EDIT Interview psi july21_PSI_mar15 28/06/2021 15:13 Page 2
INTERVIEW
The power of security We talk to James Douglas of GS Yuasa Battery Sales UK about products for the security sector and discover that not all batteries are the same his year is a big one for GS Yuasa with various company milestones and the introduction of the new Yu-Lite range of Nickel Cadmium (NiCd), Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) and Lithium batteries. PSI caught up with James Douglas, European Group Marketing Manager at GS Yuasa Battery Europe to talk about specialised batteries for the security sector and to discuss landmark celebrations for the business.
T
How have the events of 2020-21 affected battery sales? Demand in the security market has been noticeably down obviously due to the pandemic when we saw numerous commercial buildings and new properties being mothballed. In addition, some companies have not opened since the first lockdown and even those businesses that have been trading throughout 2020-21 have not been investing in standby power at the levels they were prior to the pandemic, probably due to the uncertainty surrounding the whole situation. For us in the security market, business has been noticeably down, but for the company as a whole that was offset by the automotive sector, which actually saw an unprecedented level of demand because of the reduced usage of vehicles. With vehicles having been either parked up or only driven for short journeys, batteries have been failing prematurely. This has meant that the demand for automotive batteries has been absolutely huge. However we're definitely seeing the signs of a recovery now, so in London and the big cities we are expecting the fire and security business to bounce back really strongly.
are occasions we really do want to celebrate with colleagues and customers to reward them for the loyalty that they have shown us over the years. Due to the uncertainty around Covid we've had to hold off on the celebrations so far this year, but we will be doing something as soon as we can. Around 60% of the batteries that you make in Wales are exported so are you concerned about Brexit? No not at all. For anything made in the UK we have zero tariffs into Europe thanks to the trade agreement so that's obviously a positive for us, but most importantly we only transact and supply our sister companies in Europe. So we only supply our batteries to GS Yuasa companies on the continent and then they distribute to their own customers from there. Therefore because it's is inter-company purchasing there isn't any effect of Brexit for us. Why do we need specialised batteries for security systems? What people need to keep in mind is no matter how good the security system is it is only as good as the battery that's backing it up. That battery is only ever really used or tested at that critical moment when it needs to perform. With that in mind it is obviously crucial that the
“In addition to the 40 year anniversary of our GS Yuasa Battery Manufacturing UK factory in Wales we are also marking 40 years of GS Yuasa Battery Sales UK”
This year the company is celebrating 40 years of production in Ebbw Vale. Have you got any celebrations planned? It's a massive milestone for us and it's not the only one for us this year either. In addition to the 40 year anniversary of our GS Yuasa Battery Manufacturing UK factory in Wales we are also marking 40 years of GS Yuasa Battery Sales UK, our sales operation based in Swindon. These are two key anniversaries for us in the UK and
www.psimagazine.co.uk
21
