What Mbs Equipment U.k., Ltd does

MBS Equipment U.K., Ltd (MBSE) is a private UK-based lighting equipment rental company serving film and television productions across Europe. It operates as the European arm of The MBS Group, a global studio and media platform co-owned by Hackman Capital Partners and Square Mile Capital Management, with a network of bases spanning the UK (Colnbrook HQ, Pinewood, East London, Cymru, North West, Northern Ireland, Scotland), Ireland (Kilcoole and Ardmore Studios), Germany (Berlin/Potsdam and Penzing), Hungary (Dunakeszi), and Austria (Reith bei Seefeld). The company holds one of the world's largest lighting equipment inventories at 4,000+ product lines, housed in a 90,000 sqft Colnbrook facility with 23 loading bays and in-house R&D.

MBSE's commercial offering is built around a relationship-driven, B2B equipment rental model with quote-based pricing. The core portfolio spans conventional tungsten, discharge, and fluorescent fixtures alongside an extensive LED catalogue, complemented by accessories (cable, distribution, networking, grip, stands) and full technical support. Internal innovation is concentrated in the MBSi sub-brand, which develops exclusive in-house products including the AquaBat full-colour waterproof LED batten (IP68, submersible to 6m), the LEDtrix five-colour LED panel kit, the MBSi Desk System (integrated console for GrandMA3/MA2/MQ500), the Vulcan Automated PAR18, and the VFX Wall 20:40 inflatable backdrop. MBSi also operates a Virtual Production and Real Time Solutions division delivering real-time in-camera VFX, LED volumes, and bespoke virtual production environments.

The go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, working directly with cinematographers, gaffers, and crews on productions of any scale or genre. The customer base is concentrated in major film and streaming franchises—Marvel Studios, Netflix, EON Productions (Bond), Lucasfilm/Disney+, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, and Channel 4. The company monetizes primarily through rental fees on lighting and accessories, with the innovation sub-brand generating differentiated pricing on proprietary MBSi products. Strategic positioning emphasises sustainability (HVO fuel adoption, 85% emissions reduction, 700+ tonnes CO2 reduction, BAFTA albert recognition) and industry pipeline development through the Netflix-partnered Bring to Light trainee programme.

Name

Mbs Equipment U.k., Ltd

Legal name

MBSE Limited

Website

https://mbseco.eu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

MBSE is a UK-based lighting equipment rental company serving film and television productions across the UK, Ireland, Germany, Hungary, and Austria, operating one of the world's largest inventories and the proprietary MBSi innovation sub-brand for LED and virtual production technology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film and Television Lighting Equipment Rental

NAICS

Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing (3343)

SIC

Photographic Equipment & Supplies (3861)

akta.pro primary industry

Camera, Grip & Lighting Equipment Rental (MPADAFAB)

Keywords

• Film lighting rental
• Television production lighting
• LED lighting systems
• Virtual production solutions
• Cinematography equipment rental

Headquarters

HQ city

Colnbrook, Slough

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Lighting Equipment Rental: Rental of film and television production lighting equipment and associated facilities to cinematographers, gaffers, and production crews. The company maintains one of the world's largest equipment inventories covering conventional and advanced lighting technology, complemented by accessories such as cable, distribution, networking, grip and stands.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

MBS Equipment UK (MBSE) rents film and television production lighting equipment and accessories—including conventional tungsten, discharge, fluorescent, and energy-efficient LED fixtures plus cable, distribution, networking, grip, and stands—from one of the world's largest equipment inventories (4,000+ product lines). The company complements its rental service with the MBSi division, which designs and develops exclusive proprietary lighting and virtual production products (AquaBat, LEDtrix, Desk System, Vulcan PAR18, VFX Wall 20:40) and provides bespoke virtual production environments with in-camera VFX, LED walls, and projection solutions.

Product overview

MBS Equipment Co UK is one of the film's and television production industry's premier providers of lighting equipment and associated facilities. The company operates a platform model with equipment rental as the core service, supported by MBSi as its innovation and technology sub-brand that develops proprietary products. The product portfolio includes the Vulcan Automated PAR18 (HMI automated fixture), LEDtrix (five-colour LED panel system), AquaBat Full Colour Waterproof LED Battens (IP68 submersible LED), Desk System (integrated lighting control suite), and VFX Wall 20:40 (modular inflatable VFX backdrop). MBSi also provides Virtual Production services including real-time in-camera VFX, LED and projection solutions. The company offers the Bring to Light trainee programme in partnership with Netflix. Operating from European HQ in Colnbrook, the company services productions across UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, and Hungary with one of the world's largest lighting equipment inventories.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MBSi: Creative think-tank division focused on designing, developing and delivering innovative production solutions including LED lighting, VFX walls, and virtual production technologies.

