54 | T T Virginia Wright Switchboard gurus on their game Excel Switchgear manufactures and supplies bespoke electrical and mechanical switchboards to buildings of all sizes, including schools, supermarkets, warehouses, water treatment plants, apartment blocks, hi-tech buildings and projects. Excel Switchgear Electrical and mechanical switchboard design and manufacturer Excel Switchgear was established in Lower Hutt over 30 years ago and is the supplier of choice for many electrical contractors in New Zealand. It’s been owned and operated by Karen and Ross Wilson for the last 17 years and they are in the process of handing it over to its new owners Stefanie and Antony Dixon. They’re no strangers to manufacturing themselves. Antony founded Times-7 in 2006, a Lower Hutt business that has become a global leader in RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) antenna design and manufacturing. Antony and Stefanie remain part-owners of the company today. Together, they are focused on a smooth handover from Ross and Karen, keeping the same trusted people, products, and service that customers rely on. That means it’s business as usual at Excel Switchgear. The seven-strong team, most of whom have been part of the company for more than 10 years, continues to be the backbone of the business and the reason for its strong reputation. They’re a big part of Excel Switchgear’s reputation for delivering quality product, and the reason why they have so much repeat business. “They take a lot of pride in what they do and we have a strong team culture. More importantly we’ve had zero returns of equipment which is down to our team and our processes,” says Ross. As additional insurance for the successful transition, Ross Wilson will be on hand for the foreseeable future to enable a seamless knowledge handover of the successful processes that have been developed over time, to reliably deliver a quality product at a competitive price. Excel Switchgear is an approved Schneider panel builder and has its own proprietary modular enclosures, and long-standing relationships with its key suppliers. Excel Switchgear manufactures and supplies bespoke electrical and mechanical switchboards to buildings of all sizes, including schools, supermarkets, warehouses, water treatment plants, apartment blocks, hi-tech buildings and projects. Significant recent projects include supplying the newly expanded 20,000sqm RNZAF Base Ohakea hangar with ‘modern and fit-for-purpose equipment and infrastructure’ of 108 electrical services switchboards. MANUFACTURING “They take a lot of pride in what they do and we have a strong team culture. More importantly we’ve had zero returns of equipment which is down to our team and our processes.” “We delivered them over about 18 months as the various sections of the building were ready. The biggest switchboard for that job was about eight metres long and two metres high with multiple switches built for both mains and the back-up diesel generator supply that comes on automatically in a power failure,” explains Ross. Other recent jobs included providing 38 switchboards running the length of Transmission Gully, each in purpose-built stainless-steel housing to ensure the street lighting remains operational regardless of the weather, working alongside Whittaker’s Chocolate as it expands in stages to ensure the electrical switchboard needs of their brand-new purpose buildings are met and the recently rebuilt East Stand of the Stadium Taranaki with 2x 2500 Amp main switchboards, one of which is housed outdoors in a Ventech weatherproof pillarbox. Excel Switchgear is part of the construction supply chain with a large replacement cycle, as existing switchboards become non-compliant, and as more companies move away from fossil fuel to electricity. “Electrifying the economy is mission critical to achieving long term Net Zero 2050 emissions goals. Excel Switchgear provides the foundational electrical solutions that can power up organisations to transition from using diesel and industrial gas, as well as integrating cleantech generation, such as solar and wind,” says Antony. Over the years Excel Switchgear has provided key elements to countless buildings and infrastructure projects big and small. It’s a very well-established business with a legacy the Dixons and the team are looking forward to carrying into the future. Ventech Systems specialise in the manufacture of industrial enclosures designed to safeguard and optimise the performance of critical electronics. Ventech Systems have worked alongside Excel Switchgear supplying enclosures for a variety of locations and climates throughout New Zealand and the Pacific. info@ventechsystems.co.nz WWW.VENTECHSYSTEMS.CO.NZ
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