The EDIT Magazine | 2023 EUEW Business Convention

EDITION NO. 3 JUNE 2023 ROTTERDAM POWERED BY

ENERGIZE TRANSITION A KEY ROLE FOR THE ELECTRICAL WHOLESALERS

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The EDIT / June 2023

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Contents

Publisher HARE MANAGEMENT represented by Koen Lauryssen Manager www.haremgt.com

How ABB partners with distributors in fulfilling their role in the energy transition

Editorial

Ana Iacovici Content Design Captain & Curator aka the Honest Terrorist

Siemens: Making buildings sustainable Valentina Tudosa Content Quality First Mate & Versatile Energy Manager aka the Silent Killer

Graphic Design

Lucian Linte Visual Design Architect & Curator aka Certified Team Sunshine

Photo credits: shutterstock.com, ABB, Eaton, LEDVANCE, Legrand, Marc van Laere Producties, Niedax Group, NKT, Phoenix Contact, Siemens, SLV, TRILUX. The EDIT magazine is published by HARE MANAGEMENT (talkto@haremgt.com) on behalf of EUEW – the European Union of Electrical Wholesalers (www.euew. org). Full or partial reproduction of texts or illustrations from any edition of The EDIT magazine is possible only with prior written approval of the publisher and/or of the EUEW. The magazine’s contributors are responsible for the content of their articles.

All models photographed in The EDIT magazine have a strictly visual role. HARE MANAGEMENT is not responsible for the involvement of the respective models in the articles that they illustrate.

The EDIT / June 2023

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Highlights

p.46 Rotterdam: A sustainable haven by day, A dazzling spectacle by night

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Experience Rotterdam through the eyes of a local with Aster van Laere

Sustainable action is a decisive success factor for the lighting business

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Alexander Dewulf

It’s not goodbye, it’s see you tomorrow!

Alexander Dewulf

I am honored to address the EUEW community one last time as President of the European Union of Electrical Wholesalers. This role was an important challenge for me, and I enjoyed challenging the EUEW in return. It’s been four years that included events that some don’t get to experience in a whole lifetime. It’s been four years of transformation like the EUEW has probably never seen before. It’s been four years during which the EUEW has gained an increasingly more important role in its industry and the ecosystem. It’s been four years in which EUEW has found its new voice, a voice that is stronger than ever. It’s been four years in which EUEW built unprecedently strong ties with other important organizations of the ecosystem and we all grew stronger together. Four years of ups and downs, four years of challenges and opportunities, four amazingly busy years that make me look very proudly at the legacy I am passing on.

When I imagine the future of EUEW, I believe it will be at least as long as the time it took to reach 68 years of existence. I am confident because I am handing over a powerful and stable organization which has all necessary resources to reach even greater heights.

I am optimistic because the team that is taking over the leadership is very capable and determined to steer this organization to seize new opportunities.

Henk Oude Brunink has been by my side and part of the EUEW Presidium as EUEW Vice President for as long as I have been President and we dealt with a lot of challenges together. Koen Lauryssen joined the team in 2020 and has offered his unconditional support to the leadership team ever since. Guillaume Dubrule joined us in 2022 showing a remarkable level of ongoing engagement, bringing new partnership opportunities for the EUEW Business Convention, steering EUEW towards having one common voice when it comes to sustainability data and forging new partnerships with both electrical wholesalers as well as suppliers. Together they are strong, young, ambitious, and very determined to keep EUEW on the right path and they are not alone.

It is the EUEW Presidium – President, Vice President, Secretary General and Treasurer that suggest the main directions of action for the organization but, at the end of the day, the decisions are taken by the EUEW Board of Directors – Presidium plus six senior level representatives of the EUEW Members, with their extensive experience and great intuition who decides on the main actions to be taken by the EUEW, based on the strategy determined by the EUEW General Assembly of Members. Ultimately, EUEW is fortunate to leverage the guidance and recommendations provided by the members of its Advisory Council.

With a membership of distinguished senior representatives from marketing groups that champion the business interests of electrical wholesalers and major corporations in the electrical industry, this council offers a remarkable opportunity for EUEW to tap into a wealth of expertise and insights.

The EUEW is also strong because it is not walking its path alone. During my mandate, I made sure that the President offers the appropriate level of representation in respect to our peers and partners, part of the Ecosystem. Working closer together has proven to be beneficial to us all and to create a stronger, more determined, and better prepared force to tackle the tsunami of legislative measures coming our way at a faster pace than anticipated and with extremely high expectations and severe deadlines.

In this ever-evolving landscape, now strongly focused on the energy transition, electrical wholesalers play a pivotal role as facilitators and enablers of change. They serve

The EDIT / June 2023

It’s not goodbye, it’s see you tomorrow

as vital connectors between suppliers, their clients and, ultimately, the end customer. Their extensive knowledge of energy systems and evolving market trends enables them to guide customers towards more sustainable solutions and opt for greener alternatives. Focusing on promoting energy-efficient products, supporting the adoption of renewable energy technologies, and making sure they always have their eyes open for cutting-edge electrical infrastructure, electrical wholesalers contribute significantly to the acceleration of energy transition as well as the overall transition of our society towards more sustainable solutions and circular economy.

Notably, I would use this occasion to also thank my long-time partner, Eric Piers, for being one of the best Secretary Generals that the EUEW could wish for in difficult times. Together, we kept EUEW strong and on the right track despite all the challenges we faced.

As we draw the curtain on my mandate, I want to assure you that I am only handing forward my mandate as EUEW President and I continue to remain active in the industry as President of the Belgian association representing the interests of manufacturers, distributors, installers, and companies active in the field of technical maintenance and energy management. I will also continue to share my knowledge and experience with the various boards I was invited to be a part of and, yes, I’m not saying my goodbyes because it’s actually… See you tomorrow!

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Eric Piers

Success is sometimes achieved by chance Eric Piers

The EDIT / June 2023

Success is sometimes achieved by chance

After spending several months during the 2020 pandemic to replace the previous Secretary General who left the position the same year, the EUEW refused to settle for anyone who would not meet iits high standards and the expectations of its members and invited me, as one of the very experienced and knowledgeable members of the EUEW Board of Directors, back then to take on this new challenge for an initial period of 6 months.

My dearest EUEW Community, what a pleasure to be able to share my last thoughts with you before stepping down as Secretary General of this wonderfully complex organization.

If I were to use only one phrase to describe how I became Secretary General of the EUEW, the one that would most accurately describe the context would be “It’s a tough job but somebody’s got to do it”. Joke aside, what I mean by this is that this was more of an opportunity that found me rather than me pursuing it.

EUEW has been around for almost 70 years, it is older than the now more famous European Union, it has changed an impressive number of Presidents during all this time, and it has managed to stay relevant for its members no matter the hardship it had to face. And, most of all, it has grown to be very specific and demanding in respect to its needs and the needs of its members.

You might wonder why I am mentioning all the above and it is because I am honored and very proud to have met the very high demands of this organization to be invited to become its Secretary General and offer my support through quite some rough and unprecedented times.

Since then, 2 years went by and I am delighted to have contributed to and witnessed the transformation of EUEW into a much stronger organization, more representative of the interests of its members and to an improved communication about important subjects driven by the European Commission through our more focused advocacy calls using the invaluable input from Bernd Gruner. EUEW is also better connected with its ecosystem and has already amassed quite a few collaborations with peers to contribute to position papers acting on legislation produced by the European Union which was not always serving the best interest of electrical wholesalers.

Looking back, I am proud to hand over a more financially successful organization, an organization with a more dynamic decision-making process facilitated by the reduced number of board members, the 2023 Business Convention organized and the 2025 already in the making and quite a few opportunities for the EUEW as well as its members, for which further details will be shared by the new leadership team.

For these two years it’s been a pleasure to work along my teammate and partner in crime for years now, Alexander Dewulf. I was also delighted to share my experience with and pass on my knowledge to Koen Lauryssen, former Head of the EUEW Bureau now taking over the Secretary General position and to witness the amazing leadership capabilities displayed by Henk Oude Brunink. After working with them in the past years, I am convinced to leave you and the EUEW in the best of hands.

In the meantime, now having gotten back an important part of my life and time, I will gladly continue as CEO of Techlink and representative of FEDIBEL at EUEW. I wish you all the best and I can’t wait to see what the future will bring for this impressive community.

