PEW sits down with John Humphery, General Manager of Deta Electrical’s Lighting, Fire & Safety division to discuss future plans and industry issues.
Q. What is Deta’s primary focus for the year ahead?
This year Deta Electrical has taken significant steps to build upon its vision to become the ‘one stop shop’ of trusted brands to the electrical wholesale market.
Effective 1st January 2022, the Channel Smarter Safety trading division became a fully integrated part of Deta Electrical. The full integration of Channel has supported the establishment of two newly created divisions of Deta Electrical as follows:
Core Electrical: comprising the long-established Deta wiring and electrical accessory brand alongside the Deta TTE cable management offering.
Lighting, Fire & Safety: including the highly regarded Brackenheath, Briticent and Channel brands, providing an end-to-end solution for lighting, fire detection and security systems.
Our primary focus for 2022 is to keep our promise to deliver additional value to our wholesale partners by giving them access to a comprehensive range of electrical products for all residential and commercial projects and provide them with a dedicated sales and customer support team that they can lean on for specialist expertise.
Q. How has Deta responded to the increased focus on sustainability within the industry?
At Deta Electrical, we’ve identified key areas of sustainability that we recommend professional installers consider when making a sustainable product choice. These include selecting products that meet ErP requirements and incorporate power change and colour change features. Ease of changing parts and packaging recyclability should also be considered when choosing products.
We continue to invest heavily in the development of our ranges to ensure these objectives are met and that we are able to supply our wholesale partners with sustainable products that incorporate these key features and offer longevity.
Furthermore, Deta operates an ISO 14001 accredited Environmental Management System and is committed to reducing its waste and protecting the environment within which it operates. A recent relocation of its head office and distribution centre has significantly reduced Deta’s impact on the environment, particularly through the reduction in use of energy and natural resources. Through the installation of solar panels and smart lighting, Deta has managed to significantly reduce its electricity usage, and its in-house rainwater harvester has decreased water usage by nearly 3000%.
Q. Which product groups are seeing increased interest at the moment?
With sustainability and carbon footprint being a key topic in the industry at present, we are certainly seeing this translate into purchasing decisions. Across our Lighting, Fire and Safety division, and within our wholesale and contractor network, we are seeing a greater prominence and focus on products that are not only efficient but are also reliable and last the test of time. Quality and longevity have long been associated with the Brackenheath, Briticent and Channel brands and as core values of the business will continue to drive our product development activity.
Q. How has an increase in the cost of materials coupled with supply chain issues impacted growth in the electrical sector?
There is no doubt that unprecedented cost increases and delays associated with raw materials, shipping and transport has led to many challenges for us as a manufacturer, but we also recognise it has been equally challenging for our wholesale customers and installers.
To support our customers, we have taken the necessary steps to ensure we remain competitive and continue to offer value for money; additionally we have increased our investment in stock to ensure the impact of supply chain pressures on our wholesale partners is mitigated wherever possible.
We believe manufacturers, wholesalers and contractors have reacted to these challenges resolutely together and we are proud to be a part of that. However, out of adversity has come opportunity and we have found ourselves in a strong position to deliver stock to our wholesale partners at a time where many others could not.
Q. What do you think is the leading factor in most purchasing decisions – price, quality or brand reputation?
We firmly believe that there should be an appropriate balance between the feature and benefits of the product offer, quality, and price competitiveness. In the first instance, we work closely with our customers to understand their specific needs and then offer the product solution best suited to the job in hand.
Our comprehensive product range finds that balance, given its breadth and depth, offering entry level products, products with enhanced features and benefits, as well as products with a true differential, like the Channel SmartTest Emergency Lighting range.
Coupled with the belief of educating wholesalers and contractors on the products available to them and the advantages of each, our experience is, if the price is fair then they put their trust in us to make a purchase.
Q. How much does Deta invest into developing new products?
Continuous investment in innovation and new product development is key to our growth plans as well as aspirations to become the ‘one-stop shop’ supplier of choice. Over the last decade, Deta Electrical has invested heavily in product range expansions and numerous brand acquisitions, accordingly our product offer has grown exponentially.
It is clear the market is looking for products to meet the demands for environmental considerations and improved performance vs power usage. This has seen a continued focus on LED technology and a move to colour temperature and power changing solutions, ultimately getting more out of a traditional lighting product.
Born out of this concept is Brackenheath’s new range of LED Weatherproof fittings, providing 3 x colour temperatures and 4 x power settings in just one product, a solution which historically would have been stocked as 12 x individual SKU’s. These types of product innovations are being very well received by the market and the needs of our wholesale and contractor partners will continue to drive our product development pipeline.
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