R&M and the globally renowned Mennekes are pleased to announce a new trading agreement nominating R&M as an authorised International Distributor for the Mennekes range of products.

Boasting a work force of over 800 employees worldwide, and a presence in over 90 countries, Mennekes are a leading manufacturer of standardised industrial plugs and sockets.

Manufactured in Germany, Mennekes products are recognised for their high quality and are certified to national and international standards, with their range comprising of over 11,000 items:

• Standard CEE Industrial Plugs & Sockets
• Connectors
• Sockets with and without Switches
• Plug & Socket devises for containers and for camping
• Customer specific devises

“Obtaining such a prestigious distributorship as this one is a great opportunity for R&M.  The Mennekes ethos of “highest quality, reliability and safety, power of innovation, marketability and sustainability of our action” is the perfect fit for R&M; we are renowned for supplying high quality products throughout the world, tailored to meet our customers’ requirements – with our products going into some of the most demanding environments in the world.  We believe that Mennekes and their products are more than up to meeting this challenge!”  Martin Goodall – Exports Manager.

Mennekes were originally founded in 1935 as a small electrical engineering workshop by Aloys Mennekes.  Remaining a family run business, Mennekes has grown from its humble beginnings to a truly global company with 13 subsidiaries and more than 63 sales companies and agencies throughout the world.

For more information on their products or to request a quote please contact our Exports Department at Exports@rm-electrical.com or telephone +44(0)2380 685 668

R&M are pleased to announce that their Swansea branch have been selected as one of the finalists for the Rittal UK Alliance Network Branch of the Year 2012.  Swansea are one of eight prestigious finalists competing for the award, with the winner being announced in the March Alliance Newsletter.

Rittal is the world’s leading supplier for future-orientated enclosures and housing technologies, they are also system suppliers for IT systems, electronic packaging, system climate controls, communication systems and power distribution.

With over 10,000 committed staff, 11 high tech production facilities and 70 branches in 5 different continents, Rittal is one of the largest system suppliers in the world.  As a global player Rittal boasts many years of experience in international markets.  Their ultra-modern technology, such as their fully automated welding, assembly and packaging lines enables them to guarantee high quality products at affordable prices.

R&M Swansea specializes in the supply of Hazardous Area and Industrial Control products.  The branch is a main distributor for Rittal products, selling their innovative enclosures both nationally and internationally.

“We are very proud to have been nominated as one of the finalists in the Rittal Alliance Network Branch of the Year Award.  We have been a key distributor of Rittal products for many years, helping to develop their brand presence in the area for the benefit of both parties.  We look forward to continuing our alliance with Rittal throughout 2013!”  Gary Sullivan – Branch Manager.

Rittal will evaluate each finalist in order to decide on a winner.  This decision will be based on what activities the different finalists have done to promote Rittal throughout 2012.

The official presentation to the winner of the award will take place at the HMI Exhibition in Hanover, Germany in April.

R&M are pleased to announce the promotion of William Crook to R&M Electrical’s “Group Managing Director”.

William has been with R&M since 1992 and was initially employed to set up the Groups operating and finance systems.  He was promoted in 1997 to Finance Director where he has successfully overseen the continued expansion of R&M Electrical Group both within the UK and overseas markets.

Reporting directly to the Chairman, Williams’s new appointment will take effect as of the 1^st of January and will give him overall responsibility along with his fellow directors for ensuring that the group continues to enjoy structured growth whilst maintaining its strong financial footing.

 “I am delighted with my new role and look forward to taking on the fresh challenges it will inevitably involve.  R&M are a progressive, forward thinking company and I believe exciting times with regards to developing new and existing markets are ahead!”  said William Crook on his appointment as Group Managing Director.

 Further changes within the R&M management structure are to take place with the appointment of Andrew Chandler as Group Sales Director, with responsibility for Sales and Marketing across the group, and Richard Sherin as Group Commercial Director who has taken on the additional responsibilities for supplier development and negotiation.

R&M are pleased to announce that with the signing of an authorised distributor agreement with Dialight, R&M has become the strategic partner of one of the most innovative global leaders in LED lighting technology, with the view to expand LED lighting sales opportunities, focusing on the Caspian and Middle East Oil and Gas markets.

 Dialight Plc. (www.dialight.com) is leading the lighting revolution for industrial users across the world. Applying leading edge LED technology it produces high-specification, retro-fit lighting fixtures designed for hazardous area, industrial, commercial, transportation and infrastructure applications to vastly reduce maintenance, save energy, improve safety and ease disposal. Versions of these high specification luminaires are also produced for more general industrial and outdoor situations. The company is headquartered in the UK with operations in the USA, UK, Australia, Denmark, Germany, Malaysia, Japan and Mexico. 

