Industry News

AICO PEDALS THE BORDERS FOR LINGEN DAVIES CANCER FUND

Aico has supported Adrenaline Sporting Events’ inaugural Pedal the Borders cycling event, in aid of Lingen Davies Cancer Fund.

On Sunday 25 July, 100 riders departed from Aico’s Oswestry headquarters at 08:30am to take on the challenge of cycling 100km, from the Shropshire countryside into the Welsh hills. Beginning and ending at Aico, the ride took in miles of stunning local scenery, including the Tanat Valley and Lake Vyrnwy, with some challenging aspects. The first riders arrived back at Aico before noon, with the final riders completing the cycle around 3pm. Upon arrival back at Aico, cyclists enjoyed some well-deserved refreshments and were awarded an attractive finishing medal for their accomplishment. Providing more than just spectacular views, the route proved to be a real challenge for both cyclists and their bikes, but St John’s Ambulance crews were on hand to support those that needed it.

Aico says it was delighted to be able to host and support this event, with 21 Aico colleagues from across the UK taking part in the ride, and more colleagues volunteering to help coordinate the event. Aico colleagues raised a fantastic £4,661 for Lingen Davies Cancer Fund. Keen cyclist Michael Wright, Product Development Manager for Aico, followed a challenging training schedule to prepare for Pedal the Borders, including hilly cycles around Glyn Ceiriog, as well as flatter routes towards Ruyton-XI-Towns to work on speed. Aico, aico.co.uk

BUSINESS CONFIDENCE AMONG TRADESPEOPLE AT HIGHEST SINCE JULY 2018

Business confidence among UK tradespeople is now at its highest level since July 2018, according to research released by Screwfix.

Screwfix’s Business Confidence Index includes a range of measures, and almost all of them rose in July, as part of the company’s regular survey of the trade. Measures which rose include the percentage of tradespeople that are busier than expected, those preparing more quotes than 12 months ago, and those who say business activity is better than last year.

The Business Confidence index has risen to +35 from +33 in May and +5 in January. This measure is now at its highest level since July 2018.

The only measure not to rise in June 2021 was the proportion who think their business activity will improve in the next 12 months, although more still think it will improve in the next year than believe it will get worse.

Reported workloads remain high with 86% of the trade now working, with more work in the pipeline.

The survey is the first in a regular series of insights about the trade from Screwfix. Screwfix, screwfix.com

‘LAST CHANCE TO SAVE OURSELVES FROM CLIMATE CRISIS’ SAYS ECA

Electrotechnical and engineering services body, ECA, calls for long-term thinking, delivery plans and concrete action from government in response to the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

The recently published landmark report warns that within the next 20 years, global temperatures are likely to rise 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, making heatwaves, flooding and droughts more common and extreme. The report has been labelled a ‘Code Red for humanity’.

ECA has produced extensive guidance to help electrotechnical businesses to make a ‘Green Pivot’ and focus on net zero carbon skills and training. ECA urges its nearly 3,000 member businesses in the electrical and engineering services sector to invest in their workforces and enable training and upskilling that will allow the installation, operation and maintenance of an array of low- to no-carbon technologies. ECA, eca.co.uk

ECS CHECK WELCOMES 750TH REGISTRATION

Braid Mechanical and Electrical, a member of the Joint Industry Board (JIB), has become the 750th organisation to register for ECS Check. Based in Ballymena, Braid Mechanical and Electrical has been providing mechanical and electrical services to industrial and business customers for over 85 years and is one of Northern Ireland’s longest running electrical contracting businesses.

Launched in early 2020, ECS Check provides a free-to-access digital platform that enables the electrotechnical industry to conduct audits to verify all electrotechnical personnel on site throughout the supply chain.

Following approval as a pilot that meets the Licence to Practise (LtP) requirements on government public sector construction contracts in Northern Ireland, ECS Check is recognised by the Northern Ireland Government as meeting procurement guidance note 01-16. ECS Check continues to help electrical contractors meet their LtP requirements free of charge. Some of Northern Ireland’s most significant public bodies have already signed up for ECS Check, including the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, Translink, NI Water, Belfast and Western Health and Social Care Trust.

