Cover Story

NIGLON — PROUD TO BE DIFFERENT

Family-run electrical component supplier, Niglon, is proudly launching its Niglon Difference Guarantee, a five-part promise to all its customers about what they can expect from the firm. For the first time, Commercial Director, Paul Dawson, explains what the guarantee is, and why it’s so important.

Huge investment in stock has seen product availability soar The factors which determine product choice are varied. There are some for whom price is the main factor, safety should be a concern for all, and others might want to offer the end consumer the absolute best quality component on the market.

That is why we don’t believe in competing on just one aspect. Niglon doesn’t want to be the cheapest supplier if our team can’t guarantee the products are 100% safe. We don’t want to have components that no one can ever get hold of because we haven’t invested enough time and effort into our stock systems.

And that’s why, ultimately, we are making ourselves accountable to contractors, wholesalers and the end consumers by launching our Niglon Difference Guarantee. It’s a promise that we can absolutely deliver in every single one of the five guarantee categories – and we are inviting you all to hold us to account that all five will be of the highest standard every time we sell a product.

Availability A huge investment in the amount of stock held at our Midlands headquarters, and 18 months of intensive testing of the new systems put in place to monitor and order stock, has seen our product availability soar.

Long-standing customers have seen a big difference in our On Time In Full order fulfilment rates, and we are now consistently recording stock availability in excess of 99% each month.

We guarantee a level of availability which is among the best in the industry, making Niglon a reliable bet when it comes to securing the products you need, when you need them.

Price We believe in offering products at a fair price, and a consistent price across every customer we have. Take, for instance, our Median range – wholesalers are able to buy products from that range at a lower price than the current market leader’s equivalents. That’s not because our products are inferior, or because we’re making a loss when we sell them.

It’s because an integral part of the Niglon Difference Guarantee is that we will always sell products at a fair price, enabling wholesalers to pass on that price differential to contractors without losing out themselves, ensuring an even spread of profit down the supply chain – a better way of doing things, we are sure everyone would agree.

Quality The Median range, as with all our Niglon products, is manufactured using high-quality electrical components and materials – and carries a 20 year guarantee. To us, the Niglon name being on a product means we are proud to offer it as part of our extensive catalogue of components, and putting our name to something which isn’t of the highest quality is simply out of the question – now, and always.

Personal service is so important

The Median range is manufactured using high-quality electrical components and materials

Safety If you know anything about Niglon, you’ll know we are absolutely steadfast in our belief that products should be independently tested by a third party to ensure they are safe; and we only ever partner with companies who feel the same. We believe certification of products should be openly declared, and proof should be readily available. So, if you ever want to check a Niglon product’s certificate, then all you have to do is ask.

Personal service We are not, and never wish to be, a faceless organisation where our customers become nothing more than a number on an order sheet. We’re proud to have the fourth generation of the original founder Stanley Hinley’s family as an integral part of our team: the real definition of a family business!

That’s part of the reason why that personal service is so important to us, and why the quality of each interaction we have with wholesalers and contractors matters most to us. It’s not just about how much wholesalers value Niglon, it’s about the entire supply chain including contractors and the end-users too.

The Niglon Difference Guarantee: Availability, Price, Quality. Safety and Personal Service. Not just sometimes, but every time. Not just one promise, but all five. Not just now, but forever.

CENTIEL PROTECTS THE POWER OF CENTRAL LONDON VENUE

In June 2020, Centiel completed the installation of a new UPS to protect the power to a central London venue. Located close to Covent Garden, the entertainment space is within a historical building used for dining, parties and drinks receptions, meetings and conferences for up to 1,000 delegates.

The new UPS now supports Full DC work the power for the entire was completed building, including lights, by Seahorse as lifts, sound systems, a small gift shop, the a contractor Centiel’s of internet, phone system and servers.

Louis McGarry, sales and marketing director, Centiel UK explains: “An outdated legacy UPS has now been replaced with Centiel’s fourth generation three phase modular UPS, CumulusPower, which offers industry leading 99.9999999% (nine, nines) availability, translating to just milliseconds of downtime per year. One of Centiel’s top cable entry frame fitted with 5x50kW modules (200 N+1), along with 80 batteries, now provides a 10 minute run time which then allows the switch over to a generator to ensure power is protected to the venue at all times. “We worked with Seahorse Electrical and Maintenance Services Ltd on the project, with who we have a long-standing “The switch “The main challenge was that the “In addition, Seahorse recommended relationship with and have recently completed several large projects with them gear that basement plant room at the venue was severely restricted on space and needed to that passive fire protection or ‘fire dampers’ were installed in the plant including a 7.2MW installation at a major forms part be accessed via a service entrance, through room. The thermoregulated fire damper medical facility. “For this central London project, Seahorse managed the full design and of the plant room had to a network of small corridors and flights of stairs. As a result, the switch gear that forms part of the plant room had to be seals the room and cuts off oxygen in an emergency, therefore, preventing the spread of fire and smoke. build from design to completion, working be delivered delivered in nine separate sections.” “For a unified, professional look, the with the main contractor and the client. This included UPS, switch gear, lighting, in nine Jason Gibson, director of Seahorse explains: “Due to the limited area, it was switch gear, bypass switch and UPS were all produced in the same ‘black’ colour to meet flooring, ceiling, fire dampeners, battery separate important for us to utilise every inch of the required end look and quality installation Seahorse managed the full design and build, DC build, cable trays and all the cabling, which included 100 metres sections.” space and so CumulusPower with its top cable entry option was chosen. The flexible, Seahorse aspires to achieve. Seahorse even replaced the flooring and painted the walls build, including from the plant room’s switch gear to the modular configuration of CumulusPower to match the system design colour scheme. switch gear generator which was located externally. allows the inclusion of an input terminal “The total strip-out and installation for to accept cables from above via steel wire the full build took at total of 15 weeks. As armored (SWA). It offered the perfect a team we worked very well together and solution for the small plant room. are pleased to confirm Seahorse has now “The innovative design meant the become one of our preferred partners for UPS could be connected from high level, DC and AC works.” enabling a more flexible layout and maximisation of the use of space. We Centiel  needed to remove the false ceiling in the www.centiel.co.uk plant room to allow for cabling to be run above the switch gear and UPS.” McGarry continues: “Full DC work was completed by Seahorse as a contractor of Centiel’s, which included DC cabling and DC isolation. Seahorse had everything in place ready for our commissioning UPS engineer’s arrival. “Small spaces can be dark and so Seahorse had also installed new low-level lighting to the room to allow better visibility for engineers maintaining the equipment in the future. Emergency lighting was also added in the room. The was basement plant room severely restricted on at the venue space