Products and services

• Vulcan Automated PAR18 A super versatile, automated, high output luminaire with HMI daylight source (18kW) offering full operational control over output and direction through precision focus, pan and tilt through 270 degrees, designed for film and television production use.
• LEDtrix Five-Colour LED Panel Kits A range of creative LED illumination systems with five-colour LED panel kits, custom control and driver technology, onboard wireless CRMX control, magnetic mounting, and snap-fix diffusion configuration created specifically for film and television industry use.
• AquaBat Full Colour Waterproof LED Batten A fully submersible (IP68 rated), modular LED batten system available in 4ft/1.2m and 8ft/2.4m lengths with full RGB colour mixing providing over 17 million colour combinations, dimmable from 0-100%, DMX/RDM/sACN/ArtNet control, and submersible to 6m depth for film and television production use.
• Desk System

Quantifiable outcome

• 85% reduction in carbon emissions compared to traditional diesel through HVO fuel adoption
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NetflixcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint partnership with Netflix to deliver the Bring to Light trainee programme - a two-year programme training electricians to become qualified lighting technicians for the film and TV industry. Jointly funded by Netflix and MBS Equipment Company. Programme based at MBSE in Colnbrook with placements at Shepperton Studios, Netflix's permanent UK production base.
• Channel 4coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported Lighting Director John Ford on Taskmaster Series 13, filmed at Pinewood Studios for Channel 4.
• Hackman Capital Partners / Square Mile Capital (The MBS Group)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMBS Equipment Co is part of The MBS Group of companies, a joint venture of Hackman Capital Partners and Square Mile Capital Management. The partnership owns world's largest independent studio and media portfolio with approximately €3.6 Billion in media real estate assets and services over 360 sound stages within its network of 65+ locations across 46 cities and four countries.
• British Film Institute (BFI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMBSE is recognised by BAFTA albert initiative and aligns with BFI guidelines for sustainable film production.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Kino Flo Lighting Systems: Manufacturer of professional LED and fluorescent lighting for film, television and commercial production. Comparable to MBSE's MBSi arm - develops proprietary, industry-standard lighting fixtures (e.g., FreeStyle, Celeb) used on the same productions MBSE serves.
• Digital Sputnik: Designer of modular LED lighting systems for film and TV. Comparable to MBSi's modular LED innovation approach with Voyager and DS LED products targeting high-end cinematography.
• Mole-Richardson: Historic manufacturer of tungsten, HMI and LED lighting fixtures for motion picture production. Comparable as a long-tenured supplier of high-output lighting (e.g., HMI PAR equivalents to MBSE's Vulcan PAR18) used by the same gaffers and cinematographers.
• Matthews Studio Equipment: Manufacturer and supplier of grip, lighting support and rigging equipment for film and TV. Comparable to the grip/stands portion of MBSE's offering to production crews on the same productions.
• LiteGear: Manufacturer of LED lighting products for film and broadcast. Comparable to MBSi's product line in offering colour-mixing, dimmable, DMX-controlled LED fixtures (LiteMat, LiteTile) used on the same set of premium productions.
• Cineo Lighting: Designer of high-CRI, full-spectrum LED lighting for film and television. Comparable to MBSi's LED innovation work, with fixtures deployed on comparable streaming and feature productions.
• ARRI Rental: Rental arm of ARRI Group offering camera, lighting and grip packages to feature film and episodic productions globally. Direct competitor to MBSE in HMI/LED lighting rental, with comparable premium clientele and proprietary lighting products.
• Panalux: Long-established film and television lighting rental house now part of the Panavision group. Directly comparable to MBSE: serves cinematographers and gaffers on major studio productions with conventional and LED inventory across multiple geographies.
• Cinelease: Film and television lighting and grip rental company serving productions in the US, Canada and Europe. Comparable to MBSE in providing integrated lighting packages to major studio and streamer productions.
• Quasar Science: Manufacturer of professional LED tubes and rails for film and TV production. Comparable to MBSE's LEDtrix and AquaBat as a designer of cutting-edge, full-colour LED fixtures used in modern cinematography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mbse-uk

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mbs Equipment U.k., Ltd