03-16-2009, 09:22 PM
Of the model-train vendors, my buddy probably has the closest relationship with Noch. I like this first image from in front of their booth because it gives a good feel for what the show was like - crowded and lots of big flashy vendors (though there were plenty of small, not flashy ones as well!)!
As part of the meeting that we had with his Noch rep, we got a tour of the new items they have introduced for 2009, some of which I've pictured in the next post. During that walk around, I also learned that Noch is the official distributor of Athearn and Kato in Europe (not sure what the scope of that statement actually is), and were told that they will also be distributing Atlas. Atlas apparently had held off naming a distributor in Europe for a year in order to wait for Noch to have the bandwidth to market their product. The rep specifically brought these latter two brands to our attention to illustrate the standing that Noch has with American manufacturers and by extension, the standing of the company in Europe. This wasn't presented in an arrogant style at all (which would have repelled me), but rather in a pride of company manner. Granted, this was a salesman, but it felt sincere.
In any, it was nice to see some more American prototypes!
As part of the meeting that we had with his Noch rep, we got a tour of the new items they have introduced for 2009, some of which I've pictured in the next post. During that walk around, I also learned that Noch is the official distributor of Athearn and Kato in Europe (not sure what the scope of that statement actually is), and were told that they will also be distributing Atlas. Atlas apparently had held off naming a distributor in Europe for a year in order to wait for Noch to have the bandwidth to market their product. The rep specifically brought these latter two brands to our attention to illustrate the standing that Noch has with American manufacturers and by extension, the standing of the company in Europe. This wasn't presented in an arrogant style at all (which would have repelled me), but rather in a pride of company manner. Granted, this was a salesman, but it felt sincere.
In any, it was nice to see some more American prototypes!
Matt Goodman
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio