D-Box goes International
Horizons
For many years, Claude McMaster was a consultant for D-Box, which was originally one of his clients. When the company was going through a difficult period, a friend asked him to join the team. He first got the company back on its feet and then initiated the expansion of the business in Québec and abroad.
Innovate to thrive
When he took the reigns of D-Box, Claude McMaster made research and development central to the company’s strategy, in order to set the international standard in the immersive entertainment industry.
The company creates immersive chairs (among many other things) that are installed in movie theatres; the chairs move and shake in accordance with the film’s action to amplify the spectator’s experience. To do this, D-Box created an innovation department with the mission of making an inventory of all existing technologies and then thinking towards the future. The company has over 60 patents and another 60 or so are pending.
Claude McMaster is proud and he can’t say enough about his colleagues: “At D-Box, we have incredible teams. Our biggest strengths are the resources we have. We possess the most advanced and precision-focused technology in the world. We are avant-gardes.”
In 2009, Fast and Furious was the first movie to be offered with a D-Box system in theatres. In 2010, a movie theatre in Japan equipped itself with this Quebec technology.
Exporting without borders
Very quickly, the entrepreneur developed his business model to adapt to his target markets.
“We have developed technology that enables us to adapt local movies in the 30 countries where we are currently available.”
For a long time, the company has been ahead of the game, well ahead of the needs of their potential customers.
“To succeed abroad, you need to have a sense of positive paranoia, you could say; you can’t stop looking at ways to stand out.”
Claude McMaster
Today, D-Box chairs are available in Europe, North America, South America and Asia; the latter two markets are in full expansion.
“We were the first ones to be there. We have a good understanding of the challenges we face and we are really at the cutting edge of technology.”
Handling growth issues
With such a competitive advantage, Claude McMaster has also made his way into the industrial industry by creating simulators for John Deere and Caterpillar.
In the near future, the Quebec entrepreneur hopes to surround himself with the right business partners, both financial and strategic, in order to invest in his effort to shine globally.
Let’s just say Claude McMaster is always looking to be in the driver’s seat!
D-Box in Figures
- 104: Number of employees
- 20,6: Million dollars, the company’s earnings in 2015
- 8 000: Dollars, the price of a D-Box chair for your home
Want to learn more?
Visit the D-Box website
