Mike Jackson, a former electrician turned National Sales Manager for Unicrimp, talks to PE to explain why you should be Q-ueuing up for the brand’s range of accessories.
Tell us more about the Unicrimp brand and Scolmore’s reasons for adding the company to the Scolmore Group.
Unicrimp was launched by Scolmore Group in 2014, with the aim of bringing to the electrical wholesale industry a comprehensive range of cable accessory products that would complement Scolmore’s successful wiring accessories and lighting portfolios.
The range is marketed under the Q-Crimp brand name and is available exclusively through the electrical wholesaler trade.
The product offering comprises an extensive range of cable management consumables, including stainless steel cable ties, nylon cable ties, crimp terminals, PVC tape, copper tube terminals, cable clips, and brass and nylon glands.
Although you’re now in your role as National Sales Manager for Unicrimp, you were formally an electrician.
What were your key considerations when selecting an accessories brand when you were on the tools and how will you use your front line trade experience to shape the Unicrimp offering?
I started out as an electrician more than 25 years ago and have seen a lot of changes in the industry in all that time.
However, just as important as it’s always been is the need to have confidence in the products you’re working with, and that means going with a brand of accessories that you can trust.
Time spent replacing a faulty or unreliable product is time wasted that could be spent on another job. Installers are increasingly looking for products that offer them flexibility and will help them get a job done quickly and relatively easily, and they will be looking to manufacturers who can offer products that do just that.
Quality and reliability and knowing that products have been tested and certified, where necessary, are all important factors. The reassurance that there is strong technical support will also play a part in purchasing decisions.
Tell us more about some of the key products and groups within the Unicrimp offering. Which have proved most popular at this early stage?
The Q-Crimp range of cable accessory products provides everything required to harness cable between the consumer unit and the end accessory. Most electricians will carry all of these products in their tool bag, so in that sense they are all key products.
Our cable clips account for the biggest part of the business and our customers are constantly telling us that they are the best performing cable clips on the market – due to their versatility.
The self-grip design aids installation and they have long, thick steel nails for good pull out value.
Brass Cable Glands probably account for the next biggest category and we also have great success with our insulation tape range. It may sound obvious but this is because our tape actually sticks!.
What quality checking processes do you have in place?
All Unicrimp products are manufactured in accordance with Scolmore Group’s defined set of criteria and meet the requirements for the market for which they’re intended. We achieve this in several ways by utilising recognised third party test houses to carry out compliance testing and performing regular routine maintenance/inspection of the products and manufacturing facilities.
All products are batch coded for improved traceability and should any issues arise, we have the advantage and reassurance of the back-up of the Scolmore Group technical department.
Why, in your opinion, is it important for wholesalers and electricians to purchase electrical accessories from one supplier/source?
By dealing with just one supplier to purchase their electrical accessories, wholesalers and electricians are able to tap into a whole range of other services that come with brand loyalty.
As a group we will look, where possible, to reward the customers we have built good relationships with, by adding value where we can.
They can benefit from considerable knowledge and expertise that we have built up over many years of successful trading and collaborative partnerships.
They can access a dedicated technical support team and customer service department, trained to provide the right level of support whatever the issue.
They can also take advantage of a range of marketing tools via the Marketing Hub on the Unicrimp website, where they can access and download product information, images and video tutorials, as well as access technical information.
What are we likely to see from Unicrimp in the future and what can electricians do to find out more about the brand and its offering?
We are continually assessing the market for opportunities and reviewing our own product ranges to see if any improvements can be made. We’re currently working on a new product development programme which will see a whole new category added to the Unicrimp product offer – watch this space…
We have been very proactive from a marketing point of view since our inception and if they haven’t already done so, electricians should be following us on the various social media platforms and looking out for us at the ELEX shows.
This is a great opportunity for them to see the latest products and developments and to have an informative chat with some of the team members.
For more information on the Q-Crimp range of products visit: www.unicrimp.com
