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In Pictures: Inside the Zildjian Vault

By Rich Chamberlain
published 18 April 2012

Sneak peek inside cymbal giant's UK lair

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In Pictures: Inside Zildjian's Vault
Sneak peek inside the cymbal giant's UK lair

In Pictures: Inside Zildjian's Vault

Zildjian has opened the doors to its distribution facility to give Rhythm an insight into our Zildjian cymbals are stored and picked, and now we’re sharing it all with you.

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In Pictures: Inside Zildjian's Vault
Sneak peek inside the cymbal giant's UK lair

In Pictures: Inside Zildjian's Vault

Cymbals are stored in restricted access temperature and humidity controlled vault.

Warehouse Manager Adrian Webb tells us: “There are only four people in our distribution facility who have access and are trained to handle Zildjian products.”

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Page 2 of 5
In Pictures: Inside Zildjian's Vault
Sneak peek inside the cymbal giant's UK lair

In Pictures: Inside Zildjian's Vault

Adrian Webb continues: “The process here begins with the arrival of the cymbals into the UK where each cymbal is removed from any packaging, checked visually for visual defects and tarnishing.

“Once evaluated the cymbal is then moved into the Zildjian vault, a secure and ’clean’ environmentally constant storage room where the humidity and temperature are controlled.”

Page 3 of 5
Page 3 of 5
In Pictures: Inside Zildjian's Vault
Sneak peek inside the cymbal giant's UK lair

In Pictures: Inside Zildjian's Vault

“All manual contact is minimal, handled only with cotton gloves when the product is moved to and from the Zildjian Vault on delivery or dispatch,” Adrian Webb adds.

“Once ordered, each cymbal is picked from location, re packaged and transported directly to the dealer the very next day.”

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Page 4 of 5
In Pictures: Inside Zildjian's Vault
Sneak peek inside the cymbal giant's UK lair

In Pictures: Inside Zildjian's Vault

Scott Mckenzie - IT and Operations Manager, adds: “The stock management software that keeps track of what cymbals are stored where had to be created specifically for Zildjian products.

“We try to ensure that each cymbal is stored as for as little time as possible, first in first out and when you can’t label or barcode the products it can be problematic. We have created the ideal storage environment and reduced manual intervention to a minimum.

“Simply put, we treat every cymbal as an individual as soon as it enters the building, allocated to a unique location in the vault until dispatch. This goes for every cymbal in every range.

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Rich Chamberlain
Rich Chamberlain
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Rich is a teacher, one time Rhythm staff writer and experienced freelance journalist who has interviewed countless revered musicians, engineers, producers and stars for the our world-leading music making portfolio, including such titles as Rhythm, Total Guitar, Guitarist, Guitar World, and MusicRadar. His victims include such luminaries as Ice T, Mark Guilani and Jamie Oliver (the drumming one).

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