Steering a course to a bright future

It has been another hugely challenging year for everyone, both on a professional and personal level, as the ramifications of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continue to be felt. Supply chain challenges, staffing issues and shortages of materials have all put a strain on companies trying to meet their customers’ needs, and the electrical industry is just one of the many sectors affected.

Elucian is an extensive range of metal consumer units Across the Scolmore Group of companies –Click Scolmore, Ovia, ESP and Unicrimp – we are very fortunate to always have the ability to hold vast stock levels, which means that we have been able to continue to fulfil orders for our customers. It is testimony to the highly experienced and exceptionally dedicated teams we have working in all divisions that 2021 has actually turned out to be one of our busiest and successful so far in terms of major new product launches.

Whilst continuing to deliver the excellent service that our customers have come to expect, we have invested in a number of significant product development programmes to bring new and enhanced ranges to market.

A connected home

In January of this year, we launched the Click Smart+ comprehensive range of smart home products designed to simplify and streamline connected home products – lighting controls, smart sockets, security cameras and sensors. The range utilises Zigbee technology, one of the most widely adopted smart home communication protocols.

Click Smart+ comprises the Smart Gateway Hub – the control centre of all Zigbee connected devices – one and two-gang smart sockets, plug-in smart socket, switching and dimming receivers, camera, PIR sensor, window and door sensor, plus a temperature and humidity sensor. The bespoke Click Smart+ app gives householders ultimate control of the smart devices, which can also be operated through voice control with a smart speaker.

The complete package

Half way through the year saw Scolmore complete its offer in the wiring accessories category with the launch of a comprehensive Consumer Unit and Circuit Protection range – ‘Elucian by Click’.

The launch followed months of extensive research and consultation with contractors to come up with a range of products that best suits their requirements and is compliant with the latest regulations. It means that wholesalers and installers now have access to a one-stop shop for everything wiring accessories related from one of the industry’s most trusted and reliable brands, and Scolmore has made a significant investment to ensure that stock levels of the new products are high to meet the continued demand.

Designed with the installer in mind, Elucian is an extensive range of metal consumer units that covers a broad range of installations and offers a number of features and benefits that enhance the products’ convenience, flexibility and safety properties.

Smart security

In October, Scolmore Group company and market-leading supplier of electronic security products, ESP, announced the launch of a comprehensive new smart security range. Marketed under the brand name Fort, the complete range of smart security products, which includes intruder alarms, video doorbell, video security light, sensors and a selection of 1080p cameras, will all operate under a single app – the ‘Click Smart+’ app – which is completely subscription-free, with no additional fees incurred. By bringing the operation of the new Fort range under the well-established, tried and tested Click Smart+ app from Scolmore, users will have control of a raft of connected home and security products all from one secure, easy-to-access platform.

Bumper lighting offer

It is just two years since Ovia was launched as an independent lighting organisation and, despite the difficult trading conditions, the company has kept on track with its ambitious plans and continues to exceed expectations with investment in new products, the addition of new team members, and the launch of issue three of the Ovia catalogue.

At over 400 pages, the new catalogue boasts an additional 100 pages on the previous edition and will bring to designers, contractors and specifiers a comprehensive product guide covering the entire range on offer. It includes a raft of brand new additions as well as some improved products, and they are being brought to market on the back of continual engagement with contractors to ensure that the products and solutions they seek are developed and available through the wholesaler.

The Fort range was launched in October

Ovia has launched issue three of its catalogue

Ongoing support

Across the Scolmore Group of companies there is a wealth of resources that contractors and wholesalers can access. Each group company website hosts a vast range of products, including range catalogues as well as technical specification brochures. Product videos that make it easy to understand the workings of individual products can be accessed on YouTube, and there are case studies demonstrating how products from the group have been specified and installed to provide solutions for specific projects.

In the midst of the long-term disruption that the pandemic has caused, we anticipated that our customers would need greater support than ever as they navigated the difficult journey of meeting the needs of contractors and installers. With this in mind, we invested in a number of areas of our business so that resources were there to meet our customers’ heightened requirements. This included expanding our customer service and technical departments and providing easy access to a growing range of training resources and marketing materials. We even delivered pizza and the odd fridge full of chocolate to help keep morale high.