Essential Control designs, builds and installs innovative and bespoke building energy management systems that drive business efficiencies and reduce energy consumption. The company sells its technology to multinationals, power companies, hospitals, the automotive trade and more – and for the past eight years, Hitaltech has been collaborating with the company on its E-MAGINE product.
Making good better
“About eight years ago we had a product that was reaching the end of its production life and we wanted its replacement to be better than anything else on the market,” explains Production Supervisor, Chas Field.
The result was E-MAGINE, a high specification, scalable and flexible building energy management system that integrates seamlessly with existing building equipment.
“We design the systems,” says Chas, “Hitaltech support us with the enclosures.”
A good working relationship
“I have to say that most of the suppliers we work with are really good – and Hitaltech are up there with the best,” Chas continues. “We always know what the lead time is and we get the products on time. Prices are always competitive and they have a good delivery record, in fact I think in all the years we have worked with them they have delivered late just once.”
Smart customisation
Because the equipment Essential Control manufactures is bespoke, the company needed a number of customised elements incorporating into its enclosures: “We needed some additional milling on each of the three cases Hitaltech produce for us to allow for connectors and relays,” says Chas. “Each is pad printed to show the positions of the connectors on the casing and Hitaltech have also pad printed the front panel with our logo on it, the results really do look very smart.”
Managing Brexit
Like many manufacturers, Essential Control has had to make preparations for the various possible permutations of Brexit, including a no deal. “Customers understandably want to know what our plans are as far as a “no deal” Brexit is concerned,” Chas confides. “We feel we have built a strategic and physical buffer between ourselves and any adverse effects of Brexit because we buy everything in the UK. Although we work to Just In Time principles we always carry a safety stock – particularly so in the current climate. We have confidence in the chain of supply from Hitaltech, because we know they always carry a buffer stock of the enclosures we need – so between us we feel we are adequately protected.
“We’re really happy with Hitaltech, and if we need them, they are only an hour up the road!”