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Speakers THOMAS RAU

Founder RAU, TURNTOO, MADASTER

GUILLAUME TEXIER

Chief Executive Officer REXEL

FRANK JAEGNETS

Chief Executive Officer EFO NORWAY

Program THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 2023 TIME

EVENT

LOCATION

10.00–18.30

Registration Desk

Promenade Deck

10.30–12.00

Annual General Meeting • by invitation only

Sun Room

12.30–15.00

Leadership Lunch • by invitation only

Restaurant Fred

19.00–23.00

Welcome Reception & Dinner

Grand Ballroom

SUN DECK

UPPER PROMENADE DECK

FRIDAY, JUNE 16, 2023 TIME

EVENT

LOCATION

08.00–18.00

Registration Desk

Main Lobby

08.30–09.00

Welcome

Theatre

09.00–10.15

Opening Keynote & Panel Discussion

Theatre

10.15–10.45

Networking Break

Queen’s Lounge

10.45–12.00

Executive Seminar & Panel Discussion

Theatre

12.00–12.30

EUEW Market Study

Theatre

12.30–14.00

Lunch

Queen’s Lounge

MAIN DECK

PROMENADE DECK

THOMAS RAU • ARCHITECT & FOUNDER OF RAU, TURNTOO, MADASTER

PROMENADE DECK

GUILLAUME TEXIER • CEO OF REXEL

FRANK JAEGTNES • CEO OF EFO NORWAY

14.00–15.30 Ξ Parallel Session 1

PROMENADE DECK

PROMENADE DECK PROMENADE DECK PROMENADE DECK

LINK 2030

Odyssee B DECK

Solar Ready Buildings Digital Data Supply for the Electrical Sector 14.00–15.30 Ξ Parallel Session 2

EU Taxonomy

La Fontaine B DECK

Circular Economy EUEW Data on Sustainability 15.30–16.00

Networking Break

16.00–17.30 Ξ Parallel Session 1

Queen's Lounge PROMENADE DECK

LINK 2030

Odyssee B DECK

Solar Ready Buildings Digital Data Supply for the Electrical Sector 16.00–17.30 Ξ Parallel Session 2

EU Taxonomy

La Fontaine B DECK

Circular Economy EUEW Data on Sustainability 17.30–17.45

Closing Remarks

La Fontaine

19.00–23.00

Grand Finale Reception & Dinner

Hulstkamp Building

B DECK

Stepping into the spotlight: Meet the new President of EUEW Henk Oude Brunink

The EDIT / June 2023

Stepping into the spotlight

Anyone who has ever met Henk will probably confirm that his style of leadership is quite rare. From a strong commitment, he always strives to achieve the best result together. He does not feel the need to be in the spotlight, but he can be a strong presence in the room to share and substantiate his views about the best practical path to a common goal, always listening to and taking into account the opinion of others.

Henk Oude Brunink has been EUEW Vice President since 2019 and – as can be expected of a Vice President – has supported the organisation and in some areas, such as the revision of the EUEW Bylaws, has already been able to help building the future organisation. We have come to know him as someone who wants to put trust to a team and is happy if he can help making the team successful.

Building on the achievements, brought about by former presidents Ulrich Liedtke and Alexander Dewulf, Henk has a challenging, but inspiring threeyear journey ahead, starting this June. Let’s all spend a few minutes together to get to know the man, professionally and personally, in his own words.

Mr. Oude Brunink, congratulations on your new role as President of the European Union of Electrical Wholesalers (EUEW). After a lot more than the initially expected three years serving as EUEW Vice President and contributing to what EUEW represents today, mid-June you will be taking over this new position. Let’s help the EUEW community know you better, by sharing a bit more information about you, professionally and personally.

Yes, due to COVID, it has been an unforeseen and record-breaking EUEW presidency for Alexander Dewulf and I would like to take this opportunity to thank him for his flexibility in extending his presidency, as well as his passionate and professional leadership to the

EUEW community, both online und, luckily, also face to face again. And although I am not new to the EUEW scene, it has provided me with the opportunity to get to know the people and their interests from the EUEW Federations, -groups and -members even better.

I have started working in this industry 31 years ago, directly from university, and I still work for the same company, now called itsme. Of course, a lot has happened over these years, as we have developed into the leading wholesaler for motion- and controltechnology for machine building and industry in the Netherlands, also with activities in Belgium and Spain.

As a company, we have a clear strategy of making our customers succeed by providing them with value adding services in technology and supply chain availability. This is driven by my competent colleagues and supported by an omnichannel IT-landscape.

Over the years, I have gained hands-on experience in translating a vision into concrete and accepted ways of working, both internally and externally and, doing so, built up a strong background in commerce and operations. I am married for 26 years already and we have one daughter and three sons that are now studying or getting ready to start their studies. As many people that come from the eastern part of the Netherlands, I consider myself to be straightforward and authentic, which by the way also fits to the spirit of Rotterdam, where we lived for 14 years and people are said to be born with their sleeves rolled up.

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Henk Oude Brunink

You have an impressive career; please share with us the highlights of your history with the electrical wholesalers' industry. What made this industry so appealing?

Let me first say that I have never looked at my work as a career, especially not with personal highlights.

What I find appealing from the day I started working in this industry is that, although electrical wholesalers are perhaps the best kept secret in the market, we do make a big impact on the success of both customers and suppliers. I always enjoy working with talented and competent people that I can learn from, together accomplishing something that one cannot accomplish alone. I feel that the atmosphere and culture in the electrical wholesalers' industry offer many opportunities to do so, even in this age of digitization, where expectations toward wholesalers are higher and responsibilities we should take have to change accordingly. In other words, I hope we all cherish the human scale of things that still allows people the autonomy to master new skills and gives them a purpose to contribute to a better electrical future.

You also have an important role within the IDEE group. Do you believe that your experience with IDEE had a significance in preparing you for your new role at EUEW? IDEE is a household name in the electrical wholesale industry as a marketing group of strong independent electrical wholesalers from 17 countries in Europe. Now serving as Chairman of the Board of IDEE for more than 10 years, I always enjoy listening to and learning from the various cultures, backgrounds, strategies and markets within our group, thereby respecting our differences but also identifying and leveraging what we have in common. The family owned companies of IDEE always have a close relationship with their local communities and as a result show a strongfelt responsibility about solutions for the current and next generations. From my experience as a Vice President of the EUEW, I am sure I can build on this experience for my role at EUEW. What were the main reasons the main reasons that convinced you to take on this new role?

I guess it did not take a lot of convincing. When the request came in, I looked at the role as an opportunity for giving back. To me, it will be an honour to represent the people, organizations and companies

The EDIT / June 2023

that always take on the responsibility of the “middle man” in translating traditional and new challenges into concrete solutions for the electrical future. I am looking forward to serving our industry from this different perspective and contribute to that future.

During recent years, EUEW has been striving to get a more important role in its ecosystem due to the efforts of the EUEW leadership. For your mandate, what would be the main goals, the main achievements you would like to walk away with?

The EUEW agenda is filled with topics that cannot possible be solved within three years. So, we should regard any presidency period as a phase in a long term strategy. Like in the African proverb about the value of community: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together”.

We will therefore continue in the direction that was set out by the previous EUEW Presidents.

First of all, the EUEW will concretely strengthen and amplify the local policies of member Federations on selected themes through information and – possibly – participation from and in Brussels.

Secondly, we will be looking for opportunities within these selected themes to leverage shared interests and commitments of member companies and business groups that are active the Advisory Council.

We will do so by establishing and further developing relevant strategic connections with governmental organizations, as well as other cross-industrial organizations and federations within our value chain.

I consider myself to be straightforward and authentic, which by the way also fits to the spirit of Rotterdam, where we lived for 14 years and people are said to be born with their sleeves rolled up.

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Henk Oude Brunink

The EUEW Business Convention is one of the key industry events for networking and discussing the latest trends. In recent years, the event completely transformed, and it brings together more electrical wholesalers and suppliers with each passaging edition. Why is it important for electrical wholesalers to join this major EUEW event?

Although web meetings have proven to be practical and useful in lowering the threshold for contact and cooperation, they also inevitably cause all of us to retreat to our own world. Over the last years, EUEW has invested in the development of a year-round program, consisting of online information sessions around key fields of interest in the Circular Economy, Green Deal and Digital. But within this program, our Business Convention continues to be a highlight as the periodic power supply for people in our industry where representatives of federations, wholesalers and leading manufacturers can meet, share and learn.

The EDIT / June 2023

“Energize transition: a key role for the electrical wholesalers” is the theme of this year’s EUEW Business Convention. Why is this topic so relevant now? And what is the key role of electrical wholesalers that the convention topic is meant to bring forward?

Change has always been and will always remain a constant. But to ensure a sustainable, and possibly even circular future, we have to align more than ever and reach beyond our traditional perception of change.

I do not have to explain why this is important and why every step in the right direction, however small, is the right step. As electrical wholesalers, it is crucial to play our key role in the necessary reinvention of our value chain: take responsibility, show exemplary behavior, energize transition and make change happen, as we will see during the Convention. Seeing is believing and I am sure believing is contagious.

Stepping into the spotlight

Apart from the energy transition, what would you consider to be the hottest topics for the electrical wholesalers and why?

