CompanyProfile
Smart lighting control with bespoke control plates.
Fifty yearsof progress H
amilton Litestat is counting down to 2018. Next year is set to be a monumental and celebratory year
for the British family-run business as it will mark half a century of providing its high- quality wiring accessories and lighting controls to the industry. With five decades under its belt already, we look at Hamilton’s recent developments and find out how it’s preparing to embark on the next 50 years. Hamilton has always been a forward-thinking company focused on quality. Back in the 1960s it was one of the first companies to bring the dimmer to the UK market. It was Rod Hamilton’s vision to be a quality-driven, pioneering company within the electricals industry. And this vision has not wavered from Hamilton’s ethos since. Through the years – and now under the
direction of Rod’s son Ian – Hamilton has grown to employ 120 staff as it distributes its class- leading products across the globe. “My father’s passion for innovation, for detail
and for his customers is what has driven us forward and created the customer-focused, service-led team that we are today,” says Ian Hamilton, who is now Hamilton’s Chairman and Managing Director.
Evolving for the future The company is renowned for its decorative electrical wiring accessories, which have been
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a staple for electricians over the last five decades. It has built its enviable reputation on its switch plates and sockets but evolution is key to preserving its pioneering status and it has recently gone through its latest transformative state. In preparation for the next chapter in its
history, Hamilton has undergone an expansion and restructure, developing its Bristol site into a turnkey production, sales and distribution centre. The expanded facilities now feature a new Customer Contact Centre and engineering Centre of Excellence, helping to propel Hamilton into its next era. “Over the past 50 years we’ve had excellent,
progressive growth that has been heightened further by recent business successes. As a result, we’ve expanded the Bristol site and centralised our operations to improve efficiency,” explains Ian. “The new Customer Contact Centre now handles all enquiries, while our new Centre of Excellence – incorporating our engineering, design and manufacturing services – is helping us to grow our customised product capabilities and bespoke solutions, providing more flexibility for our customers. “This investment in our facilities underlines our
long-term commitment to our customers in providing quality products at competitive prices, which is something we are very proud of. We are improving efficiency and productivity that will help us continue our level of service for decades to come.”
The company’s Bristol showroom.
Research & Development With these new facilities come expanded R&D capabilities, which in turn will drive Hamilton’s continued product innovation. But innovation and progression isn’t something that Hamilton has been short of prior to the Bristol expansion. Recently, the company undertook customer research at its regular contractor days and the findings were surprising. Gavin Williams, Hamilton’s Marketing Manager, explains: “We found out that installers are still struggling with compatibility and quality issues when installing products from multiple brands, which can result in failures and costly call backs. The solution seemed simple to us – purchase
●Continued over September 2017 electrical wholesaler | 27
Hamilton Litestatwlll soon be celebrating its 50th anniversary. We asked Hamilton to tell us how it is preparing for the next 50 years.
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