Matt Parton, Product Development Manager with ESP, provides wholesalers with an overview of emergency lighting, its importance, the different types and the legislation governing this crucial product category.

Emergency lighting is an essential component of any building’s safety system. It plays a crucial role in guiding occupants to safety during power outages, fires, or other emergency situations. Whether in commercial buildings, industrial facilities or residential properties, emergency lighting provides illumination that can prevent panic, reduce accidents and facilitate safe evacuation.

Emergency lighting systems

There are several types of emergency lighting systems designed to suit different building requirements:

• Emergency escape lighting – illuminates exit paths, doorways and staircases during power failures.
• Standby lighting – provides temporary lighting for normal activities to continue during power outages.
• Open area (anti-panic) lighting – reduces panic by ensuring general visibility in large spaces, enabling safe movement towards escape routes.
• High-risk task area lighting – ensures safety in areas with dangerous equipment or processes.

Regulations and requirements

In the UK, emergency lighting is regulated under several key laws and standards to ensure safety in the event of a power failure. The main regulations and standards that apply include:

Regulatory Framework

• The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO)
  • Requires businesses and building owners to conduct fire risk assessments, which include emergency lighting provisions.
  • Ensures emergency lighting provides adequate illumination for safe evacuation.
• The Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996
  • Requires emergency exit signs to be illuminated and visible at all times.
• The Building Regulations 2010 (Part B – Fire Safety)
  • Sets out requirements for emergency lighting in new and modified buildings.
  • Ensures routes and exits are sufficiently illuminated in case of failure.

British Standards for emergency lighting

• BS5266-1:2016 – Code of Practice for Emergency Lighting
  • Provides guidance on design, installation, and maintenance.
  • Covers minimum illuminance levels, locations, and durations.
• BS EN1838:2024 – Lighting Applications: Emergency Lighting
  • Specifies the performance requirements for emergency escape lighting and standby lighting.
• BS7671:2018 (IET Wiring Regulations – 18th Edition)
  • Covers electrical installation requirements, including emergency lighting circuits.

Maintenance and testing requirements

• BS5266-8 / BS EN50172:2004
  • Requires routine inspections and testing, including:
    • Monthly test – Functional test to check illumination.
    • Annual full-duration test – Ensuring the lights stay on for the required period (e.g., one or three hours).

Solutions

There is a wide range of emergency lighting products that wholesalers can stock to meet the needs of customers working across different industries and building types. The essential products comprise:

• Bulkheads – versatile, cost effective lights suitable for multiple applications, including exterior use, as most are IP65 rated.
• Downlights – discreet, low-profile fittings that can be recessed into ceilings, ideal for areas where aesthetics are important.
• Exit signs – illuminated signs that combine directional escape signage with LED lighting, designed to operate for at least three hours during power failures.
• Twin spotlights – powerful LED lamps suitable for illuminating large open or high areas such as warehouses, sports stadiums, and industrial units.
• Self-test emergency lights: Programmed to perform automatic checks on batteries and lamps, providing visual indications of any faults.

The future

The future of emergency lighting holds significant advancements and innovations that will enhance safety, efficiency and sustainability. LED technology will continue to drive improvements in energy efficiency. Future emergency lighting solutions will optimise energy consumption without compromising illumination quality, contributing to more sustainable and eco-friendly lighting systems. The integration of Internet of Things (IoT) technology will enable real-time monitoring and diagnostics of emergency lighting systems. This will allow alerts to be received about potential issues before they become critical, ensuring that systems are always ready to perform when needed.

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ESP’s 24/7 Colour IP Power over Ethernet (PoE) CCTV range is designed to offer superior, reliable and straightforward installation solutions for a range of applications including larger and more complex commercial projects.

Guaranteeing sharp detail, in colour, day or night, the IP PoE range includes a variety of cameras offering 5MP and 8MP resolutions and a choice of 8MP NVRs with a range of channel options – 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64-channels.