Another hot topic is of course ensuring sufficient knowledge and education for the challenges that lay ahead, starting with an inspiring and challenging working environment for our employees. Luckily, many Federations already have programs in place that aim to create awareness for the electrical wholesale industry as an interesting place to work. Digital is also a hot topic, but can never be a solution in itself.

Digital as a smart means to optimize processes is, and can only succeed when solutions throughout the supply chain are co-created and technical possibilities and barriers are well understood. Both these topics are of course closely related to the overarching topic of energy transition, which also applies to another hot topic, namely cross-industrial cooperation.

That is why EUEW has established connections to organisations like EuropeOn, ETIM International, Cecapi, Europacable and LightingEurope.

The current market for wholesalers is very dynamic and quite a bit unpredictable. What are the main opportunities for your mandate as EUEW president? What about the main challenges you would expect to face?

Challenges and opportunities depend on a potential problem or advantage. EUEW will constantly be reaching out and listening very carefully to what associated Federations and Advisory Council members see as potential problems or advantages. Of course, the latest big challenges were the financial crisis and COVID and in both cases we have seen that electrical wholesalers are very able to adapt and bounce back successfully. A big challenge for the industry is to evolve the current business model toward a more sustainable and – in the longer run – circular model.

This requires a new value paradigm for our whole industry, starting with an intrinsic conviction, but also translated into the concrete introduction of new services.

This year’s edition of the EUEW Business Convention is an unprecedented success for EUEW. The first 100 delegates registered just one week after the registrations were open and the event counts on no less than 12 sponsors. What is the message you would like to share with the participants in this year’s Convention?

We are all very happy and excited to welcome so many delegates. I wish all of us an open mind for new opportunities and a win-win mindset in our participation to the Convention!

Being in the business for as long as I have, I have always heard that the current market is dynamic and unpredictable. So, nothing new there. And yet, all of us still try to predict the market every year…

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Koen Lauryssen

Finding the appropriate arena for my transforming ambitions: My journey from law to managing professional associations.

Koen Lauryssen, the new Secretary General of the EUEW

When I was a kid, my dreams were as vast as the sky itself. I used to imagine myself as the next John McEnroe, Stefan Edberg, or André Agassi, holding that Wimbledon trophy high over my head, bowing to the Royals of England. As a film buff, I was also inspired by the cinematic marvels of Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, and I dreamt of directing my own stories on the big screen. But, quite fast, I came to understand that my talents were more attuned to intellectual pursuits rather than the athletic or artistic ones.

Inspired by lawyers in my family, I found myself diving headfirst into the world of law, an intriguing playground of reasoning, strategizing, and problemsolving. My journey through law lasted for a remarkable 17 years. Over time, I grew fond of business law, finding excitement in drafting contracts, negotiating agreements, and defending my clients' interests. This became my new arena, let’s say my Wimbledon of sorts. However, after almost two decades, I started to feel a shift. The law still stimulated my intellect, but the fast-paced world of business began to draw me in. Working with several trade associations over the years, I saw how they may affect change on a macro scale. This stirred something in me.

The EDIT / June 2023

One day, a client who owned a thriving business focusing on professional associations came to me with an offer that seemed too good to ignore: taking over his business. Sensing a fresh challenge, I decided to leave my legal career behind. Upon taking over the business, I joined forces with the European Union of Electrical Wholesalers (EUEW), a collaboration that turned out to be deeply rewarding.

EUEW's new Secretary General

Looking back, my childhood dreams have certainly transformed. I never made it to the tennis court or behind a movie camera, but instead, I found an unexpected, yet satisfying path.

This path aligns perfectly with my skills and interests, enabling me to make contributions to the industry. This journey has been immensely fulfilling so far. In the end, it's true what they say:

“It's never too late to be what you might have been”

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Koen Lauryssen

THE COLLABORATION WITH EUEW My collaboration with EUEW started with a serious challenge, in 2020, when the whole world was faced with the COVID pandemic. Because of this unforeseen and, definitely, undesired context, my first two years were not very intense and, at the same time, unlike any other years at EUEW. Don’t let my previous statement lead you to believe that the EUEW had no activity for about two years. All the contrary, this organization really impressed me with their smart approach to moving forward faced with this unprecedented challenge.

Being offered TIME, a most valuable resource, with many meetings and projects put on hold along with the rest of the world pandemic freeze, the leaders of the EUEW decided to make the best use of it. This is how my first steps in the collaboration took me into an EUEW introspection journey. My contribution was quite valuable as I was analyzing the organization with objectivity spectacles, offering unbiased and relevant feedback, as a newcomer and outsider. The EUEW leadership made an analysis of their own and, based on this comprehensive analysis, we rolled up our sleeves and got to work.

The EDIT / June 2023

2020

2021

In 2020 and 2021 we spent a lot of time setting a new strategy for EUEW to navigate all these new challenges successfully and stay relevant for members and for the electrical wholesalers’ industry. We focused on the benefits we could take from this experience rather than the obstacles it seemed to put in our way. We updated the EUEW bylaws to make decision making more efficient and then we elected a compact and extremely determined board of directors to manage all EUEW projects and to propose new ones. At the end of 2021, I even organized my first ever EUEW Business Convention with the invaluable support of my team who offered me their expertise, their best advice and, most importantly, their unconditional support to make the EUEW Business Convention in Barcelona, the best EUEW event to date.

Fast forward to 2022, the world started the thawing process after the nearly arctic freeze it had gone through for about 2 years. And what do you know, EUEW was just as prepared as ever to continue its activity and to take on new challenges.

2022

2023

2022 was also the first year when EUEW really felt the absence of its Secretary General since 2020. Alexander Dewulf had been covering the roles of President and Secretary General immediately after the departure of the previous Secretary General while juggling a successful professional career in the meantime as well. With the increase in activity at EUEW, Eric Piers also stepped in to offer support as part-time Secretary General for an initial six months, which turned into a two-year mandate.

By the end of 2022, with numerous activities, meetings, and new proposals for collaboration, I found myself in the position of having to step up and take on more responsibility. As my involvement in all the activities of the organization increased so did my knowledge of the industry and of the expectations of the EUEW members. As it happens, my growth didn’t go unnoticed and, after exploring quite a few options to cover the role of Secretary General, the EUEW, once again, took a look into its “back yard” and decided that the best solution was already growing there.

Taking a few steps further in 2023, at the end of February, I was really humbled and honored to receive the proposal of the EUEW leadership to consider taking on the role of EUEW Secretary General. I accepted and, here I am, welcoming you all to the 2023 EUEW Business Convention as EUEW Manager of Operations for the last time, only a few short days away from fully and officially stepping into my new role as EUEW Secretary General.

I am not one to make promises, I rather prefer to show results. What I do promise though is that I will continue to hold transparency and communication as some of my most precious possessions in this collaboration with the EUEW, which I hope is just the beginning of a long journey together.

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Koen Lauryssen

When you went from a long-time lawyer career to this new business and industry, was it a difficult step?

Were there challenges that made you sometimes think that you might have taken the wrong choice or was this a very smooth and easy transition?

Taking the leap from a long-time law career into a new industry was a bit like swapping out a familiar script for a brand new one, with a whole new set of characters and scenes to learn. But, I wouldn't say it was a "difficult" step. It was more like when you dive into the deep end of a pool for the first time. Let's take the jargon for instance. Each industry has its own lingo, and I found myself playing catch-up, trying to understand acronyms and industry-specific terms that were second nature to the “old-timers”. There is also the challenge of understanding the technical aspects of the industry.

I was used to dissecting complex legal statutes, but now I had to familiarize myself with the nuances of electrical wholesaling, understanding specificities of the products, operational procedures, and the supply chain intricacies. So, it wasn't exactly a walk in the park, but, let’s compare it to taking the scenic route instead of the highway – it might take a little longer and you might have to navigate some twists and turns, but the views along the way make it all worth it.

The EDIT / June 2023

Koen, you are now picking the ripening fruit of your collaboration with EUEW. Were you surprised by the proposal to take over this new role or do you feel it is a natural step given your involvement and dedication in the transformation of this European federation in recent years?

While the proposal took me by surprise, it also felt like a reward and recognition for the dedication and work I'd invested; a vote of confidence from the Board and the EUEW Leadership. I see this as an affirmation of efforts and am, of course, thrilled about the possibilities this role offers.

Could you pinpoint a moment when you felt most proud of working with the EUEW to support the electrical wholesalers’ industry?

Certainly, one moment that distinctly stands out in my journey with the EUEW is the successful organisation of the EUEW Business Convention in Barcelona as we approached the end of 2021.

The circumstances were far from ideal; the world was grappling with the effects of the pandemic, countless conventions had been cancelled, and uncertainty was a constant companion.

EUEW's new Secretary General

However, our commitment to the EUEW members and the electrical wholesalers’ industry remained steadfast.

