Editor’s Note / Contents
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Electrical industry primed to fuel the IoT revolution
Noun: Internet of things – A development of the Internet in which everyday objects have network connectivity, allowing them to send and receive data.
‘things’?” When the phrase appeared in a press release a few months ago, I had to ask the PR executive what, exactly, she meant. And even she had difficulty explaining. But the concept is pretty simple, as the explanation at the top of this page confirms. And the possibilities and opportunities for the electrical industry are massive. Recently, electrical industry leaders – including Schneider Electric, Osram, ABB, Philips and Legrand – met in London at a roundtable organised by Voltimum, the global digital media company and sales enabler for the electrical industry.
I What emerged is that the Internet of Things
will create millions of job opportunities worldwide, pouring cold water on speculation that automation could cause massive job redundancies. Tanuja Randery, President UK&I at Schneider
Electric said that the IoT won’t work without human interaction of some kind. While Tony Greig, CEO UK&I at Legrand, cautioned that while many contractors will embrace the new technology, those who don’t will fall by the wayside. The cost of smart homes technology will inevitably come down, and contractors should
NEWS
6 INDUSTRY NEWS Market and industry update
12 INSTALLATION NEWS Case studies from around the industry
FEATURES COMPANY PROFILE
17 Europa Components celebrates 40 years of success TEST EQUIPMENT
20 A common sense approach to appliance testing MARKET REPORT
23 UK Ventilation and Air Conditioning market returns to growth
FIRE & SAFETY
25 Secure cable management in the spotlight 31 Focusing on smoke and carbon monoxide detection
REGULARS
10 COVER STORY (Philips) INDUSTRY COMMENTS
5 Trade counter tactics: getting it right 29 Art for art’s sake? The evolution of product design
AUGUST 2015 VOLUME 54 NUMBER 08 Electrical Wholesaler is
www.ewnews.co.uk
35 COMPETITION WIN £250 worth of M&S vouchers with GreenBrook
proud to support the Electrical Industries Charity
36 PRODUCT FINDER 40 RECRUITMENT 43 BUYERS GUIDE
August 2015 electrical wholesaler | 3 20 18 14
’m a great fan of plain English, so, when I first heard about “the Internet of Things” – it left me scratching my head as I wondered: “What
be actively promoting it to their customers, it was agreed. But a key ingredient in the success of the IoT will be the establishment and implementation of standards that ensure the market progresses securely. Timon Rupp, from Osram, said that it was a requirement of the industry to provide education. Industry bodies and trade associations must
also play their part in ensuring that standards and regulations are in place. Gerry O’Donnell, from Philips, said: “Ultimately, whatever we put in has to work; our brand names rest on that and the markets will be the judge of it. Trade associations have a part to play in evolving regulations, and they will organise standard protocols.” Voltimum CEO Wolfgang Schickbauer summed it up when he said: “From this position at the forefront of the industry we need to ensure we maximise the potential of IoT, and to do that we must support our community of electrical professionals to help them understand the opportunities that digitalisation offers and how they can seamlessly integrate it.” Enjoy this month’s issue.
Deborah Eales Editor
deales@datateam.co.uk 12
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