Spotlight on Kew Technik

THE KEW TECKNIK GROUP OF COMPANIES

VIEW FROM THE TOP

Since the company’s creation, Kew Technik a company with ISO 9001 accreditation has had a simple and straightforward strategy that remains today. To develop and market tools and products of excellence that are easy to use, are value for money and that conform to all relevant standards.

From the beginning with a catalogue of just 10 products, in 18 years, the group has expanded its product range to over 2,000 quality products and this is still growing.

The Socket & See brand of Test Instruments was introduced to the market and with safety in mind in 1998, the first in a new series of easy to use socket testers was launched. This was quickly followed with the development of many types of test instrument all of which follow the same company philosophy, that of product excellence, ease of use, value for money and all of which conform to all relevant standards.

Richard Penney, Managing Director, aged 32, has been with Kew Technik since 1998, following a successful marketing career with Virgin Group. He joined the company as an Area Sales Manager, then became Special Projects Manager and in 2002, Projects Director.  He was appointed as Managing Director in 2003.

A Comment from Richard Penney

“With growth being predicted again to be in excess of 20% in 2006, it is clear that the company is taken very seriously in this industry. This has resulted from the fact that we pride ourselves in having a great professional team that is responsible for quality, easy to use products at the right price. Safety is of prime importance as is compliance to all relevant standards. We liase closely with the Health & Safety Executive, electrical supply companies, the National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting (NICEIC), CORGI, and many other recognised regulatory bodies.

‘We give tremendous support to our wholesale partners, concentrating on maximising distributor retained margins, attractive recognised packaging, free full colour catalogues, point of sale displays, no minimum order value and distributor sell-through activity. We are driven to become the preferred supplier of electrician’s tools and testers to recognised distributors across the UK.”

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PEOPLE TO KNOW

The Kew Technik tools and test instruments team prides itself in always being able to give the right advice and support. Whatever the request, whether it is a technical question, the need for an urgent delivery in supporting a wholesaler with an urgent order, the need for an extra quantity of catalogues or more merchandising support, the team is only a phone call away.

Richard Penney, Managing Director	David Harris, Technical Expert	Steve Cook, Area Sales Manager
David Miller, Area Sales Manager	Matt Smith, Area Sales Manager	Liz Wise, Area Sales Manager
Chris Wood, Area Sales Manager	Sigurdar Sigurdsson, Area Sales Manager	Linda Lawner, Sales Office Manager
	Sales Office Administrator, Liz Symons Logistics & Purchasing Manager, Gianna Pajanuzzi Quality Manager, Colin Trahar Warehouse Manager, Terry Fox Warehouse Team, Paul Fox, Dean Lewis, Aaron Springham, Nick Ganf
Debbie Allinson, Sales Office Administrator

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THE LATEST PRODUCT INNOVATIONS

Over the last twelve months, the company has brought many new products to the market. All are of the highest quality, easy to use, are sensibly priced and conform to the relevant standards.

Recently Kew Technik tools has introduced such products as, a new range of Screwdrivers, cutters and pliers, new lines in crimp tools, cable shears, and hole saws together with longer lasting, more durable consumables.

The Powergrip range

One of the company’s great successes is Powergrip a range of price friendly cutters, pliers and screwdrivers that is on offer in the latest 68-page catalogue.

Finished in striking orange with grey soft-grip composite handles, the tools are available individually or in sets. Insulated to 1,000v and certified to the strict EN 60900 standards, they have been rigorously and independently tested at every stage of development including being submitted to extreme heat for 72 hours, to freeze tests and an insulation test to 10,000v.

Re-Threaders

Also included in the catalogue are two new Re-Threaders that come with precision ground threads in 3.5mm and a 4mm diameter. With extra long shafts for easy access to deeply recessed back boxes and ergonomically designed soft-grip handles, these tools are an essential part of an electrician’s tool kit allowing him to easily clean out blocked threads in electrical boxes.

