Scolmore Group holds the position of one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of solutions for the electrical industry, with a portfolio of products that incorporates electrical accessories, lighting, home automation, fire protection, security, cable accessories, time switches and heating controls.
The company was formed in 1989 by chairman, Barry Mordue and his son Gary, the current managing director, when they started to supply 13A UK three pin plug tops from a small warehouse in Tamworth in the West Midlands. At that time they had a total of six product lines and just three employees. By 1993, the company had sold 18 million plugs in one year and still remained a privately-owned, family-run business.
Today, the company operates from its purpose-built 150,000sq ft. Head Office and Distribution Centre – still in Tamworth - where it designs, develops and manufactures an ever-expanding product range for distribution throughout the UK and worldwide. The Scolmore Group of companies incorporates Scolmore United Kingdom; security specialists, ESP Ltd; cable accessories supplier, Unicrimp, and Click Litehouse wiring accessories and lighting in Ireland.
Earlier this year the Group acquired the Glasgow-based, specialist supplier of time switches and heating controls, Sangamo. Established since 1921, Sangamo enjoys an excellent reputation and offers an extensive product range, and its acquisition significantly expands the Group’s UK manufacturing capabilities, enabling the company to bring an even more comprehensive range of products and solutions to its customers.
Across the group companies, Scolmore currently employs around 215 people and has a significant number of trading accounts and distributors covering wholesale, OEM and export channels. A dedicated export team works to distribute wiring accessories into the Middle East and Africa and there is worldwide distribution for the company’s patented IEC Lock.
Scolmore is proud to be a British-based, family-run business and has earned a reputation both here and abroad for quality, reliability, innovation and exemplary service. We have an excellent track record for listening to our customers and responding with solutions that will enhance their business performance. We can never be accused of being complacent – we value our customers too highly for that. We are committed to our policy of only supplying through the wholesale channel which is set up to supply and service the professional electrical contract market. This joint partnership guarantees our wholesale partners a range of high-quality, value-for-money products backed up by good local stocks, delivery service and the ability to offer detailed product support via trained staff and installer training, making sure the end user gets the best possible products and solutions for the job.
As a privately-owned family business, with a hands-on managing director, the company is able to make decisions quickly and react to market changes to deliver improved products and services.
Scolmore has a reputation for innovation – the result of a commitment to invest in new and improved products and the latest technologies. We are proud of the achievements we have made along the way. The company was the first to market in 2005 with fire-rated downlights, with the award-wining FlameGuard® fire protected and acoustic rated products. We were also the first to introduce an integrated downlight that overcame the issue of shallow ceiling voids, with our Inceptor integrated downlight with patented pre-wired Flexi driver. The company was a forerunner of modular wiring accessories – providing contractors with the products and the means to create customised wiring solutions of any size - from single room solutions to the largest multi-million pound new-build hospitals.
We have learnt some valuable lessons over the years. Having financial stability has been crucial as it has allowed us to thrive when the sector was suffering from the fall-out of the recession and has meant that we have been able to continue to invest in the business and our people to ensure that we are delivering the best results for customers.
We understand the importance of investment in all areas of the business - supply chains, maintaining quality, protecting our brand, investing in people, understanding and anticipating changes in our market and never forgetting that our customers have a choice. It’s also important to let our customers know that we are committed to helping them sell our products and this is demonstrated through our proactive marketing effort, attendance and support for trade events, an on-going product development programme and helping them make the most of the training opportunities we offer.
Listening to our customers remains a key focus for the business and we will always work to come up with new or improved products and solutions that meet their changing needs.
As a leading player in the electrical industry, we believe in helping future-proof the industry and we are proud to be the official partner for the NICEIC and ELECSA National Apprentice of the Year competition, which is now in its third year and going from strength to strength – demonstrating a commitment to help secure the future of the industry by educating and developing the next generation of electricians.
There are a number of challenges facing the sector and keeping ahead of changing buying patterns is a big one. The traditional buying patterns of contractors appear to be shifting as online and click and collect becomes much more widely accessible. An increasing number of electrical contractors now use mobile technology such as smart phones and tablets whilst on site in order to do product research, check product availability, locate nearby stores and check product prices.
In the light of the Grenfell tragedy, building regulations are becoming more and more stringent, with alternative building materials and products being developed with improved safety in mind. We are continually assessing our existing product range to ensure they meet and keep up to date with any change in legislation and guidelines, thus reassuring customers that when they deal with Scolmore they have the guarantee that the products they are using are tested to the most stringent levels and offer guaranteed safety.
As technology continues to drive the industry, with the focus on smart homes and building automation, the challenge will be to keep up with the latest advancements. We will continue to invest in our Click Smart range which is bringing simple to install and operate smart solutions to our customers.
2018 started off really well for us with the acquisition of Sangamo. We have enjoyed steady growth despite the challenging trading conditions that have prevailed over the last 10 years and we are in a strong position as we enter the final quarter of 2018. We will continue to look at opportunities to build the business through investment in our people and products, as well appropriate acquisitions.