Founded in 1801 by Joshua Edmundson, Edmundson Electrical has developed from its humble beginnings as one of the first suppliers of electricity, to being the leading distributor of electrical equipment to trade and industry in the UK.
Now, more than 200 years later, the Company serves the UK through branches in more than 250 locations. The customer base includes electrical contractors and engineers, industrial companies, facilities management, government agencies, local authorities, power generation, utilities, construction, panel builders, oil, gas, petrochemical, export markets, food industries, hotels/leisure, retail, air conditioning, heating and ventilation, refrigeration, security and fire prevention.
According to Don Carron, Profit Centre Manager at the Company’s Blackfriar’s Branch in London’s famous Old Kent Road, “A major strength of Edmundson is our commitment to satisfy the demands of our customers with innovative, high quality and cost effective ‘branded’ products sourced from the world’s leading manufacturers. Our business constantly adapts to meet the needs of an ever-changing market and our very strong relationships with our suppliers ensure that information regarding new products and trends is quickly communicated. Among the wide range of products stocked are lighting, lamps, cables, wiring accessories, domestic, commercial, industrial, switchgear and fusegear, control and automation, cable management, ventilation, space heating, water heating, cable components and accessories, emergency lighting and fire detection, security access control, site electrics and supplies, tools and fixings, instrumentation and electronic components.”
“A great deal of what we do depends upon the skills of our staff. Here at Blackfriars and at Great Suffolk Street, we have 24 experienced and fully trained electrical wholesalers who are dealing on a daily basis with more than 8,500 lines of products, including almost 250 different types of cable and four or five major brands of switchgear. Our customers rely heavily on the knowledge, experience and skill of our staff to ensure that they get exactly the products that they need.”
“Typically we hold about £1.5 million of stock and for any orders received before 11.30am we will try to ensure that they receive their order the same day. Basically from here, we serve customers inside the M25 motorway and also in the Home Counties and we have seven vehicles to ensure that they get it when they require it.”
The main work of the Company is supplying the needs of major contractors and distributors for jobs such as commercial fitting out of offices. This can involve supplying all of the equipment for underfloor cabling, distribution equipment, switchgear and lighting. Recently, the Company has been securing orders for all of the electrical and control gear for data centres and currently this type of equipment is being supplied for projects in Moscow and Amsterdam. Don explains, “We deal with a number of major contractors and so work like this crops up from time to time as they win contracts in different locations. Obviously, in these cases, some of the lower technology and lower priced items will be sourced locally but our customers still rely upon us to supply all of the key items. However, this is increasingly important work for us as these installations require large quantities of power cables, switchgear, controls, etc.”
One area where Don’s products are constantly in demand is from London Underground. In order to meet the demands of this customer, a number of specialist products are stocked and, in some cases, the branch is either the only stockist or one of a very small number. For example, in the case of the DRAKA FTP120 cable that London Underground use, there are only two stockists in the UK, one of which is Blackfriars, who stock this 4-core cable in sizes up to 120mm. Draka’s Firetuf FTP120 is a halogen free, low smoke (OHLS®) fire resistant cable (OHLS®) that is designed to maintain circuit integrity when exposed to fire and flame. Firetuf FTP120 is a fire resistant cable that offers 120-minute fire resistance and is manufactured with stranded copper conductors and a protective armour layer, making it ideal for underground railway applications. Similarly with the L-Sifer cable.
Crabtree Electrical UK Ltd has recently appointed the branch the main stockist for London Underground. Another product that is unique to the Branch is the CMD Power Plan box and underfloor power busbar system. This is used to provide flexibility in power supply under raised floors. The beauty of a busbar system is the re-configurable nature of the product alongside the simplistic ‘plug & play’ installation. This is now being increasingly supplied for new and refurbishment work on office blocks.
Back to Don, “We are all aware of the increasing demand for renewable energy and, to this end, we are now offering PV panels. We see this as an important way forward for us in the future. These are increasingly being installed both on domestic buildings and commercial ones, for example a number of the buildings in the London Olympic Village will be fitted with PV panels. This is not our only contribution to energy management and usage for we obviously supply a range of equipment for building management systems, including heating and lighting as well as energy management systems.”
Don concludes, “In addition to our growing involvement in renewable energy, Edmundson also takes its environmental responsibilities seriously. This includes defining the methods for identification, control and disposal of products that have special handling and waste treatment needs and the continual environmental improvement in respect of the products we sell, our internal use of resources and prevention of pollution. The Company has joined the WEEELink Producers Scheme and has been issued with the WEEE producer number FB0071UZ. In addition, we also provide a facility for commercial users to bring back their Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and to accept hazardous waste that falls within the scope of the WEEE regulations. This includes fluorescent lamps, discharge lamps, refrigerators and CRT displays. A major strength of Edmundson is our commitment to satisfy the demands of our customers with innovative, high quality and cost effective ‘branded’ products sourced from the world’s leading manufacturers. Our business constantly adapts to meet the needs of an ever-changing market and our very strong relationships with our suppliers ensure that information regarding new products and trends is quickly communicated. The fact that we have retained so many of our customers for so many years, I believe, is testament to the way in which we serve them.”
For further information ring 0207 232 3000 or visit www.edmundson-electrical.co.uk.
