While some may still be talking of this market in dreamy, futuristic terms, Cheeseman is insistent that it is about to take off. "In the future we will not have a new house built that does not have home automation," he predicts. The md of ECA firm A&A Co-ordinated Services, he is so sure of the potential of home automation that he has already expanded his firm to ensure that it is ready to satisfy demand.
But rather than unfounded optimism, this move seems to be a sound business decision. The number of new products arriving on the market over the past year and movements in America appear to back-up his prophesy. "Home automation is in its infancy at the moment in this country. If we mirror the American market, the expansion rate is phenomenal and what they are proposing for home automation outgrows almost any other product on the market," he states.
Clearly a forward-thinking man, Cheeseman has never been slow to grab an opportunity. Fresh from completing his apprenticeship with the London Electricity Board, he worked there for only a short time before leaving in 1973 to form electrical contracting firm A&A Electricians with a fellow apprentice. Cheeseman continued to run the firm when his partner left for new ventures after around seven years.
In 1980, A&A expanded into the field of mechanical contracting, taking over MFM Engineering and combining the firms to form A&A Co-ordinated services. "From that point on we've been a multi-service m&e company," confirms Cheeseman. A&A now employs 30 staff on projects in London and the South-East ranging from a few thousand to several million pounds.
The core areas of A&A's business are maintenance and construction, for which there are separate divisions. This will remain unchanged, as to cover the venture into the home automation market, Cheeseman set up the subsidiary firm IQYourHome.com at the end of 2002. "IQYourHome has been set up as a totally separate company," explains Cheeseman. "It will become a product-based business. The idea is to promote home automation, give advice on the systems and assist contractors wanting to get into the market, through training and product advice."
Cheeseman's interest in home automation developed about ten years ago. A&A was installing automation systems in commercial buildings and began to receive requests from residential properties. This he sees as the starting point for the move into the home automation market, but, as he points out, these first forays into the domestic market involved systems that were suited only to top-end properties due to costs.
It is only with the recent introduction of more affordable products that the market can really progress. "The key to developing home automation in the mass market is finding the right product," says Cheeseman, and he believes he has now done so.
"We'd been looking for a suitable product for some time and been doing market research," he explains. "We'd already co-ordinated a business plan for home automation for the mass market, but we knew that we needed the product to actually drive that plan."
His breakthrough came last April when he read of Cardio UK's system in EMC ('Get smart', April 2002). "It struck me that Cardio was probably the right product," says Cheeseman. He contacted UK supplier Jeanette Jones, who at this time was only importing the system and had yet to take it into the marketplace. From these early discussions an alliance has developed. "We've grown to the stage now where we've taken on the role of becoming the UK distributor for Cardio," explains Cheeseman.
A&A is now an approved installer of the Cardio system, but ambitions for IQYourHome are high and the firm is currently seeking to increase its installer-base: "We've got a five-year business plan laid out and we see it going from start-up to £20 million of business in five years," predicts Cheeseman. "The home automation industry will grow too large for any one company to control," he adds.
His aim is for a listing of 200 approved installer firms UK-wide, and he is specifically targeting ECA and NICEIC member firms as "we know that they carry that degree of credibility". The work is suited to those already involved in residential installations and is ideal for smaller contractors.
To become approved, firms have to attend a two-day training course. The cost for this is envisaged to be around £500, but will depend on the number of people attending each course and is redeemable against the first purchase of the system.
"In reality a good electrician could take the literature, read it and be able to put that system in, but we want to make sure that we are monitoring the level of installation," he assures.
Although Cardio is currently the firm's main product Cheeseman intends to extend this range so that it can deal with installations of all sizes. "My vision for IQYourHome is for it to be similar to a Carphone Warehouse," he explains. "It is where people would come to when they want to know about home automation and it would have the products to deal with whatever they need."
To date, ten installations have been completed and interest is already being shown by developers such as Laing.
Cheeseman is urging electrical contractors not to miss their chance to get involved in this potentially lucrative field and warns that lessons should be learned from the beginnings of the security market. "That was a market that electrical contractors should have taken hold of and unless they are forward-thinking enough, if they are not careful they will miss the home automation market as well."
IQYourHome.com will be officially launched at the Ideal Home Show in London in March. The ever-prepared Cheeseman had made plans with the show organisers to promote home automation here before he had even heard of Cardio. Visitors to showhouses will be able to see the system at first hand and Cheeseman is so confident in the interest that he is offering free show tickets to provide further enticement should any be needed. So why not give him a call (tel: 01732 763341).
Source
Electrical and Mechanical Contractor
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