We knew that we needed to press forward, to find a way to connect, inspire, and rally the community despite the challenging climate. When we received the assurance that it was safe to proceed, we decided to seize the moment and make the convention happen.

It was a herculean task, calling for planning, collaboration, and problem-solving. But seeing it all come together, witnessing our community convene in Barcelona, made all the effort worthwhile.

Successfully executing the convention in such testing times was a testament to EUEW's resilience, adaptability, and unyielding commitment to our industry. In this moment, I felt an immense sense of pride – for the team that tirelessly worked to make the convention a reality, and for the EUEW itself.

leadership. Moving forward, it will be the mandate of the incoming EUEW Leadership, in concert with the EUEW Board and with an eye to adding their own unique contributions, to carry on building upon this prosperous legacy. One of my initial tasks will be to introduce myself more broadly. While I'm known to the EUEW Board and Leadership, it's also crucial that I quickly establish my presence as Secretary General among the diverse members of the EUEW, as well as within organisations that are part of or linked to our ecosystem. Further, in conjunction with the Board, the EUEW Leadership will start to revisit EUEW’s strategic plan that's a few years in the making, and suggesting necessary amendments as required. In a dynamic industry like ours, it's vital to regularly reassess our goals and strategies to ensure their ongoing pertinence and efficacy. This is particularly significant as a strategic plan serves as the springboard from which we launch and shape our further activities.

You are taking over the role of Secretary General as of the evening of Monday, June 19. Which are your short-term goals as SG for the second half of 2023?

Looking at the activity of the EUEW, if you were asked to put your finger on the three current priorities of the organization, which would they be?

It's important to highlight that my approach will be guided by the principle of "evolution, not revolution".

The EUEW has laid a solid groundwork under the recent

Like any vibrant and progressive organization, EUEW has a multitude of priorities. If I were to pick out three of them, which personally resonate with me, they would be:

MEMBER ENGAGEMENT AND VALUE CREATION At the core of EUEW's mission is serving our members and the electrical wholesalers’ industry.

My personal commitment to this mission is steadfast – to stimulate engagement amongst our members and to enrich their experience with initiatives that directly contribute to their success.

ADVOCACY AND REPRESENTATION I firmly believe that EUEW must continue to be a compelling advocate for the electrical wholesalers' industry at both the European and international levels. I'm committed to championing policies and regulations that advance the industry's interests and cultivate a favourable business environment.

COLLABORATION AND PARTNERSHIPS I'm excited about building robust partnerships with other organizations, those within our industry and beyond. I see this as a golden opportunity to foster collaboration, enabling EUEW to tap into a wealth of shared knowledge, and enhance the collective efficacy of our advocacy efforts. These partnerships can also open additional opportunities for our members, thus amplifying the value of their EUEW membership.

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ABB

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Energy transition

How ABB partners with distributors in fulfilling their role in the energy transition The shift from fossil fuels to low carbon and renewable energy sources, is permanently altering the role ABB and its distributors play. The partnership between manufacturer and channel partner is vital to ensure that customers receive the right information, guidance, and technological solutions they need to shape and secure a sustainable, more energy efficient future for all.

Vincent Hurel, Global Head of Distribution Channel, ABB Electrification’s Smart Buildings Division explains how ABB Electrification, is supporting its distributors in fulfilling their role in the energy transition.

How critical is it that distributors begin fulfilling their vital role in the energy transition?

As the world goes electric, fueled by megatrends such as urbanization and the energy transition, the global economy will demand more and more energy in the coming years. It is estimated that electricity will reach up to 50 percent of final energy consumption for buildings, transport and industry by 2050, growing from 17 percent in 2010.(1) The challenge today though, is that many businesses are struggling with rising energy prices and inflation.

This means that investing in technologies to complete their energy transition is more challenging. In fact, ABB Electrification’s recent Energy Insights Survey revealed that out of 2,300 business leaders, more than half told us that the cost of energy could delay them achieving their sustainability and carbon reduction targets by anywhere from one to five years.

Meeting carbon reduction commitments is today considered a lower priority than reducing energy costs.

This could delay progress on climate change.(2)

(1) IEA, McKinsey (2) Energy Insights Report 2023 (abb.com)

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So how can distributors help? The key to achieving the energy transition is understanding how customer needs are evolving and how best to support them. Much of the support and technology that can help businesses – large or small – to optimize their energy management and transition away from fossil fuels, is already widely available and at a reasonable cost. Businesses are also not alone. ABB and its channel partners are collaborating with companies globally, across all sectors, to provide innovative solutions to their energy concerns, challenges and opportunities, despite rising energy costs and the associated financial challenges.

Why are distributors so important to ABB Electrification and how does the company support its partners to fulfill their role in the energy transition?

ABB’s channel partners are vitally important. They provide substantial market reach and unparalleled proximity to customers, together with innovation intelligence, and local market and customer knowledge.

In Europe, more than 60 percent of ABB’s business is conducted in partnership with distributors, so it makes sense that its effort and focus is on supporting them.

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For manufacturers like ABB, the role is to provide its channel distribution partners with everything they need to fulfil their role in serving the customer.

We empower distributors to be recognized in the market as the right partner with the specific domain expertise customers expect.

We support our distributors in three key ways.

First, we innovate solutions that meet the latest government legislation, energy trends and customer needs. Second, we support our distributors in being recognized as experts with training and upskilling opportunities in the latest sustainable offerings and technologies. We support distributors in bringing value to the market. This means not just a good integrated supply chain but how we provide the right training, support, and innovations so they achieve a level of expertise across many areas.

Lastly, we give our distributors everything they need to meet their own sustainability transition. Many of our distributors have sustainability or carbon neutrality targets of their own, and wherever possible, ABB will support them in bringing their ideas to fruition.

Energy transition

Can you tell us more about how ABB Electrification innovates solutions that meet governmental regulations and the latest energy trends?

We believe that enabling safe, smart and sustainable electrification means progress towards a healthier and more sustainable world for our customers today and future generations. This means balancing the needs of society, the environment and economy.

We embed this approach in everything we do, in order to create long-term value. It is a mindset. This starts with helping our channel partners and customers reduce their emissions and preserve resources, which is where we make the biggest impact. We also consider our own operations, our suppliers, and the communities we serve and apply a circularity framework to our products. Our Mission to Zero™ program is ABB’s own journey towards carbon neutrality by 2030 with an increasing number of factories and facilities already on the path towards becoming carbon neutral. The program demonstrates our commitment to leading by example and can be replicated by customer and partner facilities to achieve their own carbon-neutral ambitions. To stand out, we need to keep pushing the boundaries of technology and innovation, as we have

done for the last 130 years. Only by trial and error can we develop cutting edge technologies, and by leveraging the skills and expertise of our partners of all sizes from starts ups to global players like Samsung Electronics.

Our aim is to engage with the brightest minds in the industry to new approaches and to deliver excellent customer value. We believe in curiosity, courage and collaboration – three of our four values which shape the culture of ABB for the future, serving the market together with distributors the way customers want to buy.

Just one example of our most recent customers innovations is ABB AbilityTM Building Analyzer in our Smart Buildings Division, a cloud-based solution that provides real-time collection of buildings and utilities data, deep analytics, and data visualization in one easy to use interface. It helps proactively improve buildings’ energy usage, reduce costs and emissions by analyzing the performance of a building or portfolio of buildings.

By innovating and collaborating to bring to market solutions that solve real customer problems, we are arming our distributors with a rich portfolio of datadriven systems that enable them to support customers with confidence – safe in the knowledge that the solutions they are recommending are stand for quality.

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— Electrifying the World in a safe, smart and sustainable way As the world’s demand for electricity grows, we are electrifying the world in a safe, smart and sustainable way as a global technology leader in electrical distribution and management.

We collaborate with customers and partners to enable energy efficiency and power a sustainable future for society with our products, solutions and digital technologies. go.abb/electrification The EDITthe / June 2023Together.

Let’s write future.

Energy transition

How does ABB Electrification support distributors in being recognized as sustainability experts with in their market and why is this so important?

For distributors to succeed in the energy transition landscape, they must become experts not just on products, but on the shift to renewable energy challenge as a whole. Single product solutions are no longer viable now the focus has shifted towards connectivity and interoperability – distributors must understand why customers want to make the shift, the benefits, potential pitfalls, the associated legislation and the challenges that must be overcome in order to make the transition.

Channel partners can improve their capabilities fulfilling authorization programs and receive customer-facing recognition and better visibility as an ABB Value Provider.

Our Channel Partners are equipped to guide customers through the process, from concept to completion, and have access to the latest technical tools and information to make that process accurate, smooth and efficient.

To make upskilling easier, ABB is also proposing its online distributor training platform, the ABB Electrification Course Finder. From here, channel partners can access online training modules 24 hours a day.