New Diamond Core Drills

Kew Technik has also recently introduced a range of Diamond Core Drills that come in seven cutting sizes ranging from 28mm to127mm. Each drill is 170mm in length and has an easy clean core removal slot, is extremely hard, with clean cutting diamond teeth, and is suitable for concrete, brick, paving slabs, ashphalt, limestone and aerated bricks.

And a New Cable Cutter

Designed for effortless cutting of armoured steel wire cable, is a new Cable Cutter that has telescopic handles that allow the user maximum leverage. The tool cuts up to a maximum of 38mm diameter.

Innovation From Socket & See

The Socket & See brand has introduced many new products in the last year in particular in the last six months.

Following launch back in 1998, the brand quickly became market leader in socket testing technology, Says Richard Penney, “we started out with three simple socket testers for BS1363 socket outlets. We added features as never seen before on instruments of this kind, such as tri-colored LEDs and audible tones. The popularity of these features soon caught on, as more and more electrical contractors started to use them they could see the immense benefits such as, speed, safety, great value for money and they are fool proof.

This philosophy still remains very much in the design of Socket & See instruments which has in 8 years grown to include over 150 products and covers all installation test equipment for 16th Edition testing such as easy to use loop testers, insulation testers and RCD testers.”

A new series of 16th Edition Insulation/Continuity Testers

During 2005, Socket & See launched the first of a new series of easy to use, low cost, Insulation/Continuity Testers that are fully compliant to BSEN 61557.

A Digital Insulation/ Continuity Tester is recognised as the electrician’s single most important test tool. The DIT 400 is no exception, and has make an immense difference to fast, accurate testing

This tester is provided with 3 test voltages (250, 500 and 1,000V), and has been built with a new Super Fast System (SFS) measuring technique, that delivers incredibly fast readings of typically less than1second.

The unique benefit of SFS is not the only attraction. In addition, the Socket & See Design Team also claims a substantial increase in battery life. Unlike other testers that use 6 or even 8 batteries, the DIT 400 uses just 4 AA batteries, which will achieve in excess of 4,000 tests at 500V.

 The DIT 400 is already becoming part of most electrician’s tool kit and it comes at a price that will not break the bank.

A Clever Socket Adaptor

If you want to test insulation or continuity at a socket outlet simple isn’t it, just unscrew the fixings and pull it forward.

Sometimes it’s not that easy, you could damage the decorations or break connections. So save time and avoid those additional problems by carrying a Socket Adaptor in your tool bag - it will make life just a little bit easier and it’s safer too.

The recently launched inexpensive, time and problem saving SS130 Socket Adaptor is fast becoming an essential piece of equipment in every electrician's tool kit. Just plug the adaptor into the socket outlet, then plug the leads from your digital insulation/continuity tester into the adaptor, and you are ready to go.

New Fused Test Leads

Another recent innovation is a new version of GS 38 fused test leads that are safer, easier to use and conform to CAT III. Being of high quality, the ITLS 400 Test Lead System offers the electrician a number of benefits over other leads.

Push fit connections
With old style leads, when changing from a crocodile clip to a probe connection and vice-versa, the engineer, having unscrewed the connector can easily be frustrated when he finds that the fuse is exposed and can easily fall out. With the new test leads it is impossible for this to happen, as the connection is a simple and fast, push fit. The only time that the fuse becomes exposed is on the rare occasion when it requires a change - the fuse is then exposed by unscrewing from further down the shaft.

Piggy-Backing
When a test requiring connection of say, neutral and earth crocodile clips together, clipping one to the other can be time consuming and difficult when so often there is minimum space, and good connection can be tricky. So another great benefit is offered allowing fast and simple connection. The new ITLS 400 leads come with a piggy- back connection on the earth lead allowing the neutral probe to simply push fit thus ensuring a good, safe connection.
The leads are coloured to the relevant standards- brown for live and blue for neutral, with a useful memory aid showing the old colours (red and black), on the strain relief.

