's business since his appointment to this position in 1999. A young Mark started in 1988 as a storeman. Through his energy, talent and desire to 'go the extra mile' in any role given, Mark has progressed through our Customer Centre as an operator, then Supervisor and on to some years as Leica Product Manager before his promotion to National Sales Manager.
Volkhard Zieler, the other member of the executive team, joined the company in April 1985 as Queensland State Manager and after serving in that position for several years, relocated to Melbourne as Varta Battery Product Manager. In early 1990 he took over the Logistics management for the company. His expertise in this field has helped streamline the way goods are handled at Adeal. His responsibilities include the shipping and arrival of goods into the Adeal warehouse and the despatch and delivery of goods to Adeal's customers.
By 1994 Adeal had grown steadily to the point where we had outgrown our premises at South Melbourne. Volkhard was given the task of designing a premises purpose built to the company's specifications. A site was found in Altona North, in Melbourne's west. This offered a close proximity to the Melbourne wharves, major parcel distribution centres and the international airport.
Volkhard's background in the building industry helped him to design a building that would serve the company's needs well into the future. The company moved to Altona North on 22 June 1995, the final result was an outstanding structure, especially from the interior, which has a centre translucent section in the ceiling above the offices that allows natural light to spill into most working areas.
The Business End
Since its inception, Adeal has gained a number of prestige agencies including the Hama photo-video range, Varta batteries Leica cameras.
Adeal's list of products is almost endless and includes and well-known brands like Hoya, Manfrotto, Gitzo, INCA, SLS, StormCase, Delsey and Hama. Other notable brands include IFF (repro stands), and KLAME (negative & transparency film filing systems)
In 1998 Adeal commenced selling video camera and digital still camera batteries under the Inca label.
The Inca range of batteries has now become the top selling brand of 'after market' replacement batteries in Australia. In 1999 Adeal began forming relationships with leading manufactures of digital flash cards and digital accessories including card readers. Brand names such as Delkin, Feiya, Apacer and now Tomato have increased awareness in Australia's digital and photographic industries of Adeal's position as a leading supplier.
We have a really good crew, Brian D'Arcy says proudly. They work hard and together they form an excellent team. The morale in the company is very good. Sometimes people come and go but the team spirit in the company continues. The company culture makes it easy for new people to fit into the friendly atmosphere.
In May 1998 PICA, the Photographic and Imaging Council of Australia, awarded their Golden Tripod Award to Brian D'Arcy. This was a personal award 'For Outstanding Contribution to the Photographic Industry'. Brian served PICA for 17 years, including long terms as Vice President and multiple terms as President.
Customer Centre
The Customer Service Centre averages over 4,000 calls per month from all over Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific and nearly 3,500 orders per month pass through their hands. In addition, Adeal offers 24 hour, 7 days per week internet service which enables orders to be placed and access to product information, pricing and account details. Copy invoices can be obtained quickly and easily on-line. If you are a customer and would like E-login access, please talk to a Customer Service Centre team member to arrange a User ID.
Orders received by the Customer Centre before 2pm are usually despatched on the same day. Urgent orders coming in later than this time can often receive same day despatch depending on work load and carrier pick-up times. The engine room of Adeal is most certainly the warehouse. A dedicated group of men and women, under the supervision of Vaniah Zieler, work tirelessly to promptly and accurately pick, pack and despatch Adeal products to customers all over Australia. A hundred meters of conveyer system propel the picked items through the packing department to be automatically weighed in the despatch department and on to the wire cages that hold the goods ready for distribution. Vaniah is resolute when he states, "Every order that comes through here is treated as urgent." The company has built a reputation for fast service, and fast service is what our customers get. In early 2004, Adeal commissioned a new 'scan and pack' system which scans every product's barcode during the packing process. This ensures greater accuracy and efficiency for every item shipped in line with 'world's best practice' at 99.9% accuracy. The inwards goods system is also now computer controlled by handheld RF scanners which facilitates much faster receiving and storage as well as greater accuracy.
Future Developments
Asked how he sees Adeal in the future, MD Brian D'Arcy is quietly confident. "I see us continuing to progress as we have a very active program to look for new products. With changing technology, the challenge is for us to sometimes to go outside our comfort zone and into products that cross over into new areas. We're obviously keen on digital equipment and other photo-related electronic products. We're already active in video through Hama Photo-Video accessories, Inca and PowerOne batteries as well as with bags and tripods. We continue to develop our own 'Inca' brand with fresh packaging designs and exciting new products."