With their ‘24/7’ colour function, the cameras use low light image sensors, which are able to use background light to produce a colour image in reduced light environments. The cameras, which have an IP67 rating for external use, are equipped with infrared LEDs, which are the default mode when the white LEDs are not in activation mode. This ensures that the white LEDs are not on constantly, which will be unwanted by some users.

The key feature of the NVRs is that they offer the capability of 8MP recording, which means they support high resolution cameras in record, playback and live view modes. With a choice of 4-64 Channel NVRs available, ESP is providing a breadth of NVR capability to support a range of applications from small to large.

Other features and benefits that make the system particularly suitable for larger projects include:

• 250m PoE function. PoE models provide greater flexibility to the installer by supporting cameras up to 250m, resulting in the need for fewer additional power supplies and PoE switches required for large cable runs.
• Pre-installed Surveillance Hard Drive. ESP pre-installs purpose-built surveillance hard drives. Unlike standard PC hard drives, surveillance drives are designed to operate and handle data recording continuously.
• Intelligent record options such as line crossing and perimeter detection. This offers a flexible choice on what triggers the system to record, resulting in more critical recordings and reduced wasted recorded footage.

To view the full range of products from ESP, please visit: www.espuk.com

HOW TO ENTER

To be in with a chance of winning a £200 Experience Voucher courtesy of ESP, simply choose the correct answer from the following choices:

Q. What resolutions do ESP’s 24/7 Colour IP PoE CCTV cameras offer?

A) 5MP

B) 8MP

C) 5MP and 8MP

Simply fill out the form below and tell us your answer for the chance to WIN!

Deadline for entries 31/3/25

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Sangamo has been manufacturing its Round Pattern Time Switches for over 65 years, and in that time has sold more than 11 million units.

The Round Pattern Time Switch is trusted by installers for a wide variety of applications, not just because of its reliability but its ease of use. The simple dial and levers make setting the switch up for daily fixed timings a breeze with no complicated menu options to navigate through. All Round Pattern Time Switches are also 20A-rated, providing a more robust switch than most other products on the market.

The switches are split into four categories:

1. Basic ‘black dial’ 24-hour time clock for simple on and off switching of up to 20A
2. Standard 24-hour ‘red dial’ switch with added 100 hour battery reserve
3. Solar Range – specially designed for lighting applications
4. Digital Range – the newest addition combines the high capacity and reliability of the electro-mechanical models but provides full seven-day programming.

Sangamo regularly hears from people with Round Pattern Time Switches still going strong after 40 and 50 years. When they eventually need a new switch they reasonably assume, because of its age, that it might not be possible to get a direct like for like replacement. However, because the original design has never needed to be updated, an RPTS you buy today is completely interchangeable with one bought decades ago.

The Sangamo range of specialist time switches and heating controls is distributed through Scolmore Group company ESP.

www.espuk.com

HOW TO ENTER

To be in with a chance of winning a Sangamo Round Pattern Time Switch, simply choose the correct answer from the following choices:

Q. How long has Sangamo been producing its Round Pattern Time Switch?

A) More than 65 years

B) More than 80 years

C) More than 100 years

Simply fill out the form below and tell us your answer for the chance to WIN!

Deadline for entries 30/11/24

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ESP’s Beacon disabled refuge range is being increasingly sought after by contractors working on larger projects.

Meeting the requirements of BS 9999:2017 and Building Regulations Approved Document B, the range comprises a variety of products designed to assist emergency evacuation situations, with the aim of assisting people with limited mobility to safely exit the building.

There are two beacon master station options available, a push button version with 2-8 lines, and a touchscreen version with capacity for up to 512 lines. During an emergency the master station provides clear duplex audio to assist an evacuation process.

Disabled refuge outstations, known as ‘Type B’ outstations, provide a fixed point of communication for users who require evacuation or assistance. Situated in refuge areas in protected stairwells, it provides duplex audio to the master station.

