Electrical Contracting News (ECN) July 2017 | Page 5

EDITORIAL
FEELING BLUE, OR SEEING RED?
W
ell! It’s roughly
two months
since Prime
Minister (at
time of writing)
Theresa May
called a snap
election – an
election where the Tories were supposed
to cruise to a landslide victory and Jeremy
Corbyn was set to be consigned to the
political scrapheap. And yet here we are in
political limbo with a Consertvative party
in chaos, (despite winning), a Labour party
celebrating (despite coming second) and
the issue of Brexit still no clearer – what a
time to be alive! By the time this has gone
to press we could either be under a Tory/
DUP coalition government, or a ‘rainbow’
coalition led by Corbyn. Whatever happens
it’s clear that no-one has really won –
least of all us voters! Such uncertainty
is never ideal in politics but as shown
after the initial panic that followed the EU
referendum, trade in general can and will
continue to tick along. As the old saying
goes; keep calm and carry on!
We have three special features for
you this month: Home automation &
Intelligent buildings; Insurance; and
Russell Drury,
Editor
Fire detection & Safety, which has been
thrust into the public’s consciousness
following the tragic case of Grenfell
Tower in London recently. Despite a
refurbishment last year, the safety of
the building had still been called into
question by experts and some of its
residents and it is very worrying that it
has taken such a devastating event for
these concerns to really be given the
attention they warrant.
We don’t often have room for two
interviews in one issue of ECN but we’ve
made an exception this month. Not only do
we have the second part of the exclusive
Q&A with Legrand’s Tony Greig, we’ve
also got sparky-turned-footballer Stuart
Pearce, who was kind enough to spare a
few minutes for a chat with me at NICEIC
Live in May.
*On an end note this will be my final
issue of ECN. Having worked on the title
for seven years, during which time I have
seen exciting progress in all sectors of the
electrical trade, I am moving on to new
challenges. I would like to thank all
the loyal readers and contributors
that have made my time here such
an enjoyable experience.
MOVERS & SHAKERS…
FireAngel has appointed two
new managers as part of its
continued investment in its
growing sales team. Claire
O’Meara has been appointed
as the national account
manager for the Fire and
Rescue Service (FRS)
department, while Elizabeth
Mitchel joins the company as
area specification manager
for the North East and East
Midlands regions.
Ellis has appointed Toni
Dring as its marketing
executive. Toni, who has
worked in a combined sales,
administrative and marketing
role since joining Ellis in
2010, will now concentrate
full-time on marketing.
Her new role will see her
managing the company’s
PR agencies; planning all
events and exhibitions;
leading communications with
international distributors;
and overseeing the design
and development of all
company literature.
GBE Converge has
announced that Ian
Phelps has recently joined
the company as group
operations director. Ian
is a career professional
in the Fire, Security and
IT industry that includes
over 16 years’ experience
at board director level.
He brings a wealth of
knowledge and expertise
that will add another
dimension to the senior
management team.
Amy Sharpe and Becky
Rogers have both joined
Hawkesworth Appliance
Testing as account
managers. With seven and
eight years’ experience
respectively in sales and
finance, the duo will be
assisting Hawkesworth in
boosting its presence in
all targeted sectors in the
UK, such as education,
retail, hospitality,
industrial and banking.
Gira eNet
Easily controlling home technology via radio
Gira eNet is the new bi-directional radio system for the intelligent networking and control of modern electrical installations. Functions
such as light and blind control can be easily retrofitted and networked via radio. Installed switches can be quickly replaced or made radio-
capable without having to prise open walls and lay cables. Radio switching/dimming top units, radio wall transmitters, and radio remote
controls are available to operate the system. In addition, the Gira mobile gate also enables the entire system to be controlled using mobile
end devices running the iOS or Android operating system. This allows blinds, lights, and pre-programmed scenes to be operated
conveniently and intuitively via the Gira Interface when using WLAN at home. In the same way, the state of the lighting and blinds
can be recorded and monitored at a glance. Additional information can be found at www.gira.com/enet.
Shown from left to right: Gira eNet radio switching/dimming top unit, 1-gang System 2000, Gira eNet radio blind control button, 1-gang,
Gira Interface for the mobile gate on a smartphone, Gira eNet radio wall transmitter, 3-gang, Gira E2, pure white glossy.