Sparks Electrical News May 2019

CONTRACTORS’ CORNER

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USING TECHNOLOGY TO GET MORE ELECTRICAL WORK H ow often do you hear from a fellow electrical contractor at the counter of your electrical supplier? “I don’t have to advertise, I’m busier than ever.” If you do, this is probably bravado. The truth

social media that contractors need to interact with. Create a Facebook account and post pictures of completed projects, or get set up on Twitter and tweet well wishes to your followers. Every little helps on social media, so get engaging. 2) Make use of a smartphone Once you have created accounts on various social media channels, use your smartphone for quick and easy access to them during the day. This will enable you to respond quickly to any interaction and keep your audience up-to-date with your working day. Doing this will take half an hour of your day, and is certainly worth it. 3) Develop and maintain a website Even if you already have one set up, develop it to a professional stand-

ard that will catch your audience’s attention and make you stand out in the field. Be sure to connect the website to your social media chan- nels. Once it has been developed, maintain it regularly by updating information, adding photos, writing a weekly blog, etc. 4) Send out an e-newsletter Your online audience likes to feel you have a passion for your industry, so send out a monthly e-newsletter with information about your pro- jects, recent news about the construction sector and recent customer testimonials. Make it easy to subscribe to by adding a sign-up sec- tion to your website, and then posting the link to this onto your social media channels.

is that no contractor is as busy as he/she should be. You should have enough work for eight hours a day, five days a week, and be able to pick and choose the jobs you prefer to do, in areas you prefer to work. Using new technology in our technologically-driven world is essential for any business, big or small. If you’re an electrical contractor who would like to get more work, read the following key pieces of advice on how embracing new technology could solve your employment problems: 1) Engage with social media Industry experts have revealed that we spend one minute out of four on social media during our time online. There is a huge audience on

Other avenues for driving more business:

A NEW ERA OF AUTOMATION CONTROL SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC’S new high-end Modicon M580 Ethernet programmable automation con- troller (ePAC) features redundant processors, na- tive Ethernet, and cybersecurity embedded into its very core. It combines native Ethernet capabilities, high performance, high availability for processors and networks, improved industrial cybersecurity, greater flexibility in design and improved agility for operations. The Internet of things (IoT) is the extension of Internet connectivity into a plethora of devices and everyday objects we rely on to run our homes and businesses. With this in mind, Schneider Electric has spent decades developing solutions to help manufacturing organisations reap the benefits from their systems and harness the true power of the Internet. Firstly, the company’s ExoStructure empowers end-user customers to implement scalable and converged IT/OT solutions to deliver innovation at every level. This architecture and interoperable technology platform unites energy automation and software, ensuring that end-users are enjoy enhanced value around safety, reliability, efficiency, sustainability and connectivity. A platform that optimises open networks, the M580 ePAC, provides industrial plant operators with the power to design, implement, and run a process that actively employs the benefits of open networking, helping customers to access consistent and accurate data for timely decisions, and reduce downtime with detailed insight into alarms and events. It also enables customers to quickly diagnose and identify the root causes of issues, and thus make informed decisions. Modicon M580 ePAC has been built for PlantStruxure – a collaborative and integrated automation architecture developed by the manufacturing giant. PlantStruxure brings together the telemetry, PLC/SCADA, and DCS offerings with complete lifecycle services to help make operations more efficient and seamless. From initial design to modernisation, PlantStruxure transparently connects the control, operation and enterprise levels of the business. Estate agents: Send a letter of introduction, or better yet, visit your local estate agents with a portfolio of work and some business cards. Lots of people do remedial work prior to selling. Your transport: As you are on the road for much of the day, your car/bakkie/van could be doing advertising for you. It need not be too flash but get it done professionally. Make sure your com- pany name and ‘electrician’ are in large, easy to read letters and include a telephone number. T-shirts: Going on site wearing a shirt with your company name and telephone number printed on it, could give you an edge. Wearing it while out and about could also increase business. In these competitive times, you must gain any advantage you can gain by promoting yourself and your business.

Enquiries: www.se.com/za

SPARKS ELECTRICAL NEWS

MAY 2019