Fire telephone handsets, known as ‘Type A’ outstations, are for use by the fire and rescue service, allowing the officer at the fire control centre to communicate with other officers to control the evacuation.

For more information, click here

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ESP’s Managing Director, Neil Baldwin, provides a detailed look at the area of commissioning, as outlined in the BS5839 standard documentation.

The process of commissioning involves thorough testing of the installed system to ensure that it operates correctly in accordance with the recommendations of this standard and with the purchasing specification. At completion of commissioning, it also needs to be confirmed that all relevant documentation has been handed over to the user. The organisation responsible for commissioning the system might, or might not, be the same organisation that designed and/or installed the system, but the responsibility for commissioning needs to be clearly defined prior to the start of the installation work.

It is not, in general, the responsibility of the commissioning engineer to verify conformity of the design, or of the installation work, to this part of BS 5839 (i.e., with Section 2 and Section 4 of the standard). In general, the responsibility of the commissioning engineer is to verify that the system operates correctly in the manner designed and that the installation workmanship is generally of an adequate standard. However, in practice, it might be difficult to ensure that the system complies in full with all recommendations of Section 2 until the time of commissioning. For example, commissioning might represent the first (and only) opportunity to determine whether the number and distribution of fire alarm sounders is sufficient to enable compliance with ‘clause 16.2’ in respect of sound pressure levels. Similarly, commissioning presents an opportunity to ensure that structural features of the building, of which the designer might have been unaware, do not compromise the effectiveness of the system as it was originally designed.

Verifying compliance

Accordingly, it is necessary for anyone responsible for commissioning a fire detection and fire alarm system to possess at least a basic knowledge of fire alarm design practices and of the recommendations of Section 2 and Section 4 of the standard. It is also necessary for the commissioning engineer to be provided with the specification for the system. In view of the importance now attached to the avoidance of false alarms, it is also essential that the commissioning engineer is able to verify compliance with, at least, the principles discussed in Section 3 of the standard.

Full fire protection package

As well as offering a comprehensive range of fire protection systems for the professional electrical contractor market, ESP provides its own commissioning service, which ensures that all installed ESP systems operate correctly and are fully compliant with the latest BS5839 regulations. This allows ESP to offer a full fire alarms systems package, with access to a free design service, a vast choice of products and solutions including the latest two-wire systems, the commissioning service, plus technical support from a team of qualified and experienced engineers.

There is much more to commissioning a fire protection system than simply turning it on and setting detector addresses. It involves going through a comprehensive step-by-step checklist to ensure full compliance with the correct British Standard and carrying out a range of tests to ensure reliable and trouble-free operation. ESP’s commissioning service ensures that a qualified engineer will confirm that the system has reached the relevant British Standard, and they will issue a certificate on completion of the project prior to system handover. Dedicated ESP commissioning engineers are located throughout the UK to provide access to this valuable service to a wide-reaching audience.

BAFE accreditation

Further endorsement of ESP’s credentials is the company’s BAFE (British Approvals for Fire Equipment) accreditation for its fire design service. BAFE is the independent registration body for Third Party Certified fire safety service providers across the UK, and ESP now appears on the National BAFE Fire Safety Register.

BAFE manages and maintains a Scheme called BAFE SP203-1 which covers Fire Detection and Alarm Systems. This Scheme exists to deliver quality, independent evidence that providers – like ESP – are competent to deliver fire system designs for its fire detection and alarm systems. ESP was only permitted to become BAFE Registered and appear on the national BAFE Fire Safety Register once the company had the appropriate/valid Third-Party Certification. ESP continues to meet the criteria of the relevant BAFE Scheme. This establishes robust evidence of competency requirements that demonstrates the provider’s commitment to quality. It also provides assurances to ESP’s customers that the company will deliver a fire system design that complies with all the relevant British Standards.