JIB, jib.org.uk

STUDY REVEALS SMES COULD BE LOSING UP TO 54% OF ONLINE REVENUE

Yell has released research into how businesses in the trades sector are approaching their online presence in the pandemic, and how getting your website right is important.

The research identified an online presence as a key driver for tradespeople. 79% of businesses stated that their customer reviews were the most important aspect for generating leads and sales, followed by their website. 34% of tradespeople stated that they thought their website was unimportant before the pandemic, but now think that they would not survive without it.

Out of the websites analysed, trades websites were last updated an estimated 20 months ago, revealing that businesses are neglecting to update them. The most common reason is a lack of expertise, followed by a fear of something going wrong and a lack of money.

More than half of businesses in the trades sector stated that design is the most important part of their website, and this is reflected in consumer behaviour too. Half of consumers surveyed stated that they would be less likely to give a website their business if it was badly designed and 41% said they would not use that business again.

The analysis found that it took 6.7 seconds for a business’s website’s page to go from a blank screen to a visually complete state. In comparison, it took trades websites 6.2 seconds on average, showing that overall, trades websites are performing better than the standard amongst other SMEs. Yell, yell.com

CITYFIBRE BEGINS WORK ON NEXT STAGE OF A FULL FIBRE ROLLOUT IN GLASGOW

Plans to future-proof the digital infrastructure of Glasgow has moved a step closer as CityFibre, the UK’s largest independent full fibre platform, has started work to connect homes and businesses in the north west of the city to its full fibre network.

Construction has now started in the Netherton area and is being delivered by Glenevin on behalf of CityFibre. With work progressing at pace, it is set to get underway in the next areas, Anniesland and Temple, in late September, followed by Port Dundas in November. The team will use a range of construction methods while working in close partnership with Glasgow City Council and local communities to deliver a fast rollout, while minimising potential disruption.

Construction in the north west of the city is the next stage of the network installation, with work beginning in the south of the city earlier this year. The overall project is expected to reach completion by 2025.

The network is not yet live, but once activated, services will be available from an increasing range of broadband providers. Across the UK, CityFibre is already working with launch partner, Vodafone, to supply full fibre infrastructure for customers on selected Vodafone Pro Broadband plans, and TalkTalk, with other providers expected to join the network soon.

CityFibre is bringing full fibre connectivity within reach of 8 million homes in towns and cities across the UK as part of its up to £4 billion Gigabit City Investment Programme. CityFibre, cityfibre.com

FIVE RESOURCES ALL TRAINEE AND APPRENTICE ELECTRICIANS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT

While the electrical industry is desperate to attract new talent, the competition for jobs is fierce, meaning new electricians will be more eager than ever to nail their first few weeks in the role.

To help up and coming electricians hit the ground running when they start, electrical wholesaler ERF has pulled together a handy guide identifying some of the most insightful and informative resources within the industry.

Electrodoc app

Electrodoc is available on iOS and Android and is known as a portable electrician’s bible. From its Ohm’s law calculator to its voltage divider, the app breaks down the complexities of electrics into easy to consume information.

Talk Electrician’s forum

Talk Electrician’s forum is an online community with more than 30,000 fellow electricians – in fact, you’ll do well to find anywhere else with so many electricians in one place. For this reason, it’s a brilliant group for trainees to be a part of, with endless advice, information and help at your fingertips.

Electricians on YouTube

Electrician-come-Youtuber, John Ward, is one for aspiring apprentices to watch. JW’s videos are full of practical snippets of information, with a slightly more formal tone to his channel. Uploading a new video every week, John puts electrical theories to the test and shows off different experiments and demonstrations.

#sparky TikTok

#sparky is a hashtag worth following, along with 390 million other people who also watch these short videos. For apprentices and trainees, this hashtag on TikTok will make learning a bit more fun and engaging.

The Electrical Show Podcast

Podcasts are a clever way to learn more about a topic without having to concentrate too hard on the content. They are becoming more and more popular, being easy enough to follow whilst completing other tasks, and so they never feel too time consuming.

MERTON BUS GARAGE GEARS UP FOR ZERO-EMISSION OPERATIONS

Environmentally-friendly buses are operating from a South West London bus garage, thanks to a new electricity connection. UK Power Networks has completed work at Merton for Go-Ahead London, to enable new electric buses to charge overnight, with the project representing a major contribution towards reducing local pollution levels, while helping to enable the UK’s transition to net zero.