“Strategically partnering with key manufacturers such as Dialight, our aim is to provide on-the-ground sales and technical support for our client base.   We have the scale, personnel and experience to deliver the precise product required, wherever it is needed in the world. This agreement allows us to strengthen the range of innovative, high performance electrical equipment we offer to oil and gas customers.” Richard Sherin (Group Director R&M).

“With its active engagement in the oil and gas industry, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, marine, industrial and commercial sectors, R&M will be a key partner in increasing Dialight’s penetration into these markets around the world,” said Roy Burton, Dialight’s Group Chief Executive. “Our LED technology will be welcomed by its customers looking to maximise safety and environmental sustainability in the harshest environments while improving their bottom lines.”

For more information on Dialight products please contact R&M on:

sales@rm-electrical.com

R&M were delighted to be announced the “Solent 250 Exporter of the Year” at Thursdays Solent 250 Annual Award Dinner held at Lainston House, near Winchester.

 Now in its 3^rd year, the Solent 250 Listing was set up by “The Business Magazine” to highlight the top 250 companies within the Solent Region, companies that have a global reputation and are lauded for their management excellence.

“The award came as a complete surprise on the night, which makes it especially valuable to R&M!  We are particularly pleased to have been recognised by this prestigious award particularly as it is amongst our peers in the Solent area.  Generally it has been a tough few years for a lot of companies in the region however, R&M’s quick response to the recession in improving business practises and the diversification of our business model has allowed us to grow throughout this difficult period” commented Brian Robinson (Group Chairman) “our thanks go to the whole of our management team and employees for making this happen and to all the customers and manufacturers who have supported us”.

 R&M are pleased to have improved their ranking to that of 37 in the Solent 250 Listings, with strict criteria being used to be included:

• Private independent businesses
•  Companies must be trading and have their headquarters in the Solent region
• Companies that are foreign owned or are listed on the Stock Exchange are excluded

To view the full Solent 250 listing click here

One of R&M’s preferred suppliers – Flexicon – has been fast tracked after supplying flexible conduit to the Lessius racing team who took part in the prestigious Formula Student races at Silverstone.

Formula Student (FS) is one of the most established educational motorsport competitions in Europe. It gives universities across the globe an opportunity to build and design a single-seat racing car and compete against other international racing teams.

As an integral part of the safety of the vehicle, Flexicon’s PVC smooth bore flexible conduit is protecting the high voltage (HV) cables on the racing car.  Every HV cable that runs on the outside of the enclosure is secured and protected by the non-metallic orange conduit.

The LPCO conduit used is highly flexible and will therefore allow some torsional movement. It is also securely anchored at each end so that it can withstand a force of 200N without straining the cable. The products have also been vibration and shock tested to EN61373 Cat 2. 

Colin Legg, Marketing Manager for Flexicon comments: “Protection of cabling is vital in any automotive application.  Whether racing in wet or dry conditions the electrical systems must be protected from water dust and any debris from the track.”

The FS encourages teams to be innovative and to work on both the technical and business aspects of the project, Formula Student gives students from around the world the ideal opportunity to learn new skills and showcase their talent.

Gilles Nys from Lessius racing team said, “It’s always really encouraging when manufacturers like Flexicon agree to help us. The FS is a great opportunity for young engineers but building a racecar is not without its cost implications. Getting help from Flexicon really helped us to build the best possible vehicle we could.”

Says Legg:“ As a company who is proud of its engineering, we are happy to encourage and support young engineers, especially when they are partaking in such a prestigious event like FS.”

 For further information about Flexicon’s range of flexible conduit please contact:  R&M’s Southampton Branch on 023 8023 1800     southampton@rm-electrical.com

R&M are pleased to announce that our Oxford branch is now able to produce professional lighting designs and schematics for customers using the Relux Lighting Design Software.

After years of working within the lighting industry Ben Dewey, based at R&M Oxford, is now officially qualified under the LIF (Lighting Industry Federation) Certification scheme, giving him the ability to “complete the design of installations to modern standards”.

The LIF Certificate is recognised by the Chartered Institute of Building Engineers (CIBSE), the Society of Light andLighting(SLL) and the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) demonstrating the lighting design ability of the recipients, and is partial fulfilment of requirements towards the award of the SLL Lighting Diploma.

“We are very pleased that we are now able to produce lighting schematics in-house, giving us a complimentary and unique offering for our customers , setting us apart from other suppliers in the area! “ commented Rik Walecki (Oxford Branch Manager).