Comprehensive competency requirements

The BAFE Scheme is a set of comprehensive competency requirements that have been developed to incorporate the high quality standards and best working practice for services within the fire safety industry. It is a legal requirement for all non-domestic/commercial properties to be equipped with fire detectors and fire alarms. It is also part of these requirements to ensure they are designed, installed and maintained appropriately, and ready to activate in the event of a fire. At ESP we strongly recommend using an appropriate Third Party Certificated provider. This demonstrates that the person or team appointed to be responsible for fire safety in a building has acted with due diligence to source a competent provider for any design, install, commissioning and maintenance works.

For more information, click here

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The Village Hotel Club Blackpool has long been a seaside favourite for guests. With indoor and outdoor pools plus an 18 hole golf course and extensive Health & Leisure Club, it remains a popular destination for families, conference guests and golfers alike.

As part of a refurbishment programme at the hotel complex, a new CCTV system was required to replace the old and unreliable existing one. A site visit by one of the ESP Area Sales Managers was set up where a full demonstration of a range of CCTV systems was carried out and discussions took place on the best system to provide cover initially for the indoor and outdoor swimming pool areas. The swimming area previously had no coverage at all, and a suitable CCTV solution was required for health and safety reasons, with screens needed for the lifeguard and the general office areas.

The CCTV system chosen was specified with a view to it being rolled out to further areas of the hotel, once the initial swimming pool area had been resolved. The products installed were from ESP’s 24/7 Colour CCTV range and included the 24/7 IP 64 channel, 12TB NVR, five of the 24/7 IP PoE 8MP 2.8mm dome cameras in a white finish, and two 19.5cm LED monitors.

ESP’s 24/7 Colour IP POE CCTV range is designed to offer superior, reliable, and straightforward installation solutions and will provide sharp detail, in colour, day or night.

There are 18 individual products that make up the 24/7 Colour CCTV range.  This includes 12 cameras offering 2MP, 5MP and 8MP resolutions and each one is available in a choice of dome or bullet camera designs and in a white or grey finish. There are six different NVRs available including a 4 channel NVR in the Rekor IP collection. The HDView IP PoE range consists of 8MP NVRs with a broad range of channel options available – 4, 8, 12, 16, 32 and 64-channels.  There is also a number of two and four camera kits available in the Rekor IP 24/7 range, with a choice of dome or bullet camera design options and a white or grey finish.

The main features in the range are in the cameras themselves due to the ‘24/7’ colour function. The cameras use low light image sensors, which are able to use background light to produce a colour image in reduced light environments. This means that individuals and vehicles, for example, can be identified more clearly at night or where light settings are low.  If the background light is insufficient for the low light image sensors to produce a colour image, the white LEDs on the cameras have the facility to activate by virtual line crossing and permitter intrusion set by the user.

All cameras have an IP67 rating for external use. They are equipped with infrared LEDs which are the default mode when the white LEDs are not in activation mode. This ensures that the white LEDs are not on constantly, which will be unwanted by the majority of users.  The cameras also include a discreet microphone and speaker for two way audio function which is controlled via the app – ESP IP PRO.

The main feature of the NVRs in the 24/7 Colour CCTV systems is that they offer 8MP recording. In other words, they offer support for high resolution cameras in record, playback and live view modes.  With a choice of 4-64 Channel NVRs available, ESP is providing a breadth of NVR capability to support a range of applications from small to large.

Other features and benefits include:

250 PoE function. PoE models provide greater flexibility to the installer by supporting cameras up to 250 meters, resulting in the need for fewer additional power supplies and PoE switches required for large cable runs.

Pre-installed Surveillance Hard Drive. ESP pre-installs purpose-built surveillance hard drives. Unlike standard PC hard drives, surveillance drives are designed to operate and handle data recording continuously.

Intelligent record options such as line crossing and perimeter detection. This offers a flexible choice on what triggers the system to record, resulting in more critical recordings and reduced wasted recorded footage.

