FEATURE
DOWN
THE
PROTECTION
TOOLS
ISSUE
Q&A
OPEN TO
QUESTION
ELECTRICAL GEMS
TALKS TO FIVE
MANUFACTURERS
ABOUT THE LATEST
PROTECTION-
RELATED PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENTS, AND
HOW BRANDS PROTECT
THEIR OWN PRODUCTS
AND IP.
1
What are the key
‘protection’ trends
in your product sector?
2
How does this
influence product
development?
3
How do you ensure
your own product
development and
research is protected?
4
How do you see
‘protection’
products evolving over
the coming years?
28 GEMCELL.COM.AU AUG – SEPT 2019
BEN BRIDGES
Group Sales and Marketing
Manager, B&R Enclosures
SID GAURAV
Electrical Engineer & Senior
Category Manager for
Emergency Lighting, GLG
1
The traditional emergency lighting
battery technologies such as Nickel
Cadmium (NiCd) or Nickel Metal
Hydride (NiMH) are rapidly getting phased
out of the Australian market. Lithium Iron
Phosphate (LiFeP04) is now considered to be
the most common and suitable battery for
emergency lighting.
Self-test emergency lights are extremely
popular. It allows emergency lights to be
automatically tested to ensure that the
battery and LED in each emergency light are
fully operational. Self-testing emergency
lights can automate the tedious labour and
maintenance costs associated with manual
testing.
2
The continuous evolution of LED
technology, advancements in
emergency controls and drivers with
lithium battery revolution requires constant
product transformation from a technological
point of view. We embrace that in our new
products, whether it’s our DALI emergency
control or our highest battery warranty.
3
We protect the IP by applying for
relevant patents, for example, the
interface circuits or design. The
emergency lighting controls and products are
very technical compared to conventional
lighting; hence, displacement of technology,
typically emergency controls, is rare.
4
The knowledge base of emergency
lighting continues to improve to
deliver better safety and security in
the rare times that we need to use it.
The days of an electrician walking into a
building and pressing the test switch to
ensure emergency compliance will be
replaced with an advanced version of
self-testing luminaires.
Wireless emergency controls, as well as a
connected IoT ecosystem, will eventually
drive emergency lighting upon its maturity.
However, wired solutions will still have their
own space.
1
The Australian market is increasingly
demanding a broader range of
security options to suit everything
from easy-opening and child-proof through
to vandal-proof, and even SCEC-approved
protection for sensitive data and
communications. In addition to this, the
growth in the local defence and data storage
and transfer markets means end-users are
looking for a wide variety of security choices.
2
We maintain a detailed knowledge of
the latest standards and guidelines as
well as product development trends
to ensure the product is fit for purpose. Also,
our expertise and thought leadership means
we are directly involved with peak bodies
and government organisations responsible
for setting these guidelines to make sure they
are workable, and Australian manufacturers
are being supported.
3
The vast majority of our capabilities
– including design, testing and
manufacturing – are done in-house,
supported by secure systems and processes,
and staff that are both knowledgeable and
committed to working at B&R.
We restrict access to detailed design
drawings as well as physical interaction with
our manufacturing areas and impose
restrictions on information allowed into the
public domain. Our defence industry
capabilities are particularly protected to
restrict access by external parties to maintain
our credibility in an international market.
4
Generally, security is seen as a
growing issue resulting in the need to
be more protective of everything
from data to infrastructure and even personal
safety. We have already benefitted from a
growing defence industry in this country, and
a general increase in requirements to make
sure components are not only protected from
cyber and digital but also physical and
tampering. The defence sector demands
protection of data, project specifications,
design and physical handling of equipment,
and B&R is taking many of the learnings from
this experience and integrating it into our
other areas.