 | Electrical Industry gathers for gala event
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| 30 Oct 2008
More than 350 people from across the electrical sector gathered together for a night of celebration as the Electrical Industry Awards took place on the 29th October, 2008.
Held at the Grosvenor Marriot in the heart of London, the 2008 Awards ceremony was full of glitz, glamour and surprises, with entrants in a host of categories vying for the chance to win a coveted 'Elie' trophy.
Amongst those companies to enjoy a great night was Telford-based Schneider Electric, which won the prize for Innovative Power Product of the Year for its ISOBAR 4 product, and Automation Initiative of the Year for the work it did on Cardiff's Millennium stadium.
Another company to enjoy a successful evening was Basingstoke's very own Kew Technik Group, which walked away with the prizes for both Innovative Industrial Product of the year and Overall Innovative Product of the year for the Kew Technik Blade Runner - a cable-stripping tool that was invented by a jobbing electrician and then bought to market with the help of the manufacturer.
Birmingham's Elkay Electrical also picked up two awards on the evening, winning Innovative Lighting Product of the Year for its 'Welcomelight' product and Innovative Test and Measurement Product of the Year for 'Carboncalc' - a handheld device that allows the user to calculate the energy consumption of a room.
Heart-warming story of the evening must surely go to Trowbridge's Wilts Electrical, which broke WF Electrical's sequence of 4 consecutive awards in the Wholesaling categories to walk away with the award for Wholesaler of the Year (turnover in excess of £20 million). This was particularly poignant in light of the fact that Chairman, Mark Kingsbury, recently passed away.
Finally, Mike Clark of the Electrical Safety Council won the prestigious award for Outstanding Contribution to Electrical Excellence. The judges were unanimous in their admiration of Mike's efforts to ensure the safety of electrical installations throughout his career.
Commenting on the event Steve Hardiman, MD of Purple Media Solutions, publishers of Electrical Times, said: "We were delighted with the standard and sheer quantity of entries for this year's event. I think the levels of innovation and customer service celebrated on the evening mean the industry will be well-equipped to cope with any economic downturn."
Ben Cronin, editor of Electrical Times, was also pleased with the success of the evening, saying: "It was great to see so many of the industry here to support the 'Elies' and we feel satisfied that the cream has risen to the top once again. The Awards just get bigger and better every year and plans are already underway for the 2009 event."
The Electrical Industry Awards are organised by Purple Media Solutions Ltd, publishers of Electrical Times. The event is sponsored by Eaton, NAPIT, WF Electrical, Socket and See, Megger and Schneider Electric.
The list of winners in each category is as follows:
1. Power Product of the year: - Schneider Electric ISOBAR 4
2. Innovative Test and Measurement Product of the year - Elkay Carboncalc
3. Innovative Software Product of the Year - TSI Luckins, Contractor Pro
4. Innovative Industrial Product of the Year - The Kew Technik Blade Runner
5. Innovative Residential Product of the Year - Hager, J501 Ashley Junction Box
6. Innovative Lighting Product of the Year - Elkay, Welcomelight
7. Overall Innovative Product of the Year - The Kew Technik Blade Runner
8. Automation Initiative of the Year - Schneider Electric - Millennium Stadium roof automation
9. Marketing Campaign of the Year - MK Electric, 'Switch on MK'.
10. Data Cabling Initiative of the Year - Bailey Teswaine, St Pancras International
11. Energy Efficiency Initiative of the Year - NG Bailey, Denton Hall
12. Wholesaler of the Year (turnover up to £20 million) - Gil Lec Electrical
13. Wholesaler of the Year (turnover more than £20 million) - Wilts Electrical
14. Mechanical and Electrical Contractor of the Year - Farebrother Ltd
15. Electrical Contractor of the Year - CIES
16. Electrical Apprentice of the Year- Alan Woodward (GoodMarriot & Hursthouse).
17. Outstanding Contribution to Electrical Excellence - Mike Clark, The Electrical Safety Council.
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