To arm its distribution partners with more than just single product information, ABB Electrification has moved in favor of learning paths that incorporate sales, support, engineering and service capabilities across all the company’s products and solutions. Channel partners can select the path that will be most beneficial to the customers, then upskill across complete solutions that meet the specific needs for that application.

There are currently different programs structured by domains of expertise that qualify a Channel partner to become an ABB Value Provider, including substation automation, motor control, critical power, energy management, E-mobility, asset management and more.

The ABB Electrification Course Finder also contains 550 modules and 32 learning paths in 20 languages.

Once the selected module has been downloaded, the training can be completed on any device, with or without internet connection, making it easier for distributors to fit training around their busy schedules.

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THE ABB APPLICATION FINDER Being an expert in your field isn’t just about training, it’s also about having access to the right tools for the job. As part of its portfolio of distributor tools, a range of easy-to-access platforms that make specification simple are available. Two examples are the ABB Application Finder and ABB BIM solutions.

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The ABB Application Finder stores reference architecture for all ABB’s key market segments in one place, allowing ABB channel partners to find full application packages in one fast search.

By simply selecting the market segment, the standard required and the end use, distributors are presented with a full list of applications, single line diagrams and related bill of materials to speed up their projects.

By downloading the full documentation, distributors can also access and share product codes.

Energy transition

ABB BIM SOLUTIONS Combining its own Building Information Modelling (BIM) portfolio with external platforms, ABB’s BIM solution allows distributors to develop models that perfectly meet the needs of smart building customers, enhance business plans, and save time and money.

ABB BIM objects are available in the ABB Download Center, or from trusted partners together with all product documentation. There are a range of additional plug-in tools to help distributors to configure ABB solutions and helpful guides to maximize the application of BIM tools to customer requirements.

Sustainability, digitalization & connectivity, urbanization, and a shift towards electricity as part of a global energy transformation are all shaping the electrification landscape.

In summary, the ABB Electrification 2023 Energy Insights Report highlights that some of the main actions businesses are taking to improve their energy usage include increasing investment to improve energy efficiency, integrating more renewable energy, setting energy efficiency targets and deploying building energy management systems.

This proves that despite the economic and geopolitical challenges of today’s market, businesses are committed to the energy transition. To achieve it, they need experts, and those experts are our distributors.

Our partners should be recognized in the market as experts in the field and are considered as an extension of ABB Electrification’s dedicated workforce adding customer value every day around the globe.

Electrifying the world in a safe, smart and sustainable way, ABB Electrification is a global technology leader in electrical distribution and management from source to socket. As the world’s demand for electricity grows, our 50,000+ employees across 100 countries collaborate with customers and partners to transform how people connect, live and work.

We develop innovative products, solutions and digital technologies that enable energy efficiency and a low carbon society across all sectors. By applying global scale with local expertise, we shape and support global trends, deliver excellence for customers and power a sustainable future for society. go.abb/electrification

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More than 100 years of tradition.

7 years of LEDVANCE.

LED IS LEDVANCE PROFESSIONAL LED LAMPS NOW BEAR OUR NAME

Having emerged from the general lighting division of OSRAM, LEDVANCE has established itself as a leading name in innovative LED solutions in just seven years. We are now taking the next logical step in Europe by offering our professional range of lamps under our own name. Thanks to our know-how based on more than 100 years of experience, our new LEDVANCE LED lamps are more impressive than ever. But the best thing is you now get our full professional portfolio from a single brand – from LED lamps, strips, drivers and luminaires to light management systems and human centric lighting. This makes our support for you simpler, more extensive and more focused than ever. LED IS LEDVANCE. You can count on us.

We are committed to sustainability.

Find out more at ledvance.com/sustainability

The EDIT / June 2023

One of the partners of this year’s EUEW Business Convention is the lighting specialist LEDVANCE, one of the world's leading general lighting companies for professional customers and end-consumers. The portfolio includes a wide range of LED luminaires for a variety of applications, intelligent lighting products for smart homes and smart buildings, comprehensive offerings of advanced LED lamps in the lighting industry, as well as traditional lamps. We talked with Bart Mei, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer of the company, and Jean-Marc Vogel, Managing Director Western Europe at LEDVANCE, about the challenges the lighting industry is facing, as well as how important sustainability is for the lighting company and for its future strategy.

The energy transition is forcing companies and consumers to save energy. What other challenges are facing lighting manufacturers?

Jean-Marc Vogel: There are two major levers for saving energy: technology and usage. The Lighting Industry was one of the first to introduce high efficiency products based on LED technology saving more than 80% of power (Watt) for a similar output. The best usage calls for a sensor-based lighting management system timely adjusting the light to the application needs and harvesting daylight. In addition to the energy transition, climate change remains our main concern, to all of us, second to none. When it comes to global warming

Sustainable action is a decisive success factor for the lighting business potential, while light accounts for around six percent of global CO2 emissions, we as manufacturers must strive to reduce our footprint even more. 2023 is a pivotal year with the EU-wide ban on conventional fluorescent lamps, which will accelerate energy savings even more.

The EU also plans a tightening of the RoHS Directive on the restriction of the use of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. These EU directives will cause an increasing need for refurbishment and retrofitting. This means that companies will have to replace their conventional fluorescent lamps with new LED technology, either LED tubes or luminaires. On a side note, the high demand and lack of forecasting could eventually come to some product shortage.

But this costs a lot of money. What about industries where customers are overwhelmed by such investments?

Jean-Marc Vogel: Large end customers must switch right away into mature high-efficient LED based lighting products since it pays off rapidly, especially now with the rise of electricity costs. Immediate effect on the bill and factoring in installation costs have moderate impact. The use of high quality and efficient LED sources results in a longer lifetime.

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What role does the circular economy play in this context?

Jean-Marc Vogel: Climate change and environmental degradation are an existential threat to Europe and the world. To overcome these challenges, the European Green Deal will transform the EU into a modern, resource efficient and competitive economy. Therefore, drastically reducing the use of raw materials and energy must be the highest collective goal – that is the essence of the circular economy, fostering the "cradle to cradle" lifecycle of the product limiting waste to the minimum. Therefore, luminaires for instance should be designed around modular and interchangeable components, enabling repairability and upgrade. The LEDVANCE "Advancing Lighting" approach aims to make luminaires as durable and easy to repair as possible and therefore sustainable. At EU level the requirements for sustainable and recyclable products will also increase significantly in the coming years.

LINEAR IndiviLED Gen2 based on Everloop principle.

evolves around five strategic elements which are aligned with our company vision. Together, they form the short-to-medium term Sustainability Strategy, and are: 1. Product Design, 2. Supply Chain & Own Operations, 3. Employees, 4. Digital Responsibility, 5. Sustainability Communication. Since 2022 we have also had a dedicated sustainability team. Whether we are talking about resource scarcity or climate crisis, sustainable action is the only sensible response to the challenges we face today and tomorrow – and therefore a decisive success factor for the lighting business.

What importance does sustainability have for LEDVANCE in general?

Bart Mei: Sustainability is our top priority. We are aware of the impact our business activities have on the economy, nature, and people, as well as the leverage we have through our sustainable transformation. By chairing working groups and joining global industry associations, where we work together with government, industry, and other stakeholders, we have already been able to drive for sustainability since 2008. LEDVANCE has signed the UN Global Compact and has also integrated sustainability into its corporate philosophy and day-to-day business. Our Sustainability Strategy

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The Everloop concept consists of modular and interchangeable light sources for luminaires, like the new IndiviLED range.

Sustainable and circular solutions

In which way is your portfolio reflecting this strategy?

How does LEDVANCE adopt its sustainability strategy in other areas of the company?

Jean-Marc Vogel: We have already entered the industrial phase when it comes to circular economy since the presentation at the L&B 2022 of our genuine Everloop concept consisting of modular and interchangeable light sources for our panels and dampproof. Our product catalogue will be enriched by complete families designed around Everloop. Another example is our new Natureloop label, which will be used for new sustainable products, e. g. LED lamps.

We also use innovative digital technologies to offer intelligently networked light management systems which make a decisive contribution to energy savings and sustainability. Up to 45 percent additional savings can be achieved with a sensor-controlled lighting solution. With an intelligent system such as VIVARES, our customers can contribute to climate protection, save electricity costs, improve space utilization, increase work productivity and employee satisfaction.

Jean-Marc Vogel: The desire to make our products more sustainable has found its way into many areas, whether it is through the elimination of plastic in packaging, the reduction of rare raw materials in our products or the improvement of their quality. LEDVANCE works with a range of transport providers globally, with progress being made to move away from carbon emission-intensive transport modes through several measures. We also support our partners in terms of sustainability – not only with future-proof efficiency but also, for example, with products made from recycled materials and with luminaires that reinforce the trend for replaceable components and the circular economy.

