In this month’s Face to Face we speak with Gary Stevens, Managing Director of Focus SB, to find out more about the company and the ever changing wiring accessories market.
What are the origins of Focus SB as a British manufacturer?
We commenced trading in 1979 under the name Sussex Brassware and the main product offering was architectural ironmongery which then led to the introduction of a range of electrical accessories utilising third party electrical inserts and assembling into our own in-house produced and finished plates.
After some changes to the company structure Focus Electrical was born and was a separate entity to Sussex Brassware. Some years later the two companies joined forces under the name Focus SB and we acquired the toolmaking company that were up to that point producing the plates for our electrical accessories. It was also around this time that it was decided to shed the architectural ironmongery products in favour of focusing on electrical accessories.
In 2016, Focus SB launched its own range of electrical inserts to become totally stand alone and the only company in its sector to boast in-house capabilities of metal plate manufacture, finishing and assembly of its own range of electrical inserts.
In that time we can also boast a number of firsts, including the first (and only premium electrical accessories manufacturer in our industry) outside of mainland China to be certified by their national quality standards authority to design and manufacture a range of ‘CCC’ products outside of the country to sell back into China, and that formed the basis of our King’s Awards for Enterprise winning entry in 2023.
Another first was the development and launch of a double throw centre off retractive toggle switch for the lighting control and shading market in 2017.
Finally, another significant first was the design and launch of the first true flat plate screwless range of electrical accessories – Renaissance in 2023.
Made from quality stainless steel and solid brass raw materials, our product components are approved to British Standards and independently tested by Intertek for safety. We operate a Quality Management System which complies with the requirements of ISO 9001:2015.
Which wiring accessory finishes are proving popular with customers at the moment?
Anything that is either ‘antique’ or ‘aged’! Antique/Aged/Jordan/Chocolate/Dark Bronze and Aged or unlacquered brass and derivatives of those finishes are by far the most popular finishes at present and have been for some time now. We get temporary trends that are influenced by other building products, for example Matt Black has been popular over the last 12 months or so and Polished and Satin Brass seems to be making a slight comeback, but Bronze variants and Aged/Antique Brass dominate the popularity stakes.
In an increasingly crowded wiring accessories market, how does Focus SB ensure that its products stand out?
When I first came into the electrical wiring accessory manufacturing sector in 1987, there were three ‘flat plate’ grid mounting, secondary fix manufacturers in the UK and virtually no overseas competitors. Fast forward 37years and now we find that to most customers, the flat plate electrical accessory product is more of a commodity, with most manufacturers offering flat plate electrical accessories at various levels of quality, range and finish variants.
At Focus SB we have strived to set our products apart by their quality, range of finishes, bespoke offering and innovative product development. This strategy has helped us become one of the largest manufacturers of wiring accessories supplying into the luxury residential, hospitality and heritage markets, with an annual turnover of £6M purely in electrical accessories.
However, our philosophy is to not stand still and wait for the competition to catch up where the only strategy becomes price centric. We are constantly monitoring the market, gaining insight and feedback from customers, monitoring competitor activity in the UK and globally, monitoring trends in finishes and styles from competitive and allied products. Over the past four years we have worked on designing and launching two trademarked ranges.
Working in collaboration with our partners Lutron, we have designed and developed a complementary range of electrical accessories to match to their award-winning range of lighting control keypads in their flagship Alisse range. The brief was to match the style, form factor and finishes of the Alisse keypad because most interior designers and some discerning clients desire to have ‘design continuity’ on their projects.
Following on from the launch of the “Alisse by Focus SB” range, we started the process of designing a range of true flat plate screwless electrical accessories in 2021, and in 2023 the patent pending Renaissance range was launched into the market. So, what is so special about Renaissance? It is the first solid brass, flat plate screwless range on the market. Most electrical accessory manufacturers have a screwless range in their portfolio because that is what designers are looking for. However, most of those designs are based on thin plate material that is often ‘dished’ to clip onto or into a visible plastic grid, or into a visible metal frame.
The design criteria for Renaissance was to be a solid flat plate with no visible fixing screws or frame/grid (which is where the patent is based). It should also be available as standard with square corners (another feature not available with existing screwless products) and finally we need to have the ability to produce oversized and bespoke configured plates. We achieved all of this and the range was launched in 2023 and has been a phenomenal success! It now represents the biggest, most comprehensive range in our portfolio.
The big change for Focus SB as a manufacturer has been driven by the development of these two products and the trend is to go even further with this style of product with some exciting plans for expansion in the pipeline.
The main challenge to us as a manufacturer has been the transition from stamping flat plate products, to precision CNC machining of thicker solid brass materials to be able to offer that extra quality to our customers. Renaissance and Alisse electrical accessories are manufactured from 2.5mm and 3.5mm solid brass, so clients can not only see the quality of finish, but they can also feel the quality compared to thinner pressed plates. The move towards CNC machining was a relatively easy one for Focus SB because of our history, we were already part way through that journey, but we are now investing in the next generation of CNC machines and automation in order to support our strategy for the future.
Stylised wiring accessories were historically viewed as a luxury reserved for high end projects. Are there signs they are now being considered in a wider range of installations?
They are being used in more mainstream projects now, but that ties in with the points made above where lower cost, lower quality products are available having been commoditised, but they have a more design-led appearance than the traditional dished plate metal accessories, or even white plastic electrical accessories. This is the main reason why we at Focus SB have moved into higher specification, higher quality product development as mentioned above.
We offer a high quality, sustainable alternative to ‘off-the-shelf’ plastic switches and sockets with our beautifully finished hand assembled faceplates and components specified by prominent design consultants for world class hospitality and leisure resorts, prime residential developments, heritage buildings, royal residences, superyachts and commercial projects internationally. Combining traditional methods of manufacturing complemented by the latest technology, Focus SB’s distinctive faceplates and switches feature elements of hand finishing, with every product hand assembled in Great Britain.
Do Focus offer bespoke services for custom projects?
Yes, this is covered above, but we set ourselves apart from the volume manufacturers by offering a bespoke service. We can design and manufacture to most customer specifications and very often work in collaboration with the designers at the early stages so that we can add our experience of producing bespoke products and also to be able to design for manufacture which is crucial to be able to produce something to the client’s specification and to fit with the budget and programme for the project. Bespoke includes product configuration as well as bespoke finishes to match other products, or the designers colour scheme.
What are the features and trends to look out for in 2025?
We firmly believe that the traditional approach to specifying and designing electrical accessories has moved on and that the humble light switch and socket is becoming more of a focal point and part of the designer’s story than it ever has been and will continue to be held in the same importance on a project as the lighting and architectural ironmongery. We have always used the term ‘wall jewellery’ to describe Focus SB’s electrical accessories and this is even more relevant with the new generation of electrical accessories we are providing into the market.
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