All cameras and NVRs in ESP’s extensive 24/7 CCTV range are 100% NDAA Compliant.

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Due to recent news reports citing huge hikes in the subscription fees of some video doorbell providers, ESP is reminding its customers and installers that its Fort Smart Security Doorbell has no subscription or additional fees to pay.

The Wi-Fi Doorbell offers full 1080p (2MP) HD live view, two-way audio, recording and visitor notifications. It is powered by rechargeable batteries, with up to 750 activations on full charge, and comes with a plug-in RF chime.

Additional features include IP54 rated ingress protection, 5m infrared LED illumination, 3m PIR detection range and 130° wide angle camera view. It offers clear two-way audio and motion activated record (storage included).

The Doorbell is part of the Fort range of smart security products which all operate under the ‘Click Smart+’ app and is designed to be simple to install, maintain and use and provide a hassle-free security solution.

For more information, click here

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Matthew Parton, Product Development Manager at ESP, looks at the self-test area of the emergency lighting sector and how it can save building owners time and money.

Emergency lighting is a legal requirement in almost every building, with one simple, life-saving task: to provide light if a power outage shuts down a building’s standard operational lighting. It is the responsibility of building owners and responsible persons to prove that the emergency lighting systems they are responsible for are working correctly and are regularly maintained so that they are in full working order.

According to BS5266-1 Emergency Lighting – Code of practice for the emergency lighting of premises, the functional operation of the emergency lighting systems falls onto the responsibility of the user (i.e. the appropriate person appointed responsible for the premises).

BS 5266-1, Section 12 outlines the recommended routine testing of the system.  These include (but is not definitive to):

• Checking functional operation “at least every month”.
• Full rated duration test (on each luminaire) “at least annually” (full discharge of batteries to check all working as required).
• Logging of failures to any part of the system and introducing alternate safety procedures until this is repaired.
• Recording all testing and repair information in a logbook.

All emergency lighting installations must have routine tests carried out, with each system luminaire the subject of daily, monthly and annual testing. These tests should all be documented with the results including maintenance and rectification results all held on file.

Whilst the testing of emergency lighting does not take much effort and isn’t difficult, manually inspecting every single lighting luminaire for lamp starting, operation and duration performance can be a very labour intensive and therefore expensive task. However, with the latest improvements in technology, routine testing can be simple, automatic and therefore much less expensive. It is now possible for building owners to take advantage of emergency lighting equipment that ‘self-tests’ in accordance with the relevant standards.

Reduce the burden

Installing self-test emergency lighting units can reduce the burden of testing emergency lighting installations as they perform all mandatory testing automatically, removing the need for manual testing to be carried out by the user or building owner. The resulting reduction of labour time leads to inevitable cost savings. Whilst the initial costs for the products may be higher, overall, they will provide a very short payback period – making them an ideal option that should be given consideration at the beginning of any project.

The benefits of self-test emergency light units include ease of installation, with no need for key switches or additional data cables for example. Convenience is also a major plus, with mandatory tests carried out without disruption to the normal use of the building, and any faults identified. The self-test units identify faults in luminaires and any faults are then highlighted to maintenance personnel, saving them the time and effort it would take to search the building in question for faults.

Self-test units use an accurate internal clock programmed to interrupt the permanent mains supply at set intervals, initiating emergency lighting tests. Short duration weekly and monthly tests and annual full duration tests are automatically activated with the results shown via an LED indicator on the fitting. The responsible person only needs to check the indicator and it means that only lights with reported faults will need to be attended to by maintenance personnel.

Extra peace of mind

During initial power up of a self-test unit, an automatic commissioning stage will begin. The internal clock will commence at a random time between 0 and 24 hours – this avoids the luminaires all going into test at the same time. After the initial charge up time (up to 72 hours), the unit will carry out a full duration test. After all initial tests are completed successfully the inbuilt processor will start the standard programmed test schedule, reporting failing functions via the status LED. In addition, it is also possible to initiate a manual test on self-test emergency lighting fittings for extra peace of mind.