Our vision is to be a leader in sustainable lighting solutions for people’s productivity, health, and wellbeing. In 2022, our holistic commitment to corporate social responsibility was recognized with the SILVER Medal award from EcoVadis, one of the world’s most prestigious sustainability rating agencies. And of course, we are working hard to soon get to GOLD.

In 2022, LEDVANCE’s holistic commitment to corporate social responsibility was recognized with the SILVER Medal award from EcoVadis.

In April 2023, LEDVANCE published its first sustainability report. What does this milestone mean for you?

Bart Mei: Publishing our first voluntary Sustainability report was a good preparation for us, as LEDVANCE will be obliged to present sustainability indicators starting from the reporting year 2024 based on upcoming EU regulations. Making our ESG activities transparent is also something customers and partners are increasingly demanding as they also identified sustainability as a major priority and are obliged to publish sustainability reports themselves. At the end of the day, we can only remain competitive if we present evidence of our efforts.

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Making buildings sustainable

with a simple IoT solution creates new business opportunities for installers and distributors

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European EPBD regulations are pushing building owners to reduce their building’s energy consumption year over year.

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A large part of the building CO2 emissions come from small and medium-sized buildings, which are often not equipped with any building management system because of complexity or costs.

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Building owners are required to have monitoring capabilities on energy usage to drive down the consumption year over year, also for small and medium-sized buildings by local EPBD implementation regulations.

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Connecting existing systems in a building with multiple protocols such as KNX, M-Bus, BACnet, LoRaWAN and more is often considered complex and only done by highly specialized companies.

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The Siemens Connect Box connects and monitors building devices to increase operational efficiency and create new business models for electrical installers and distributors.

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With real-time connection business models this can create new business models for installers and distributors, including long-term relationships to end-customers and new service offerings.

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Sustainable buildings

In Europe, the EPBD (Energy Performance for Buildings Directive created by the European Union and a guide to build mandatory local laws) supports the EU's goal to achieve climateneutral building operations by 2050. As part of the EBPD owners of commercial buildings with an effective rated output of over 290 kW to equip their sites with a building automation and control system by January 1, 2025. Given that 75% of the EU building stock is energy inefficient, equipping this large portion of inefficient buildings with BMS represents a significant new market opportunity for industry professionals.

Furthermore, in a context of soaring energy prices, buildings owners are seeking transparency on the energy consumption of their building and to provide a comfortable environment for occupants.

The new Siemens Connect Box provides a user-friendly solution for building operators to achieve up to 30% energy savings and significantly improve indoor air quality schools, retail stores, apartments, or small offices.

This is why a large international distributor recently added the Siemens Connect Box to its offering, providing an open IoT solution to manage small and medium-sized buildings and create new business models for its customers.

Installation is fast and easily accomplished via plug and play, so installers, technicians and facility managers do not need engineering skills to set up, configure and operate the system. More than 600 devices, not only Siemens, with standard protocols are available in the integrated library.

THE CONNECT BOX PROVIDES: Intuitive dashboard with building management system essentials: monitoring, alarms notification and trend graphical view Support of 11 communication protocols (such as BACnet, Modbus, KNX, MQTT, LoRaWAN, M-Bus, and more) Powerful third-party integration Overview and insight of several buildings in one dashboard Online access via desktop or smartphone

up to

30% energy savings and significantly improved indoor air quality

THE CONNECT BOX OFFERS TWO LICENSING MODELS: The Cloud license allows users to store their building data in the Connect Box online database.

The On-premise license enables users to easily integrate the data collected from wired and IoT devices into an existing building automation system.

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People spend 90% of their time indoors, but there is 2-5 times higher pollution in indoor spaces as compared to typical outdoor air.

The transmission of most respiratory diseases (such as COVID-19) occurs in buildings.

Right temperature and humidity levels increase the comfort of building occupants. According to many scientific studies healthy indoor air quality improves school or work performance up to 50%. Given all these facts, indoor air quality (IAQ) regulations and certifications for building operations are becoming increasingly important.

With the goal of creating healthier buildings, Siemens introduced a new IAQ multi-sensor that works as a plug and play solution with the Connect Box, wired or wireless.

New IoT technologies enable the smart integration of many types of information in buildings and make it easily accessible. The IAQ multi-sensor is the first of these new range of IoT devices. It measures seven key metrics of air quality and can provide this information to cloud-based management platform.

THE NEW INNOVATIVE IAQ MULTI-SENSOR MEASURES AIR QUALITY IN REAL TIME, CHECKING KEY METRICS SUCH AS: Temperature Humidity CO2 saturation Fine dust and PM2.5 emissions Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) Noise level (dBA) Light

Building operators have full transparency on the air quality in their building and can ensure that they are providing a healthy environment for tenants, visitors, or staff.

WITH THESE IOT-ENABLED TECHNOLOGIES AND PRODUCTS, DISTRIBUTORS CAN ENTER NEW MARKETS, ENHANCE THEIR OFFERINGS, AND DEVELOP NEW REVENUE POTENTIAL. For more information, please visit

customerinfo-siemens.highspot.com

Source: *In focus: Energy efficiency in buildings. (2020, February 17). European Commission. Link

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Locations Boxes Hubs Alarms File management Organization

29 28 27 26 25 Temperature (Nexelec - PMI)

Selected Properties

Occupancy HVAC Indoor Air Quality

Energy

Lighting

CONNECT BOX

Make buildings sustainable with a simple IoT solution • • • •

Manage small to medium-sized buildings in a smarter and simple way Meet BACS regulations by increasing building energy efficiency Significantly reduce operational costs along the lifecycle Install and operate devices in a few steps

siemens.com/connectbox

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Eaton

Top tips for getting to grips with the energy transition

By Cyrille Brisson Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Eaton in EMEA

If you are reading this article, I imagine you hear the words 'energy transition' on a regular basis. For those of us who work in the electrical industry, the switch from fossil fuels to renewables is inescapable and the transition presents both challenges and opportunities.

is quite unlike anything that most electricians have encountered previously, and they often need advice from their electrical wholesaler on the selection of products.

We’re all in new territory when it comes to the energy transition. Keeping an open mind aids decision-making.

There is much for us all to learn, and as power management experts and suppliers of a large electrical portfolio, we see how electrical wholesalers and electricians are already acting as pivotal 'agents of change' as they respond to enquiries from customers.

SEE YOUR ROLE DIFFERENTLY. Electrical wholesalers

In the commercial and residential buildings sectors, it is the conversations that customers have with professional tradespeople from our industry that are amongst the most influential. When they need to make decisions about which products to buy, they turn to the people they know and trust for advice.

From our experience to date, these are some of the things the electrical wholesaling community can do to help their customers – and their customers’ customers – to approach the energy transition successfully.

KEEP AN OPEN MIND. The installation of newly

developed technologies from home energy management systems to EV chargers to all-electric heating systems makes it impossible for electricians to approach tasks with a 'business as usual' mindset. Although the underlying principles are unchanged, the approach to integrating energy transition technologies into buildings

The EDIT / June 2023

can support our industry by sharing information about new regulations and incentives with their customers because, as the energy transition gains pace, new rules and opportunities that will shape our industry are flowing fast from governments and regulators.

EU countries are tasked with implementing the Fit-for-55 legislative package which will drive entire economies towards a 55% reduction in net greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and deploy the EU post-Covid recovery packages. Building owners will need to work out how to reduce both energy use and emissions very quickly, and they will need all the help they can get to do this.

DEMONSTRATE INNOVATION. Changing how we use

electricity in our homes and businesses is no longer a future task, it is a critical issue in the here and now. The sooner that energy-saving technologies are integrated into buildings, the faster the monetary savings stack up.

The electrical wholesaling community is ideally positioned to provide installers with advice on how to add essential new electrical functionality to buildings

Energy transition

with products like solar panels, EV chargers and energy storage systems. By helping installers to innovate, electrical wholesalers will win new business because there is no doubt that the energy transition will gather momentum, buildings will become energy hubs, and demand for new types of offers will grow.

UNDERSTAND FLEXIBILITY. Households, businesses,

and industries that have solely consumed energy up until now, are increasingly wanting to generate some of their own energy. Energy consumers are becoming 'prosumers' who both produce and consume electricity.

As prosumers become familiar with generating energy, they will see how they could make money by trading it via the grid and offering their energy storage capacity (including electric vehicle batteries) for sale to aggregators or their energy provider, too.

For all of this, they will need new products and systems which their electricians will need to install safely. Entire product ranges from energy

management devices to protection devices to fire alarms (and very much more) will come into play. Demand-side flexibility is undoubtedly a business opportunity for electrical wholesalers.

KNOW ABOUT DECENTRALISATION. It is only by

storing and managing renewable energy efficiently - close to the point of use - and effectively using everything as a grid, that we can achieve the roundthe-clock smooth flow of energy which will be so important in the years ahead. Knowing that this will happen will help electrical wholesalers to anticipate customer requirements.