The delivery team installed new cables to provide additional power at the garage, which will deliver supplies for 17 electric buses operating on route 200 from Mitcham to Raynes Park.

The work has reduced running costs for the bus garage, which is able to charge its new fleet when local electricity demand is very low.

Irvine Nyamapfene, project manager at UK Power Networks, says: “This is bringing another breath of fresh air for Londoners and we are pleased to be playing a key part in the city looking forward to a greener future.”

UK Power Networks, the firm that keeps power flowing across London, the South East and East of England has enabled more than 500 buses in the capital to turn electric over the last few years, to help meet the government’s 2050 target of net zero emissions.

UK Power Networks, ukpowernetworks.co.uk

FIFTH OF UK ELECTRICIANS ABUSED BY CUSTOMERS EVERY WORKING DAY

Almost nine in 10 (86%) UK tradespeople have been abused at work by customers, with swearing, threatening messages and even physical attacks common in the industry, new research has revealed.

The study was conducted by IronmongeryDirect, after its ‘Mental Health in the Trades’ report found customer tensions and abuse are among the leading causes of stress.

Swearing and insults (34%) are the most common form of abuse, but one in 10 (10%) tradespeople have been physically attacked by a client, and one in 14 (7%) have been sexually harassed.

Such behaviour means many tradespeople have felt unsafe (16%) or threatened (13%) at work, and one in eight (12%) have felt stressed, depressed or anxious because of heated exchanges.

While both male and female tradespeople are victimised, the type of abuse they receive varies. Women are more likely to be sworn at or insulted (37%) and receive threatening messages (18%), but men are more commonly on the end of physical attacks (10%) and sexual harassment (8%).

Dominick Sandford, Director and Head of Merchandising & Marketing at IronmongeryDirect, comments: “It’s so important that tradespeople look after themselves and don’t just put up with hostility, as it can have a detrimental effect on their mental health. Our research found that one in eight workers have walked away from jobs because of abuse and that is a really sensible action to take.” IronmongeryDirect, ironmongerydirect.co.uk

INTRODUCING ‘TECHNICALLY SPEAKING’ – THE LATEST PODCAST FROM NICEIC

NICEIC has introduced its latest podcast series, ‘Technically Speaking’. Aimed at electrical contractors wishing to expand their knowledge, Technically Speaking joins the brand’s successful technical webinar series, ‘The WIRE’ and complements the regular NICEIC Live Stream events and ‘Low Carbon Fix’ podcast.

“Following the events of the past 18 months, we are acutely aware that our customers are increasingly looking for new and more convenient ways of undertaking learning,” says Paul Collins, NICEIC Technical Services Manager.

“This is clearly demonstrated in the success we have seen with The WIRE, which reached over 10,000 individuals in the last series, and the increasing popularity of our weekly Live Stream events, which regularly attract over 1,000 viewers.

“Keen to keep engaging with our audience, we are delighted to introduce our latest offering, Technically Speaking. Taking the questions and answers from our Live Stream Q&A events, we have added this technically rich content to our growing podcast platform, allowing contractors to tune in whilst out on the job, in the van, or at a time and place to suit them.”

Available now via all popular podcast channels, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, the Technically Speaking launch package includes eight episodes. NICEIC, niceic.com

MOVERS & SHAKERS…

Two new Area Sales Managers are set to bolster Niglon’s growth –concentrating on the South East. Sonny Gladdish and Chris Jackson joined the team in July, with Sonny covering his home county of Kent, as well as South London and parts of Sussex. He has previously worked with ML Accessories, which supplies lighting products and electrical wiring accessories, and test equipment firm Di-Log.

EV charging company, Indra, has made a significant appointment through the addition of Leighton King, who joins the business as its first Chief Commercial Officer. With an established track record of over 20 years’ experience within the automotive and marine industry, the appointment of Leighton is just one of a number of key moves the company is making as part of its ambitious growth plans.

Scolmore has welcomed two new members to its technical team. The appointment of James Hannon as senior technical lighting engineer and Mark Lagoe as technical support engineer will further strengthen the technical support department to meet the needs of the company as it continues to expand its products in all divisions.