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Electrical Business Review: Specials Magazine
Electrix International, renowned for its leadership in the market for over four decades, is the world's premier manufacturer and supplier of stainless steel electrical enclosures and cabling infrastructure. Comprehensive Product Range The company's comprehensive product range encompasses stainless steel electrical enclosures, raceway, conduit, wireway and wire basket tray, each tailored to meet the stringent requirements of industries including food, pharmaceutical, brewing, dairy, soft drinks, chemical and offshore. Some of the notable clients in its portfolio include Anheuser-Busch, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Mars, Kellogg's (also known as Kellanova), Pfizer, Henkel, Shell, AstraZeneca, and more. Inherent in all of the offerings are patented features, remarkable aesthetics, and a competitive pricing structure, providing considerable value for businesses emphasizing clean, durable, and corrosion-resistant solutions. Facilitating its operational prowess, Electrix houses its entire product line in state-of-the-art, computer-controlled storage facilities. It dispatches hundreds of orders from these facilities daily, effortlessly meeting demand surges and enabling its clients to adhere to their stringent timelines. “Our family business, over the years, has become a huge player in the worldwide enclosure market, whilst continuing to offer customers unrivalled customer service, product quality and competitive pricing. Our efficiency meets vast demands swiftly,” says Chris Thompson, Operations Director. The firm adeptly addresses various challenges typically faced by its clients. In an industry filled with mild steel and painted products, Electrix exclusively focuses on stainless steel manufacturing. Unlike competitors who share equipment for mild steel and stainless steel, the firm’s factory is dedicated solely to stainless steel, preventing contamination that often plagues products made in mixed use facilities. Among other challenges is the paramount need for product availability. In this regard, the firm maintains extensive inventory levels for products to meet the industry's pressing demands. Recognizing the urgency for prompt access to stock, particularly in scenarios limited by site accessibility, security protocols, or intermittent on-site opportunities, Electrix prioritizes swift dispatches. This agility aligns with its customers’ needs, often requiring availability within a few days. In addition, Electrix offers customers a streamlined purchasing journey that is similar to mainstream online platforms. Their website offers industry-leading features to ensure the customers’ journey is as smooth as possible. Shipments directly arrive at the client’s doorstep without the encumbrance of customs, duties, or intricate declarations. "As a business, our focus remains on constantly envisioning the next stage of growth. We invest a significant amount of time exploring new products that both help solve our customers' problems and keep us ahead of the game. This is driven by a deep understanding of market demands and our commitment to meet them," says Stewart Beer, Site Manager at Electrix International.
Low Voltage Electrical Switchgear
Craig & Derricott (C&D) is a century-old pillar in the UK’s electrical switchgear industry. Unlike many competitors who trade products, C&D takes pride in being a sales and engineering powerhouse uniquely equipped to design, manufacture, and customise switchgear solutions to meet specific needs. “The biggest challenge in manufacturing switchgear is lead times, but we work to minimise them with our agile approach,” says Kevin Miller, managing director at Craig & Derricott Ltd. Kevin oversees daily operations with the support of a strong management team and emphasises the firm’s ability to respond swiftly to unusual or specific requests. Within a few hours of receiving a request, the company gains a clear understanding of the design and manufacturing requirements, including the necessary components. Depending on the product, production often begins within 48 hours. As a small-scale organisation with 90 staff members, C&D benefits from having fewer departmental layers, enabling quick decision-making and allowing for the immediate design and production of switchgear to meet client demands. The entire team operates from the same building, ensuring constant communication and making it easy to address urgent or unusual requirements quickly. This streamlined communication and responsiveness are among the company’s core strengths. This agility is supported by its parent company, Addtech, a large Swedish multinational business group. Addtech’s unique business model allows C&D to operate independently without micromanagement, enhancing its operational efficiency and setting C&D apart from larger manufacturing firms. While many manufacturers rely heavily on automated production, C&D adopts a unique approach that prioritises agility, leading to the design of handmade isolation switchgear equipment. Hand-built switchgear supports the company’s extensive production requirements, enhancing responsiveness and flexibility in operations. The switchgear is exquisitely designed with a spacious enclosure to streamline the installation process by avoiding intricate wiring manoeuvres and an inbuilt template to locate mounting holes on the wall.