R&M are very proud of Ben achieving an “A” for his lighting design under the Certification Scheme, and of the designs he is already producing for many of our customers.

If you would like more information, or help with a lighting design/scheme then please contact Ben at our Oxford Branch – Ben.Dewey@rm-electrical.com

R&M were delighted with the success of their stand at the recent HazardEX show, held in Harrogate.

The event is held to show case specialist companies supplying products and services to the safety and hazardous area industries, offering information for senior engineers, plant managers & heads of maintenance.

 HazardEx was well attended this year, with exhibitors and delegates travelling from all parts of the UK and abroad to attend, with everyone alike claiming the show to be a great success!

R&M’s stand proved popular throughout the show, with Ex specialists from the R&M group generating a lot of interest in the different divisions of the group – notable the Assembly and cabling divisions.

“This is the first time R&M have exhibited at the HazardEx show and we have found it to be a very beneficial and rewarding experience, it has given us a great opportunity to market the specialist divisions and services within R&M and has provided a great deal of contacts that are specifically relevant to the markets we supply” commented Dave Norris – Sales Director.

The exhibition also holds an annual awards programme recognising companies within the hazardous and safety industries in the following categories:

• Technical Innovation
• Contribution Towards Safety
• Environmental Contribution to Industry
• Best User Application
• Lifetime Contribution to the Industry

With winners being announced at a gala dinner over the duration of the exhibition.

Winners of the four categories were; Newson Gale, Schischek, Crown Oil, CorDEX Instruments and Chris Agius IECEx Executive Secretary.

1987 ….. the year when Rik Astley’s “Never gonna give you up” went to number one, Hilda Ogden made her last appearance in Coronation Street, Margaret Thatcher was voted into office for the third time and local company R&M Electrical Group Ltd was founded!

Hampshire Business Awards 2011 winner R&M Electrical was founded over 25 years ago in the heart of Southampton in a one room business unit, with a wall paper pasting table for a desk, R&M has expanded rapidly to be a global distributor of specialist electrical equipment, with an annual turnover in the region of £70 million, with numerous divisions both within the UK and abroad.

Keen to retain its roots (the original business unit has been expanded to house its Head Office Function) R&M is a large local employer, whose current employees amount to over 1000 years of commitment to the organisation – playing a not insubstantial part in its global success.

R&M also recognises its responsibility to local communities, and to celebrate its 25^th Anniversary has adopted the 1 2 3 Decathlon Charity set up to raise £100,000 for local charities – The Rainbow Centre, Wessex Cancer Trust and The Rose Road Association through a series of 10 sporting events to celebrate the 2012 Olympic Year.  R&M is sponsoring the walking event on the 25^th of March with over 60 of its employees taking part in a 20km walk.

R&M has also organised a raft of initiatives, promotional activities and competitions throughout 2012 designed to engage both customers and employees alike, such as the launch of a new look website and the publication of 2 new specialist catalogues.

“We are extremely proud of how far we have come in just 25 years,” says Brian Robinson – Managing Director –  “the success we have been able to achieve is a direct result of the hard work, dedication and vision of our employees.  We are looking forward to continuing to offer quality products and services to our customers for the next 25!”

Brian Robinson (Managing Director), Richard Sherin (Group Director), Andrew Chandler (Sales Director) and William Crook (Finance Director) would like to thank the many clients, vendors and employees for making the last 25 years so memorable and successful.

R&M are pleased to announce that they are to exhibit at the prestigious HazardEx trade and conference to be held in 2012.

The event is one of the largest and most comprehensive trade events held in the UK to facilitate the exhibiting of products and services to the safety and hazardous area industry.

Keenly attended in 2011 – with over 40 specialist exhibitors – it is the event to attend for those interested in this highly complicated and specialist area.

Complementing the trade show, attendees and exhibitors can attend a two day conference, culminating in an awards ceremony celebrating innovative leaders in the Safety and Hazardous industry in such categories as:

• Technical Innovation
• Contribution Towards Safety-sponsored Intertek
• Environmental Contribution to Industry
• Best User Application
• Lifetime Contribution to the Industry

“This is the first time that R&M have exhibited at this event and we are really looking forward to attending and highlighting the specialist products and services we can offer to the industry.  We will also be taking the opportunity to unveil some exciting new products we have the exclusive distributorship rights to within the UK – so watch this space!”  Dave Norris (Group Sales Manager).

HazardEX 2012 takes place from the 29^th of February to the 1^st of March, and is hosted in the Majestic Hotel, Harrogate, United Kingdom.

For further information on the exhibition see the HazardEx website