Monitoring results is straightforward. A single bicolour LED indicates the system status. A green LED on constant with a pulse once every minute shows that the micro-processor is active and functioning. A flashing red LED identifies a fault condition is present. If a fault is resolved the LED indicator will return to green.

The following LED statuses apply to ESP’s Duceri self-test fittings:

ESP continues to develop its Duceri range of Emergency Lighting to meet the latest standards and to offer the latest technologies. The company’s range of Self-Test Emergency Light Fittings offers numerous benefits over standard fittings by reducing the costs and time associated with manual testing and inspection.

The self-test products within the Duceri Emergency Lighting range include:

• 3W LED Maintained Emergency Self-contained Downlight with Self-Test and Interchangeable Open and Corridor Lens.
• 3W LED Emergency Open Lens Downlight with Self-Test
• 9W LED IP65 Non-Maintained Emergency Twin Spot with Self-Test
• 3W LED IP65 Maintained Emergency Bulkhead with Self-Test
• 3W LED Maintained Emergency Exit Box with Self-Test

They have all been tested and comply with the latest standards.

For more information, click here

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As the market for smart home products continues to grow, ESP is giving one of its Fort Smart Security Kits away to one lucky reader.

Fort, from ESP, is a complete range of smart security products, which includes intruder alarms, video doorbell, video security light, sensors and a selection of 1080p cameras. They all operate under a single app – the ‘Click Smart+’ app – which is completely subscription-free, with no additional fees incurred.

The Fort Smart Security range offers accessibility and simplicity for both the installer and end user and has been designed to bring simple, smart solutions together for a safer and more comfortable home. The range features contemporary styling and has been designed to be simple to install, maintain and use and provide a hassle-free security solution.

At the heart of the range is the smart intruder alarm, which will support up to 32 RF devices and provide remote monitoring and alert notifications directly to the Click Smart+ app. The smart alarm is available in handy kits or can be purchased as separate devices for a tailor-made system.

There are six different kits available, with the basic kit containing one each of the following – a smart hub, PIR, door/window contact and remote control. Other kits offer an additional number of PIRs, door/window contacts and remote controls, and there are two kits which include Pet PIRs. All devices supplied within the kits are pre-registered, to assist with a straightforward install.

The Fort range also offers a range of security devices that do not require a hub. By connecting directly to Wi-Fi, the devices add an additional layer of security to your property. The range of security devices include a video doorbell to monitor visitors, security flood lights with inbuilt cameras to deter intruders at night and a range of simple to use cameras for a range of applications, such as monitoring loved ones and pets or simply to provide reassurance whilst monitoring your property.

The lucky winner will receive a Fort Smart Security Kit containing – 1 x Smart Hub, 1 x PIR, 1 x Contact, 1 x Remote Control, 1 x Keypad and 1 x Solar Siren.

How to Enter

To be in with a chance of winning a Fort Smart Security Kit, simply choose the correct answer from the following choices:

How many RF devices does the Fort smart intruder alarm support?

A) 12

B) 32

C) 18

Simply fill out the form below and tell us your answer for the chance to WIN!

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Earlier this year, Scolmore Group introduced the new role of Product Development and Research Manager, appointed to Surej Solanki who has been part of the organisation’s product design team for the past three years.

His new role will require him to drive sustainability research initially with Scolmore Group company, Ovia Lighting. Already making his mark, Surej has become a member of the LIA’s Tech Forum Young Industry panel and attended the recent Tech Forum Autumn event which covered updates on a wide-ranging agenda. In his first contribution as a member, Surej discussed topics such as sustainability.

Commenting on his new role, Surej said: “I am really excited to have been given what I consider to be a dream role for me. Having founded my passion for product design and development 14 years ago, I am keen to drive sustainable practices and determined to create positive change in the manufacturing ecosystem.”

