7 minute read
Interview - Everson Elcock
ELECTRICITY EXPERTS
By Beth Cope
Sustainable Business Magazine speaks to Antonio Elcock, Managing Director at Everson R. Elcock & Co Ltd. (ERECO) about providing the infrastructure for solar power systems, the benefits of a long-standing workforce, and the outlook for renewables in Barbados.
Everson R. Elcock & Co Ltd. (ERECO) is a Barbados-based electricals retailer, tools and equipment renter, and real estate and property management company. Founded by Everson R. Elcock, the father of current-Managing Director Antonio Elcock, in 1960, ERECO started out with only two employees installing mostly
television antennas when the technology first came to the island. In 1971, Elcock landed a contract for a major conglomerate for their flagship store, which allowed the small company to start undertaking more commercial and residential work and grow with Barbados after independence. “Truthfully, during that period his competition would have been the white contractors in his area, him being almost the only black contractor,” explains Antonio Elcock, Managing Director at ERECO. “He was able to rub shoulders and made a name for himself based on the quality of work and service which he provided.”
Today, ERECO has a long track record of providing electrical contracting and design services to some of Barbados’s most significant development projects, including Hilton Barbados and the airport. Despite major contractions in the Caribbean over the last decade, ERECO has been able to expand throughout the region to Guyana, St. Vincent, and Montserrat. ERECO continues to carry Everson Elcock’s name, with the founder still serving an active role as Chairman at 84 years old.
PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEMS
ERECO is in contact with distributors of electrical lighting and supplies which are then sold to electricians and installers. “Renewable energy (RE) solutions would really be everything leading up to the inverter and before the inverter,” explains Mr. Elcock. “So that would be the conversion from the Direct Current (DC) to the Electronically Commutated (EC) Motor. So we’re on the Alternating Current (AC) side of the application of the RE systems for photovoltaic (PV). We don’t have any wind power on the island at present, but the equipment on the AC side is the same for both. We provide AC equipment to major suppliers of PV equipment on-island, and external agencies. We don’t get into the community side, which are the panels and inverters. That technology is changing so rapidly. Today you buy a 330-watt panel and tomorrow 440-watt panels are available. You find that for the quantities you have to purchase, you’re left with large amounts of stock. Unless you’re consuming a fair bit yourself, you can end up sitting in a warehouse full of material.”
ERECO researched international applications of energy technology, to prepare for providing renewable energy solutions. “We went to the UK to look at generating plants that are successful, how they’re manufactured and what is expected in terms of their connection,” explains Mr. Elcock. “This has allowed us to have a sustainability and continuity of a really high level of service, and delivery
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of that service. Promptness is important because in construction, time is always of the essence.”
Comprehensive staff training is essential to ensure that ERECO’s systems are consistently of high quality. “We have some staff members who have been with us for 50 years,” says Mr. Elcock. “The retention is good. Long-term staff members are then able to pass on their expertise to new trainees. However, it comes at a cost, because once you have retention, you have liabilities. What we’ve done over the years is to ensure that our staff members continue the training required along the way. You have to make sure you’re still up to date, in some instances where management is required, and supervision within the more supervisory courses. Things change: employment, safety and health, different acts which have been proclaimed.”
IN LIGHT OF COVID-19
A lot of ERECO’s anticipated projects have been shelved or postponed to maintain the available financing. “As a result of that, we have not been out of the gates in full, mostly openings last year and this year, for stock complement as well as job complement,” says Mr. Elcock. “It has taken a bit of ingenuity to keep everything afloat and open, and making sure that we can keep our suppliers satisfied and our staff paid, along with statutory requirements.”
ERECO is a member of the professional engineering body in Barbados and the licensing board for RE, while also being a former member of the registration board. “We’re in the process of issuing licenses in that respect,” explains Mr. Elcock. “That industry here has turned into more of an investment vehicle, more so than just for energy saving. We’re seeing a large volume of applications from Barbados as well as coming into Barbados to deal with renewable energy. I am very heartened to see there is a lot of work on the horizon for renewable energy companies. So where
it has fallen off in terms of new build construction, I see the work picking up more on the renewable energy investment side, which would still have the component of electrical contracting involved.”
“My brother and I have a proposed continuation for the sustainability of the company, to make a path for new development companies that will allow us to utilize the new capacity that we have here for housing and building developments,” says Mr. Elcock. “In terms of asset management and engineering, we’ll be picking more of a front burner role as opposed to a back burner role that we used to do before. We will probably bring more on design because RE is gaining steam. Once we build out that platform, there’s going to be an obvious need for asset management.”
“I would say there will be more cutting-edge engineering as well,” explains Mr. Elcock. “Right now, we’re still involved with the IT infrastructure for security cameras, fire alarm systems, and security systems. We’re going to take it to the next level outside of the IT infrastructure, to get further in the actual delivery of service and maintenance.” c