We have developed our Buildings as a Grid approach at Eaton to unite the power needs of buildings and electric vehicles with on-site renewable energy generation. We believe it is this type of approach that will define the 21st century, and the products and services that the electrical industry supplies to customers. If you want to know more, get in touch.

What matters: Powering companies and communities that power themselves.

By 2050, the world will need 57% more electricity. Where will it come from?

Everywhere.

The sun, the wind, even your electric vehicle. At Eaton, we’re helping companies, communities and utilities get the most out of renewables. We’re harnessing data to make smarter energy decisions. And we’re helping to build a more flexible, resilient and intelligent power grid.

Everything as a Grid is our approach to meeting the energy demands of the future, while improving the lives of people and the health of the planet today.

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Experience Light

SLV ‐ Experience Light SLV is a leading lighting company offering residential and commercial lighting products for indoor and outdoor use. Founded in 1979 and based in Germany, SLV is one of the fastest growing and most successful providers of lighting products and solutions in Europe.

SLV is part of the SLV Lighting Group, which consists of five different brands, Novalux, Nordtronic, Unex Lighting, Knightsbridge and SLV. Each of the five main brands brings something unique to the SLV Lighting Group – from easy-to-install luminaires to high-quality, customized lighting solutions.

Inspired by German engineering, SLV quickly grew from its roots to open 15 foreign subsidiaries and shipping professional luminaires to over 100 countries around the world. Today, SLV is a global leader and a strong B2B partner of the electrical industry. It focuses on balancing innovative technology, modern design and customer-friendly prices while offering first-class service and high quality to its customers. SLV keeps on adding more ways to delight customers with the latest innovations and stylish enhancements to home, work, and commercial environments. The BIG WHITE®, the SLV Lighting catalog has become the reference catalog, in the industry and is published in 11 languages.

The EDIT / June 2023

Passion, responsibility, respect and reliability are SLV's core values. Making light an experience is the company’s driving force and at the same time the slogan of the SLV brand. SLV's understanding of sustainability is a balanced interaction of business, social and environmental aspects. The company aims to achieve sustainable results throughout the entire value chain by designing products and packaging in an environmentally friendly way.

TURNS EVERY STREET INTO A CATWALK. M-POL With the modular M-POL bollard luminaire, you can put any outdoor ambience in the best light. With three sizes, twelve luminaire heads, two control options (On/Off or DALI) and three lighting characteristics, M-POL offers suitable variants for a wide range of applications whether as a base luminaire or in a pathway. In addition, the new M-POL is optimally protected and particularly durable thanks to IP65 and IK10.

Now on slv.com

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Achieving Net Zero

Leading the cable industry towards Net Zero As the first cable manufacturer to commit to achieving Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050, NKT continues to embed sustainability in everything we do and lead the industry towards a greener future.

Internally, we have continued to reduce the carbon footprint from our operations and have cut corporate CO2 emissions by 79% since 2019. The next step is working with our suppliers and partners and finding ways to reduce the carbon foot print in our supply chain – a traditionally resource- and energy-intensive process. We have launched a number of new low carbon cables in the past year and will continue to push the boundaries of what is possible in the coming years.

Our 360 degree sustainability approach comprises the whole life cycle of a product from the design and manufacture, installation and use, through to the possibility of dismantling the products and feeding them back into the closed recycling process.

NKT executes the long-term strategy ImpACT for resolving global sustainability challenges in support of the Paris Agreement.

CLIMATE ACTION ― ACTIVELY SOLVING CLIMATE CHALLENGES NKT seeks to be a leader in driving the green transformation by reducing corporate emissions and entering into partnerships addressing and resolving climate challenges. NKT has a target of 90% reduction of scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 2030 and has also committed to the Science Based Targets initiative to become a net-zero company by 2050.

THE 2023 EUEW BUSINESS CONVENTION The theme "Energize transition: a key role of the electrical wholesaler" presents a perfect stage for NKT to support the objectives of sustainable growth for Electrical Wholesalers. NKT looks forward to using the platform to communicate and share knowledge on these megatrends and build strong partnerships and networks with the Electrical wholesalers supporting EUEW’s and NKT’s strategic agenda.

"We see the EUEW 2023 event as a great opportunity to collaborate with wholesalers and drive the sustainability agenda forward and better support the green transition of Europe."

Dean Iwanow Senior Vice President Commercial, BL Applications at NKT

CIRCULARITY ― CREATE CIRCULAR VALUE PROPOSITION NKT seeks to develop a more sustainable value proposition through the lifecycle of products and solutions, and actively pursue zero waste through circularity.

RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY POWERS ALL OUR PRODUCTION SITES We are proud that all our production sites across Europe use 100% renewable electricity. Not only do we want to help connect renewable energy sources to the power grid, we also want to use it to power our growth.

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Rotterdam

A sustainable haven by day With its innovative spirit, architectural marvels, and commitment to sustainability, Rotterdam stands as a shining example of a modern European city. As the second-largest city in the Netherlands, Rotterdam effortlessly blends its rich history with a forward-thinking approach, making it a must-visit destination for eco-conscious travelers. For the day we dive into the sustainable wonders of Rotterdam.

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Haven by day, spectacle by night

A dazzling spectacle by night As night falls, Rotterdam's sustainable charm continues to shine.

Admire the illuminated Erasmus Bridge and take a leisurely stroll across the Luchtsingel. Indulge in a gastronomic feast at one of the many sustainable restaurants, where local sourcing and organic ingredients take center stage. End the evening by embracing the green scene of Rotterdam's nightlife.

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Article written by Ana Iacovici

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Rotterdam

SUSTAINABLE HAVEN BY DAY Rotterdam is a forward thinking and pioneer city in terms of sustainability initiatives and circular way of living, a true testament to sustainable urban development. By day, immerse yourself in the city's sustainable projects and marvel at its innovative architecture.

ROTTERDAM CENTRAL DISTRICT It is recommended to kickstart your sustainable adventure in the heart of the city at Rotterdam Central District. This bustling hub is home to the Central Station, which will probably be the first Rotterdam landmark you will check travelling to the city. It is a marvel of modern architecture that doubles as an energy-efficient transportation center. There you will be impressed by the fusion of sustainability and design as you admire the station's solar panels, energy-saving lighting systems, and green roofs.

BLIJDORP ZOO You will experience nature conservation at its finest.

Plan a visit to Blijdorp Zoo to discover a world of biodiversity and environmental preservation.

Considered one of Europe’s most beautiful zoos, this garden is committed to sustainable practices with a serious emphasis on animal welfare and species conservation. Blijdorp Zoo's commitment to sustainability is evident in its renewable energy sources and efforts to reduce water and energy consumption.

BLUE CITY Circular economy in action which this ingenious transformation of vacant swimming pool into a hub for the city and region. In 2023 it is already hosting 55 entrepreneurs and serves as a place where minds connect to find best ways to grow their positive impact, reach towards a zero-waste life or develop future-proof materials. This vibrant ecosystem encourages business to repurpose waste into valuable resources and is full of innovative solutions where you might just find your next inspiration.

FLOATING PAVILION Sustainable and innovative floating urbanization on water with three interlinked spheres. Solution to Rotterdam’s ambitious plans to adapt to rising water levels, this prototype, the Floating Pavilion, is a testament to Rotterdam's sustainable ingenuity. This architectural marvel floats on the city's waterways and serves as a showcase for climate change adaptation and sustainable urban development.

You will be impressed by its energy-efficient design, rainwater harvesting systems, and solar panels.

The EDIT / June 2023

Haven by day, spectacle by night

NIGHTTIME SPECTACLE, SUSTAINABLE DELIGHTS Rotterdam's dedication to sustainability is not just a concept or desired goal. It is a way of life that permeates every facet of the city. Whether by day or by night, visitors to Rotterdam can experience a destination that seamlessly blends environmental consciousness with urban sophistication.

ERASMUS BRIDGE Illuminating the night as the sun sets, the Erasmus Bridge gracefully lights up, casting a stunning glow on the city's skyline and an amazing reflection on the city’s waterline. Admire this iconic architectural marvel while appreciating its energy-efficient LED lighting system. Join a guided tour to learn about the bridge's design and the sustainable practices incorporated into its construction.

LUCHTSINGEL Leisurely night stroll on the pedestrian bridge. along the Luchtsingel, this hidden gem of Rotterdam connects various parts of the city. If you have time it is recommended to also witness its stunning nighttime transformation. The world’s first piece of public infrastructure accomplished through crowdfunding not only provides convenient access but also contributes to the revitalization of the neighborhood.

Illuminated by sustainable lighting, the Luchtsingel is a testament to community-driven urban regeneration.

SUSTAINABLE DINING For foodies Rotterdam is like a gastronomic feast.

