Electrical products and systems giant Legrand unveiled its newest range of switches and sockets in the Middle East.

Synergy, the new British Standard (BS) range launched by the company, will be available in Middle East markets soon. The development and launch of Synergy is based on the predominant use of BS as the reference standard for wiring accessories in more than 30 countries in the British Isles, the Middle East, Africa, India and the Far East.
“Recognising the need for change within the BS offering worldwide, Legrand embarked on a plan to introduce a set of BS ranges that was in line with progressive market expectations,” a company spokesman said.
The Synergy range comprises switches and sockets in three lines: economy, high and luxury. With traditional and modern influences, the range contains a host of new designs with evolved features – such as white plastic cover plates with new rounded edges, LED display, laser marking, and the patented three-pin safety shutter protection mechanism.
“All Synergy products have been tested in Legrand laboratories in France during the development stage to check their conformity with the highest international standards,” the spokesman said. “The products were approved after they successfully passed the entire set of standards tests, such as Asta, which examines and certifies product performance as per established references, and also audits production sites to ensure that standard procedures are being applied in production.”
Market deployment of the Synergy range was initiated in November 2004. Following the successful test launch in Cyprus, Synergy will now be launched in all countries within the British Standard zone during 2005. Around 400 delegates, including key people from the construction sector in 32 countries, attended the launch of Synergy in Dubai.
Present were Al Hathboor Group managing director Saif Al Hathboor and CEO M Salahuddin, Legrand vice-chairman and CEO Gilles Schnepp and vice-president for international sales Jean-Paul Leduc
Discussing the reasons behind Dubai’s selection as the venue for the launch of Synergy in the Middle East, Mohammed Ahmed-Yahia, general manager, Legrand Middle East, said: “Over recent years Dubai has become symbolic of growth and development within the GCC region. Legrand’s sales in the Gulf countries have risen 75 per cent over the last two years.”
With a strong year behind it, the company, which has a 25-year history in the region, is now looking to consolidate its position through the creation of a technical hub in Dubai and through the reorganising of its regional operations. The Legrand Middle East and Africa region has been re-organised into two zones – Africa and the Middle East. The Middle East zone comprises five key areas: area 1 encompassing Jordan, Egypt, Libya and Yemen; area 2, which includes Lebanon and Syria; area 3 – UAE and Oman; area 4 – Kuwait and Qatar; and area 5 – Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
The creation of the technical hub and the reorganisation of Legrand’s local operations are in response to the evolving Middle East market, and are the outcome of a comprehensive internal audit of the company’s regional operations, which concluded in 2001. The technical hub will bring together core specialist services, which will be provided to any of the five areas within the Middle East zone, whenever required. Among the specialisations available through the hub are power, wiring devices, specifications, a dedicated marketing department, VDI, and training.