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February 5, 2025
Recently, we needed to support the installation of the circa 10 600x600 led panels at the Rexel office and store in Cheltenham. While you may feel that we fulfil such requests every day, let me tell you this one was particularly exciting as I was requested to send a couple of our engineering apprentices for the job! I knew that Ellie Williams, James Grey, and Oliver Smith, our apprentices, and our field service engineer, Daniel Sparks, would be the right mix for the job. For me, however, this was presenting them with an opportunity to collaborate, harness the power of a team, put to use what they had learnt and then learn some more. Read on to learn more about their experience.
The chosen team needed to replace standard LED panels with Ecolink LED panels that offer top-quality, competitively priced, and energy-efficient LED luminaires. As a brand, Ecolink is designed and developed in the UK to meet the specific needs of electrical professionals. Ecolink delivers quality lighting products that are competitively priced.
When I heard about their experience, I was pleased to see how the team collaborated to make the task successful. Backed by research and reading up all about the panels, the day began with assessing the site, taking a tour and understanding how everything was wired up by using click plugs – something the team had never used before. They then exchanged notes and had the branch manager answer all questions that could help them understand the scope of work- going in with a customer-first attitude.
'I have been with Signify for a while , and it was exciting to use what I had learned, from height training to manual handling, electrical safety training, etc. It's rare to get a chance to use what you have learned and learn so much more that you could put to use in the future!'- Oliver Smith, engineering trainee at Signify UKI.
'We got to put our learning into practice. That was quite cool and fun at the same time!' – Ellie Williams, engineering
The team for the job
(From L to R: Oliver Smith, Daniel Sparks, Ellie Williams, James Grey)
The next step was to set up the place for the work to be done. They needed to use barriers to secure the area where they would start work and ensure all safety precautions were put in place. All risk and method statements were put in place before the team reached the site, etc. The team understood the scope of work and decided to split into two groups to complete the job more quickly. But before that, they worked on a few fittings together to ensure they could carry on the rest of the task smoothly – showing how teamwork can make any task easy and that we are Greater Together.
It was not all easy and fun. The team hit a slight technical hiccup, which was mitigated soon after it was encountered. The original installer had installed the luminaires, but the lights needed re-wiring to meet the technical requirements of the lights that were to be installed now. The team managed to do this in a few minutes by coming together and understanding the need- having a passion for results.
'I had never seen before how things are done, and on top of that, seeing a happy customer was great! I would love to go on such a job again! – James Grey, engineering trainee at Signify UKI
'It is great to see how our young talent is so enthusiastic about learning, practicing, and excelling! The future for us and the industry looks exciting!' – Daniel Sparks, Field Service Engineer
A huge shoutout to Chris, the manager at the office who ensured that the installation went on smoothly, and for making the team work specifically in areas that Chris found comfortable for them to work in.
Chris Antone
Branch Manager, Rexel Cheltenham
At Signify, our culture of continuous learning creates an environment that allows employees to evolve their skills and build careers. We foster this culture as we believe that by learning new skills to do your job well, remain competitive, and be ready for the future together, we are transforming the industry! In many years of my career, I have seen many organizations talk the talk. Still, only a few walk the walk , and I am proud to say that Signify is one such organisation where we believe that nurturing young talent is a long-term investment for the successful future of the business.
Signify UK&I PR
Nikita Mahajan
Tel: + 44 (0)7459751618
Email: nikita.mahajan@signify.com
Signify (Euronext: LIGHT) is the world leader in lighting for professionals and consumers and lighting for the Internet of Things. Our Philips products, Interact connected lighting systems and data-enabled services, deliver business value and transform life in homes, buildings and public spaces. In 2022, we had sales of EUR 7.5 billion, approximately 35,000 employees and a presence in over 70 countries. We unlock the extraordinary potential of light for brighter lives and a better world. We achieved carbon neutrality in 2020, have been in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index since our IPO for six consecutive years and were named Industry Leader in 2017, 2018 and 2019. News from Signify is located at the Newsroom, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. Information for investors can be found on the Investor Relations page.
