VEO´s production matures strongly in the UK

In 2017, VEO acquired a majority stake in UK-based company IC Electrical (ICE). Now ICE has produced locally their first low-voltage VEDA switchgear. The United Kingdom is one of VEO´s key markets, so this represents a positive step forward for VEO.

In the future, ICE will build VEDA switchgears independently mainly for local markets. Next step will be to expand production to cover Vector medium-voltage switchgear also.

VEO is strongly focusing on British markets and the advantage of being a local high quality and flexible switchgear manufacturer in the middle of Brexit talks encouraged ICE to start VEDA production in a very short time.

ICE has also recently moved to a new production facility which will almost triple its current capacity. The new factory is called “TEHDAS” and it has been prepared especially for VEDA production including busbar handling area. The new Tehdas is a response to a growing demand of switchgears in the UK markets.

”There is a great deal of potential in the United Kingdom for VEO. The UK has a lot of heavy industry. VEDAs and Vectors are suitable for a vast variety of UK industries. In the future, ICE´s production will run independently. ICE sources the materialsfrom local companies and VEO´s suppliers. If Brexit is implemented, a local production can turn out to VEO´s advantage.”, explains VEO´s Business Development Manager Kim Råholm.

The production of switchgear is streamlined according to the demands of local markets. At ICE, the manufacture of switchgear uses local components, taking toaccount the British regulations and the preferences of the local customers. VEDA switchgear has many advantages over similar products on the market: for example, installations are quick and easy to implement and there is the possibility to modify systems according to the space available and user preferences. Possibilities to arrange demanding FAT’s locally in UK is also a big added value when competing projects against foreign companies.

The start of ICE´s production has been supervised and instructed from Vaasa. ICE has had electrical fitters and panel wiremen in Finland to learn more about the manufacturing processes. The first VEDA has been manufactured under a supervisorfrom Vaasa.He travelled to the UK to continue the training and to supervise that everything is made according to VEO’s standards and practices.

“The new Tehdas has been inaugurated, and we are firmly moving forward”, Råholm says.