Power Module Producer
How can power systems deliver higher density, greater efficiency and seamless scalability to meet today’s most demanding applications? Vicor answers these critical questions with its comprehensive modular power components and complete power systems portfolio. From the initial concept to the final deployment, it efficiently optimizes every step of the power system design process for modern data centers. At the core of its innovation are power modules transforming how we think about power delivery, offering an alternative to traditional solutions. These modules pack unprecedented power density into incredibly compact and lightweight designs—up to five times denser than conventional systems and weighing as little as 674mg—an essential factor for industries where space and weight are at a premium. While conventional setups scatter heat unpredictably, Vicor ensures uniform and predictable heat dissipation. This means simplified thermal management that enhances the overall reliability of the systems, making integration smoother and more predictable. Vicor’s exceptional plug-and-play solutions eliminate the need for expensive system overhauls and minimize downtime, making it a go-to choice for manufacturers where every second and every watt matters. Designed to support industries like industrial automation, high-performance computing, robotics, transportation, and manufacturing, it delivers easy-to-deploy solutions for power delivery networks that provide the highest density and efficiency from source to the point of load. “We have always believed that highly automated U.S. manufacturing with vertical integration, close collaboration between product development, manufacturing processes, and operations is key to synergistic value opportunities leveraging best-in-class products,” says Patrizio Vinciarelli, president and chief executive officer.
CXO INSIGHTS
Gigafactories are Unthinkable Without Integrated Automation: Safe Battery Production Thanks to Reliable Automation Partners
Martin Schaupp, Head of Global Industry Segment Electric Automotive, Festo
Heating Heat Pump: New Challenges and Opportunities for Semiconductors
Giacomo Fiocchi, Senior Director of Electronics, Ariston Group
Rewarding Times Ahead for Electronics Manufacturers
Peer Schumacher, Head of Electronics Manufacturing Solutions, Panasonic Connect
GaN market penetration in industrial electronics
Bas Reijnen, Senior System Architect, Neways Electronics
Eliminating Fossils for Better Future
Rob Austin, Sector Lead, UK Power Networks Services
Innovations in the Transmission System Grid
Hoffmann Peter, Director Energy System Planning, TenneT
Unveiling the Current Solar Energy Landscape of the UK
Lateef Faiyaz, Head of Energy Trading & Strategy, Northern Gas and Power
IN FOCUS
Exploring the Advantages of Steel Electrical Enclosures
Businesses can ensure reliable operation, minimize risks, and achieve long-term cost savings.
Applications of Electrical Switchgear in Modern Power Systems
Industrial facilities heavily rely on electrical switchgear to support their power-intensive operations.
EDITORIAL
Driving Business Performance through Smarter Practices
Electrical work is advancing rapidly, with growing expectations driving companies to improve how equipment is designed, projects are planned and teams work together on site. They are strengthening collaboration and refining practices to effectively meet today’s standards. The result is a skilled, closely linked industry ready to support the demands of modern systems. Manufacturers of medium voltage switches are responding to these demands by rethinking their product lines to better serve modern construction and system design realities. Equipment today needs to do more than just function. It must be installed cleanly, integrated with increasingly digital control systems and operated without complications in environments where downtime carries a real cost. Across the board, the focus is shifting toward products that are easier to maintain, more adaptable in the field and durable in the long term, especially in settings where load conditions and safety standards are nonnegotiable. Contracting teams in this space feel the same pressure to meet rising expectations. On many jobs, the timeline is tighter, technical requirements are steeper and room for improvisation has disappeared. Instead of relying on experience alone, contractors are turning to sharper planning, better coordination with suppliers and a stronger grasp of the systems they’re implementing. When product design and field execution align well, the result improves over time. A strong connection between manufacturer and contractor leads to fewer callbacks, seamless commissioning and systems that perform consistently without requiring extra adjustment. In this edition of Electrical Business Review, we explore recent developments in medium-voltage switch manufacturing and electrical contractor services and how they are shaping project outcomes by aligning product design with installation realities. We hope this edition of the Electrical Business Review helps you find the right partner for your business requirements.