BDR THERMEA GROUP | Tjarko Bouman

Baxi’s Parent company, BDR Thermea Group, have announced the appointment of Tjarko Bouman as new Chief Executive Officer. Bouman joins as successor to Bertrand Schmitt who is stepping down.

During his current role as CEO of NTS Group, Tjarko has rolled out a refined new global strategy, resulting in record years for turnover and profitability in 2021 and 2022. Prior to NTS, Tjarko spent nine years at Vanderlande Industries as Managing Director, responsible for delivering automated material handling solutions in Europe and Asia Pacific to main markets of the food retail, e-commerce, fashion, and parcel industries.

Marc de Jong, Chair of the BDR Thermea Supervisory Board, says: “Tjarko brings to his new role as BDR Thermea CEO more than 20 years’ experience in business development, operations and supply chain, both in consulting and management.”

Tjarko Bouman says: “I’m looking forward to joining BDR Thermea Group, building on Bertrand’s legacy, bringing my own experience and skills to the company, and cooperating with the teams across the globe.”

DRAPER TOOLS | Sarah Hartland

Sarah Hartland, who previously held the position of Marketing Campaign Manager, will be the youngest member of the 104 year old company’s senior leadership team at just 32 years old.

Having joined Draper Tools over four years ago, Sarah has been an integral part of the marketing team during that time, playing a crucial role in many of the company’s most successful product launches. Sarah also brings her a wealth of industry knowledge having previously held marketing roles at Elliotts Builders Merchants as well as gaining valuable experience at globally recognised PR firms.

Speaking about her appointment as Head of Marketing, Sarah commented: “When I joined the company in 2019 as a Senior Marketing Executive, I never thought I’d be leading the department. Yes, I’m the youngest person in our leadership team, by quite a few years but I’m proof that if you work hard then age does not matter. I am excited to be part of Draper’s future and to support the business with modern marketing.”

ESP | Mike Feist & Chris Cotton

To strengthen support for existing customers and continue to develop new business opportunities, ESP has appointed two Regional Sales Managers. Mike Fiest, formerly Area Sales Manager with Scolmore, takes up the position for ESP’s South region, whilst Chris Cotton has been promoted from Area Sales Manager to Regional Sales Manager for the North region.

Mike joins the ESP sales team with a wealth of experience having spent more than 30 years in the industry. He takes up his new role following 12 years with Scolmore, five years with a leading wholesaler and nine years with a major manufacturer.

Chris brings to his new role more than 13 years’ experience working in the electrical industry in a number of roles including Operations Manager, three years in external sales, and more than seven years working for ESP as Area Sales Manager covering the North East & Cumbria.

Mike and Chris will have the responsibility for developing and implementing effective sales strategies for the company. They will each lead a team of five area sales managers in their specific regions, helping them achieve sales targets across the product categories that currently sit under the ESP umbrella.

CARL KAMMERLING INTERNATIONAL | Mark Grayson Wood

Carl Kammerling International (CKI) has bolstered its senior team with the appointment of Mark Grayson Wood as Head of Marketing.

Grayson Wood will lead on the company’s full marketing mix, range management and brand development to drive sales and brand loyalty. He will oversee a comprehensive marketing strategy to showcase the craftmanship and durability of new and innovative products across CKI brands including C.K Tools, Clipacore and Kasp.

Grayson Wood brings over 25 years’ experience to the position, having worked within industrial and technical commercial sales and marketing roles within major power, aerospace, oil and gas operators worldwide.

Mark Grayson Wood comments on his appointment; “CKI has established a strong reputation for quality, innovation and customer service in its 100 year history, so the opportunity to join the team was an offer I couldn’t refuse.

“I’m looking forward to further shaping the CKI brand narrative to demonstrate the durability and innovation of our premium tool offering. By highlighting the craftsmanship behind the products and demonstrating how they solve problems, we can make a difference to the working lives of professionals who face challenging applications for their tools every day.”

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