Modular wiring company Apex Wiring Solutions Australia PTY Ltd has appointed Simon Waldren as managing director.

Apex is one of the world’s leading modular wiring companies and the appointment follows its move to set-up in Australia as part of its international growth and expansion plans.

Simon Waldren, who will be looking to also drive growth of the company’s new range of commercial and domestic voltage optimisation products throughout Australia, brings more than 15 years experience in the electrical industry to the position.

This includes managing and controlling major modular wiring projects in Europe for hospitals, schools and local authority developments which were focused around mechanical and electrical disciplines.

He latterly worked as a quantity surveying consultant for the Hastie Group owned Rotary Northern Limited in the UK before relocating to head up Apex’s new Melbourne-based operation.

Apex Wiring Solutions investment in its in new operation comes in the face of growing interest in its systems in Australia, where mechanical and electrical specifiers see the benefits of the modular approach with the adoption of some forms of pluggable system.

The electrical services market in Australia is estimated to be worth billions of dollars (AUS) a year according to BISWorld’s Electrical Services market research report*.

It is expected to generate revenue totalling AUS$11.25 billion in 2011-12, while revenue is predicted to grow by an annualised 2.3%, which comes in the face of increasing pressure on the supply chain to add value and drive down costs.

The use of prefabricated connectors and preassembled cable runs can provide a high performance, reliable and flexible wiring solution which offers significant improvements over alternative systems, reducing onsite installation times by up to 70%.

Simon Waldren says the opening of the new Melbourne office is an important strategic investment.

“We are going for growth over the next few years and driving the company forward to open up new opportunities in Australia.

“We will be targeting all sectors of the building and construction supply chain to raise awareness of modular wiring and promote the benefits of the pre-assembled approach to improve quality while delivering cost and time saving benefits.”

Apex Wiring Solutions Australia PTY Ltd is part of Apex Wiring Solutions, which is based in UK and has established a leading position in the market for electrical wiring products having supplied systems to over 50 PFI and ProCure21 schemes totalling over two million sq m.

Using the company’s systems, a complete electrical installation can be achieved quickly and safely by plugging the system components together.

Systems are designed to customer specification using the latest PC software before being manufactured offsite in a quality controlled environment using the latest high performance components and sub-assembly techniques.

Modular wiring systems can also provide improved on site health and safety conditions because they minimise the amount of time contractors are required to work at height, while also reducing the need for onsite cable and conduit cutting tools which can cause accidents.

* Electrical Services Market Research Report | ANZSIC E4232 | Apr 2012