Building a global brand footprint ETI

BUILDING A GLOBAL BRAND FOOTPRINT

60mm busbar system

ETI is an international group specialising in products and services for the protection of electrical installations, as well as manufacturing technical ceramic products. Mrs Sabina Pešec, marketing and PR specialist at ETI Elektroelement d.d., talks to Vanja Švačko about what it takes to be a highly recognised manufacturer of fuses, innovative switches and circuit breakers.

The ETI Group’s product portfolio falls under four main categories: electrotechnical products, technical ceramic products, tools and equipment and specific plastic products. Its core products are fuses, MCBs, MCCBs and ACBs covering the full range from 0,5A to 6300A. But aside from offering individual product lines and integral solutions for the protection of residential, commercial and industrial installations, great attention is also paid to the protection of photovoltaic systems and renewable energy sources.

Development-oriented strategy

ETI’s business strategy is centred on the constant expansion of its product portfolio, be it innovative new products or those that enable electricians and panel builders to finish their job faster. Mrs Pešec explains, “In the past year we have developed a completely new RCBO KZS 2M 2p EDI, which enables the user to see exactly what type of fault caused the tripping (i.e. has there been a short-circuit or overload somewhere in the installation, or was there current leaking somewhere or somebody turned the switch off manually). We have also expanded our range of RCCBs (AC, A, B and B+ type) with instantaneous, short-time-delayed and selective versions – the latter being the most useful in applications where there must not be any power-outs (such as life support machines in hospitals), as its use prevents unwanted tripping.”

In the field of fuses, the company has developed an entirely new line especially for the protection of battery storage systems and UPS systems, with low power dissipation and an extremely fast characteristic in time range of five seconds (in order to prevent over-heating and therefore damage to the battery storage units).

“We have also developed special railway fuses, designed particularly for the special needs of DC links and semiconductor devices (diodes, thyristors and GTO) in railway inverters, with improved resistance to current cyclic loading and a completely new ceramic body which allows for much more efficient cooling of the fuse. In addition to this, we have developed special fuses for the protection

Fuses, especially designed for protection of battery storage systems

Fuses for protection of railway applications

of surge arresters, fuel cells and capacitors. And last but not least, we have expanded our product range with intelligent power switch controllers and network analysers, reactive power compensation components and 60mm bus bar system components.”

Apart from developing new products and investing in ecological projects, the company has been proactive in optimising and automating production processes and improving its supply chain. “Our sales growth remained above that of the industry average, although we still have to reach the ‘magic’ hundred million,” says Mrs Pešec.

Balancing subsidiary network

Over the past 65 years ETI Group has been operating globally through a carefully tailored network of subsidiaries all over Europe. The year 1997 marked the beginning of a process of internationalisation with the establishment of the first two subsidiaries: ETI Proplast in Slovenia and ETI Polam in Poland. Today the company has 14 daughter companies.

The group was recently joined by a new subsidiary, ETI Prostik, which offers turnkey projects in the field of PV system protection, battery storage protection and reactive power compensation. “Through this company we provide drawings, layout and ready-made distribution panels, distribution cabinets according to customer demand and solutions for reactive power compensation in industrial environments. And last but not least, we offer solutions for overcurrent and overvoltage motor protection.”

Investment impact

As a pioneer in the protection of photovoltaic systems and cocreator of international standards for fuse and switchgear production, ETI invests heavily in innovation. Reflecting on the company’s investment policy, Mrs Pešec adds, “In the past three years ETI has made record investments into our production and R&D – close to 10 per cent of our annual sales revenues each year – and the results are already showing. Besides new products, we have improved our gross added value per employee, deliverability and quality of our

products. Yet these are harsh times as we are competing with global players, who increasingly produce in third world countries at a much lower cost, so our work is never finished.”

The value of the company’s own ETI brand is built upon consistent and effective improvements in line with the constantly evolving market demands. According to Mrs Pešec, European users have become more demanding when it comes to additional protection and the need to reduce unwanted power-outs. “Another increasing demand is to provide switches with as many functions as possible, but in the smallest possible dimensions. And of course we must not forget the need for ever more programmable and intelligent devices for control and measurement.”

ETI is continuing to gain importance in eastern Europe (particularly in Poland) and the Balkans where the brand has been well-known for many years. “We are currently expanding to the countries of the former Soviet Union and Asia. We also gained a new partner in India last year, who will be producing and selling our products on the home market.” n