• • • EDITOR’S INTERVIEW • • •
“If it’s within the bounds of it being safe, and repeatable and reliable, we’ll do it. If it isn’t, then of course we won’t.”
Looking ahead, Mr Abbott said: “It’s going to be an exciting time in the next few years, as the industry evolves, and continues to evolve. “For installers, learn as much as you can, take any of the courses that have been offered by the manufacturers, and furnish yourself with that information to give you an opportunity to give more to the client and then the client will come back to you.”
Ansell Lighting to celebrate its 30th in 2022
has to be done to our componentry and to our test standards.”
Looking at challenges in the sector, Mr Abbott points out that LED saturation in the UK market is forecast in the next couple of years to be pushing 96%. He said: “With this level of saturation, where do we go? We’ve got a broad range within our business. There’s got to be more product innovation and it’s got to be around added value services associated with lighting to continue that growth. “While other businesses may have to expand outside of lighting, for us, we’re growing internationally, which is a different challenge.” Historically, Ansell Lighting’s export sales were a small percentage of the business, but now account for 16% the business. “The business has more than doubled in the time I’ve been here, and international sales are growing at a rapid rate of knots,” Mr Abbott said. “Our ambition is very much growth outside of the UK, in addition to servicing the UK market as we always have, because we need a bigger piece of pie to play in. “The expectation is that exports will account for 50% of the business.”
Get connected Mr Abbott continued: “We are bringing lots of innovation to market, our connected lighting range Octo range, now produces data, which is useful to the customer.
“Octo makes spaces work hard for our clients. If it works harder for our clients, it’s more beneficial to spend more money on the up-front investments in lighting. So, instead of it being the lowest common denominator, it’s very much more about what added value can this give me. “I think as an industry, we need to be offering more to our customers in terms of giving them more beneficial outputs from whatever that lighting may be.”
Ansell Lighting deals predominately with wholesalers, but it also trains and works with contractors and the people on the road who are fitting these products. “From a client point of view, what else can lighting do for them and how do we get that message across?” Mr Abbott said.
electricalengineeringmagazine.co.uk ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING • FEBRUARY 2022 13
“The issue for me is that it’s all about education and understanding that it isn’t just about trying to sell data, it’s very much more about what is this going to do for the client, what’s it going to do for that space, how does it make it more efficient and how does it make it work harder.
Ansell Lighting’s non-residential line-up includes products for a wealth of sectors, including localised parking, emergency outdoor lighting, through to office lighting, the food service sector, flood lighting and hazardous environments.
As the business grows, Mr Abbot said that one thing concerns him is about losing the ability react quickly.
“I hear occasionally that we haven’t reacted quick enough,” he said. “Although we can’t always rescue that position, what we do is analyse it and certainly with the senior team, they all want to make it happen for the customer.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Ansell Lighting business and there are many plans afoot to celebrate this milestone. “2022 is a massive year for us,” Mr Abbott said. “30 years in this industry is a great time for any company because, as companies have come and gone, we continue to grow from the base we have. “We are launching 30 new product ranges, which will include some firsts within that; we’re also supporting Our Blue Light, a charity that provides mental health support for emergency services. Over the last two years, those teams have been crucial and we’re giving something back and are hoping to raise more than £30,000. “We’re also running Shine A Light, a community campaign, where wholesalers and installers can nominate deserving community causes in their areas who need support with lighting projects. Launching in April, this could be anything from soup kitchens and food banks to mother and baby clubs.
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