Gemcell Australia

After 29 years in Australia this global company is set to launch two significant new ranges that will set the benchmark for user friendliness.

Thomas & Betts Corporation can trace its roots back to 1898, when practical, incandescent, electric lighting was first introduced to New York City and two young engineers from Princeton University, Robert M. Thomas and Hobart D. Betts, formed an agency for selling conduit to electrical distributors. From there Thomas & Betts has gone on to become a global leader in the supply of electrical hardware and components for use in industrial and commercial construction, equipment maintenance and repair and original equipment manufacturing.

Thomas & Betts entered the Australasian market in 1980 distributing the Ty-Rap® cable tie range of products from its head office in Sydney. The range quickly expanded and was further bolstered by the acquisition of the Stanilite® emergency evacuation lighting business in 1998. Since then, Thomas & Betts Australasia has solidified itself as a key supplier to the Australian electrical market built upon a culture of continual improvement and the commitment to provide a superior customer experience.

The Businesses

Emergency Lighting

For over 30 years, Stanilite® has been the evacuation lighting industry innovator, pioneering products like the Quickfit® exit featuring a unique steel slide and connect bracket, the Spitfire® emergency, Nexus® evacuation lighting monitoring and long life Stanilite Lumatec® Cold Cathode lamp technology. The Quickfit® has won many awards including an Australian Design Award in 1982 and an Australian Designmark™ in 2002.

Stanilite® products have been so well received that the brand Spitfire® has become a generic term for 10W halogen emergency lighting.

As the largest supplier of emergency lighting products in Australasia, Thomas & Betts is committed to Australian design and manufacturing and operates its emergency lighting plant at Lidcombe in NSW. Lidcombe is also home to an experienced engineering team that develops and tests both hardware and software and is heavily involved in both new products and customer requested modifications.

Stanilite® is regularly specified as the evacuation lighting product of choice and can be seen in a vast assortment of major buildings including Sydney’s Star City Casino, Q1 – the world’s tallest residential tower on Queensland’s Gold Coast, Melbourne’s Federation Square and the Sydney Lane Cove Tunnel.

Offering one of the broadest standard ranges of exit and emergency lights as well as producing a large array of modified products for large scale projects, you can be sure that the Thomas & Betts Stanilite® range has something to cater for every situation and the technical support to ensure a satisfied client.

Stanilite Nexus® has long been at the forefront of computer monitored systems and in 2007 Thomas & Betts launched the Nexus® RF wireless monitoring system which has gone on to expand the market possibilities for monitored systems and solidify Stanilite® as the market leading brand.

Electrical Hardware

Global strength with local focus is the best way to describe the Thomas & Betts electrical business. The worldwide Thomas & Betts business markets over 450,000 different items and the Australian team has the ability to select from this vast range as well as developing product lines specifically for the local market.

The majority of the range is dedicated to the management, protection and connection of electrical cable. This means that ranges such as cable ties and fastening systems; flexible conduit systems and cable glands are core to the line up. With trusted brands including Ty-Rap® and Nicote®, Thomas & Betts is well positioned to supply both day to day needs and to provide specifiable products with specific performance criteria.

All Thomas & Betts electrical products are supported by local technical experts who are backed by the global resources of the Thomas & Betts corporation which has over 100 years experience.

National Support Network

Thomas & Betts is committed to supporting Gemcell members and their customers around the country. The National Support Centre and the National Quotes Centre are staffed with people dedicated to ensure that customers can receive the support they need when they need it. These professional teams and the systems they use are constantly being improved through upgrades and training with the aim of providing a positive experience for every customer.

In addition, Thomas & Betts also maintains sales offices and warehouses in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, with professional agencies in Newcastle, Tasmania and New Zealand. All are able to supply local customer needs right across the Australasian region. An extensive field sales team is also on hand to support wholesalers, electricians, engineers and consultants, providing technical and product information but significantly focussed on developing business opportunities within new and existing markets.

Latest Developments

Stanilite® Excel LED Legend

Due to its ease of installation and aesthetic appeal, the Legend edgelight has been a customer favourite for years. Now the new Stanilite® Excel LED Legend takes the edgelight to the next level. Designed to significantly reduce running and maintenance costs, the Stanilite® Excel LED Legend also provides high visibility and remains architecturally pleasing with a chic, slimline design.

The Excel LED Legend consumes only a quarter of the power of 8W and 10W fluorescent edgelights and additionally, a conventional lamp would need to be replaced more than 7 times before the 50,000 hour LED needs replacing. These two factors reduce emissions during operation and reduce landfill due to fewer expired lamps. Stanilite® Excel LED is therefore both a great economic and environmental choice.

Stanilite® always designs end user driven products and this is further evidenced by the high emergency classification of the Excel LED, which eliminates the need for an adjacent luminaire and therefore reduces overall project costs.

Installer friendly, the Excel LED Legend comes as a one box solution with screwless, lightweight assembly using a Snap-n-Clip mechanism that allows for quick and easy installation.

Finally, Excel LED Legend can be purchased as either a single point module or in Nexus® LX or Nexus® RF enabled models to further gain all the benefits of Stanilite® computer monitored systems.

Hi-Flex® Flexible Conduit Systems

Liquidtight flexible metal conduits in Australia have typically been designed and manufactured for use in overseas markets. The new Hi-Flex® range from Thomas & Betts has primarily been designed and manufactured to comply with the stringent Australian and New Zealand standards, reflecting Australian conditions. The entire Hi-Flex® liquidtight flexible heavy duty metal conduit system, conduits and fittings have been independently tested and shown to comply with the relevant AS /NZS 2053 standards. This gives Australian users peace of mind with the knowledge that their electrical installation will perform to the high level they expect.

The new Hi-Flex® range strives to be the most user friendly on the market and features Type HLT. This combines flexibility, mechanical strength, oil resistance and an excellent 105°C maximum temperature rating all in one cost effective, general purpose product. As further evidence of this commitment, Hi-Flex® is available on easy to handle reels for selected sizes.

The comprehensive Hi-Flex® range contains metallic and non-metallic systems, low fire hazard and explosion proof systems, tight-spot and high temperature resistant systems among others. There is also a full range of sizes, lengths and fitting types to ensure that any project demand can be met with confidence.

Local focus, global strength

Around the globe and here in Australia, Thomas & Betts strives to be the preferred supplier in its chosen markets. When you recommend or purchase a Stanilite® emergency light fitting, a TyRap® cable tie, a Hi-Flex® conduit system or any Thomas & Betts product, you can rest assured that before that product was released to the market there was painstaking research and testing to ensure that it meets or exceeds the industry requirements. Beyond this, ongoing testing, benchmarking and re-evaluation of every part of the business from raw material sourcing to production, logistics and customer service in a “continuous improvement” culture is your guarantee of a great experience.