More than 800 electrical contractors gathered at the National Wine Centre during the March weekend of the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide. They were there to attend Clipsal by Schneider Electric’s “Gear up for the Future” business session.

Recently appointed vice president of the Clipsal and Schneider Partner Business, David Gardner told the audience that “we are one business, partnering with you in the electrical industry.”

David spoke of his passion for the Clipsal and Schneider Electric brands and that his mission was to “invest in our brands.”

David used the occasion to announce many key announcements to customers and media, including a commercial marketing alliance with

Beacon Lighting and new Customer Care Centres in Adelaide and Sydney.

Guest speaker was Australian Paralympian, Matt Cowdrey who inspired everyone in the room with his commitment to swimming and how he become the youngest ever Paralympian at 14 and also his great success at the 2012 London Olympics.

Following the formalities, the session opened up to unveil Clipsal and Schneider Electric’s latest and greatest product innovations and solutions. Centre piece of the display was a temporary assembly line module, relocated from the Gepps Cross factory, demonstrating how Clipsal branded products continue to be manufactured at the Gepps Cross site. The demonstration also complemented the premiere of the new Clipsal and Schneider Partner corporate video, confirming the brands’ commitment to R&D and investment at the Gepps Cross site.

Key attraction was the new Clipsal iSelect iPad app that allows you take photos of a room and pick and place Clipsal products in situ, print, email and create a product list. The free app was designed and developed at the Gepps Cross site.

SA Electronics & Security electrical contractor Adrian Bianchet described iSelect as a “great marketing tool to show to prospective residential clients.”

Darrell Mason said that the app was “the way of the future”.

Matthias Edler of Edler Electrical was impressed with the new C-Bus eDLT switch. “Just the looks have struck me and the technical features are great for the end consumer.”

It was Paul Findlay’s first visit to the Clipsal 500 business session. A self-confessed petrolhead, Paul was impressed with the event. “I think the session is great. I’ve been an electrician for over 25 years and I don’t use anything else other than Clipsal.”