An Easy to Use RCD Tester

Socket & See has also come up with the goods by introducing the PDRC 380 Digital RCD Tester that is extremely easy to use so is ideally suited to newcomers to electrical testing.
This instrument fully conforms with the latest 16th Edition and safety standards, is ideal for Part P testing, being guaranteed to test all common types of 30mA and 100mA RCDs.

The RCD Tester offers a unique full socket and correct test polarity function, a clear LCD readout of all test results, and an easy to use full auto or manual override allowing the user complete control.

All In One Bag - Pkit 300

With Part P of the 16th Edition of the Wiring Regulations now well and truly in force, when carrying out the necessary tests, the electrician and plumber needs three test instruments, test leads and a pack of electrical installation certificates.

Now available, is Socket & See’s new Multi-Function Test Kit ready to use as the engineer leaves the wholesaler.

The kit is provided in a lightweight and robust bag, that includes a PDL 310 loop tester, the PDIT 350 digital insulation/continuity tester, the PDRC 380 RCD tester, and test leads. Also in the bag is a newly designed, user-friendly pack, containing installation certificates. And there are even spare batteries and a pen too. All of this comes at a saving to the user of over £60 on the instruments and certificates alone.

Click here for your brand new edition of the Socket & See catalogue

Free Step-by-Step Guides

Socket & See has just released two free step-by step guides, covering Insulation and Continuity Testing to Part P and a Loop Testing guide using the PDL 200 series.

These four-page guides take the reader in words and pictures, through both Continuity and Insulation testing of ring circuits together with the necessary Insulation Testing of lighting circuits.

The Loop Testing guide explains what results to expect, how to set up a PDL 200 series instrument, and talks the reader in easy stages through Loop and Polarity testing.

Free copies, are available by contacting the Socket & See team on: 01256 864 100 or should you prefer, links are provided in this Voltimum Spotlight (see links below).

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

As The Kew Technik Group of Companies continues to grow, plans are in hand for expansion of the company through personnel, enlargement and improvement of the Basingstoke facility, and the further development of more new products.

Future plans for growth

• Large warehouse extension
• Dedicated calibration and repair centre
• More personnel to increase technical back up, merchandising and sales and marketing
• Development of many new Kew Technik tools following feed back from customers
• On going rapid development of Socket & See instruments for many applications

Continuing maintenance plans:

• To maintain No 1 position in terms of products and service
• To continue to exceed our customers expectations in terms of safety, quality, performance and value
• Continuous staff training
• To achieve continued growth at 20% - 25% year on year
• Sustained acceptance by the market that the Kew Technik Group of Companies remains a force to be reckoned with

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PROJECTS

British Gas is improving its electrical safety checks by issuing all their installation and service engineers with a new tester. With engineers replacing more than 200,000 pumps, thermostats, valves and other electrical components each year, it is essential that safety following a component exchange is ensured.

A tester that is easy to use, safe, accurate, reliable and would confirm that the installation has a safe earth path was required.

Socket & See worked closely with the client and specially developed a new Loop Tester that would precisely conform to all of the requirements of British Gas. The Socket & See PDL 230BG earth loop impedance tester has been identified as the instrument that is to become an essential part of the British Gas engineer’s test kits.

Being always at the forefront of training British Gas has produced a training DVD that is to support the launch of the tester for its engineers.

COMPETITION

 To be in with a chance of winning this fantastic prize, please CLICK HERE

30 lucky winners will win either an SS130 Socket Test Adaptor, or a pair of ESC0406A Diagonal Cutting Pliers with the compliments of the Kew Technik Group of Companies.

Key Features

Socket Test Adapter, SS130:

• Time and problem saving SS130 Socket Adaptor that is fast becoming an essential piece of equipment in every electrician's tool kit.

Diagonal Cutting Pliers, 160mm:

• Fully conform to Euronorm standards IEC 900, EN 60900
• Safe 1000V working
• Power Grip composite handles for ultimate power and control

Do not forget to enter the competition and Good Luck