From the delicious food in the Markthal to the highend experiences offered by Michelin start restaurants, your taste buds will feal like they are in a neverending culinary party. Rotterdam's commitment to sustainability extends to its vibrant culinary scene.

You may always indulge in a delightful dinner at one of the city's many sustainable restaurants. From farmto-table concepts to vegan and vegetarian options, these establishments prioritize local sourcing, organic ingredients, and environmentally friendly practices.

WATER TAXI Rotterdam is a walkable city in the center areas, and we wouldn’t advise otherwise. Already a trademark for the Netherlands and a very sustainable way to move around, bikes will be all around you in Rotterdam as another strong testimony to the commitment to sustainability. Granted, not the most sustainable way to get around, however you could never have a full Rotterdam experience without a water taxi ride. We guarantee an adrenaline rush, great scenery, and a new addiction. Be sure to plan your trip ahead, there is huge demand, especially late afternoon, and evening.

SUSTAINABLE NIGHTLIFE Pursuing its determined sustainability path, Rotterdam's vibrant nightlife scene embraces sustainability with a range of eco-friendly bars and clubs. Explore venues that prioritize renewable energy, locally sourced food and drinks, and waste reduction initiatives. Dance the night away in Rotterdam while knowing you're supporting establishments that value both entertainment and the environment.

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Huge savings potential: Energy-efficient lighting could save 38 terawatt hours (TWh) per year in Germany.

TRILUX: new technologies, new skills, new potentials With around 5,000 employees worldwide, TRILUX is one of the major international suppliers of professional light for every application - from office to industry, from retail to outdoor. The medium-sized family business has a total of 30 subsidiaries and exports its innovative lighting solutions to 50 countries worldwide.

TRILUX core values include quality, innovation, and sustainability, trustful collaboration and partnership.

Hands-on training at TRILUX Akademie.

SMARTNESS AND SUSTAINABILITY

QUALITY AND QUALIFICATION

Ever since the company was founded 111 years ago, TRILUX innovations have been setting new standards, for example with top values in energy efficiency, light quality and user-friendliness. This ongoing success story is only possible thanks to profound knowledge of the needs of the lighting market.

Another success factor is the continuous training of our diverse team of talented and committed employees. This is why TRILUX founded the TRILUX Akademie in 2011 as a central location for training and education. The successful seminar offers are also available to other market participants. The current program informs about the technological possibilities and the current legal framework conditions for LED refurbishment.

The refurbishment of outdated conventional lighting solutions with smart and sustainable LED systems is currently one of the most urgent sector issues. TRILUX therefore makes a switch as simple as possible – with a customized portfolio for every application area and price point. A good example is the twenty3 luminaire portfolio for a fast and uncomplicated LED refurbishment in price-sensitive environments. Practical: with precisely fitting refurbishment solutions, many conventional luminaires can be quickly and easily converted 1:1.

A real unique selling point - and just the beginning: the 2325 downlight from the twenty3 portfolio is the first with fully verified CO2 compensation. In addition, there are many other clever solutions for more sustainability, from resource- and energy-saving production to a sophisticated packaging concept.

The EDIT / June 2023

Close cooperation and a trusting exchange with customers, partners, and other market participants are also important components for TRILUX in order to understand the desires and needs of the industry - and to counter them with sustainable innovations.

All this makes TRILUX the perfect partner for every lighting project, from refurbishment to new planning, from wholesale business to special solutions for architectural projects. www.trilux.com www.trilux-twenty3.com www.trilux-akademie.com

CHECK YOUR ENERGY POTENTIAL: TRILUX.COM/ LIGHTING-RENOVATION

SWITCH NOW. SAVE ENERGY. ARE YOU READY FOR THE TECHNOLOGY CHANGE IN 2023?

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Phoenix Contact

Think global, act local Phoenix Contact and its subsidiaries – since the 1980s, what was once a regional industrial company has become a global player with a philosophy all its own that ensures sustainable success even in turbulent times. CEO Frank Stührenberg explains the background and perspective in an interview.

Mr. Stührenberg, you started as assistant to the management in 1992. Was Phoenix Contact already an internationally oriented company when you joined the company?

At that time, we were still strongly focused on business in Germany. We didn’t start expanding into foreign markets until the 1980s. At that time, a distinction was still made between the German business and exports, i.e. the rest of the world. At that time, exports were the responsibility of General Manager Gerd Eisert and were organized in such a way that they more or less mirrored the organization of the German headquarters.

When did a rethink start here?

Our major customers were becoming increasingly international in their projects. Customers like Volkswagen or Siemens were already operating all over the world.

So we introduced international key account management in the mid1990s. That was the first time it was said that a customer, no matter where he was, would be coordinated through a central organization.

That was my first responsible role, in which I also traveled with Gerd Eisert from time to time.

How intensive were the communication and exchange with the emerging subsidiaries?

Think global, act local – after all, this principle is self-evident today.

(smiles) Well, let’s say it was quite different from today.

Our self-image at the time was that we develop great products here in Germany and make the world happy with them. Just the topic of an international business trip was still far from being a matter of course.

Right, that was already Gerd Eisert’s motto back then. And that was and still is one of the most convincing arguments when it comes to setting up subsidiaries. First of all, we are looking for a general manager who knows the industry and the country very well. And, of course, he or she must also fit in with us and our corporate philosophy.

Once we have found this person, we put him or her in a position to operate with a local team on site.

It always takes a little time for a self-confidence to grow from these beginnings that great things are actually possible with the terminal that seems boring at first glance.

All Electric Society up close: Phoenix Contact CEO on a wind turbine

The EDIT / June 2023

Think global, act local

The world is now experiencing one crisis after another. Supply bottlenecks, protectionist foreclosure of markets, Corona, energy and climate crisis – how does Phoenix Contact deal with these developments?

Then Gerd Eisert withdrew.

One day around the turn of the millennium, I was head of German sales at the time, Klaus Eisert came to me and asked if I could take over tasks from his brother that he could no longer manage due to health reasons. It was not an easy situation to succeed a man like Gerd Eisert in a family business like ours.

After all, many sovereigns had the privilege of personal access to Gerd Eisert and thus to one of the owners. But together with Klaus Eisert, we managed to make it work.

Are there regions in which Phoenix Contact will position itself more strongly in the future?

If it makes sense to get involved in projects, then yes.

There will definitely be something developing in northern Africa around renewable energy, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and hydrogen. We are watching this very closely at the moment and are also intensifying our networks, for example in the direction of local research institutes or universities. South and Central America are also very exciting regions where there are currently many developments in the field of energy generation.

If we look at Asia, we will significantly expand India, which is due to the enormous market potential.

Of course, we monitor these processes very closely. We strive to make our supply chains as robust as possible. Do we manufacture exclusively at one location, say in China, a product that is also needed in many other countries?

We will certainly change that and duplicate manufacturing elsewhere or bring it back to Europe. After all, we still have more than 70 percent of our value creation here in Europe. For a long time, many experts agreed that this was not competitive enough in perspective, because it was said that we would have to achieve much more value creation in low-cost regions such as India and China. Today, I would say that our current situation in all the crises is not so bad precisely because of this philosophy.

And the design of supply chains is increasingly driven by the aspect of the CO2 footprint. There is little we can do about basic components and their procurement, such as plastic or metal. But we can avoid useless long logistics distances with smart planning. Our expectation is that the issue of delivery time versus the issue of CO2-footprint will soon tip.

You can also be successful without everything being immediately available, i.e. just in time in stock.

Or that you say there must not be a single box left in production.

My firm opinion is: the future of our grandchildren is more important than immediate availability.

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Your global partner for cable management systems The EDIT / June 2023

Niedax GmbH & Co. KG Asbacher Str. 141 | 53545 Linz/Rhein Tel.: 02644/5606-0 | info@niedax.de

www.niedax-group.com

Niedax Group

The Niedax Group: A family business on the road to success Niedax has been synonymous with modern electrical systems for more than 100 years. Decades of experience and pioneering innovation have created the international Niedax Group, which currently employs a workforce of around 2,450 across the globe.

With more than 50,000 articles we offer everything needed for the cable management systems for example in industrial plants, office complexes, power plants or sports arenas.

Due to our focus on customer proximity, individual solutions, and high-quality standard we developed a strong group of companies that is now a global leader in the design and manufacture of cable management systems.

The companies of the Niedax Group have been family-owned since their foundation in 1920.

Bruno Reufels CEO and Chairman of the Management Board

A STRONG PORTFOLIO

NIEDAX SUBSIDIARIES WORLDWIDE

Steel, aluminium, PVC and GRP cable management systems and a full range of accessories – the extensive Niedax Group portfolio has the right solution for every specific electrical installation need. Niedax is a fullservice provider, specializing both in cable management systems for ceilings, walls, and floors and in technical consulting, planning and installation/assembly.

A close network of professionals around the globe gives the Niedax Group customer proximity as a systems supplier, meaning the group can offer their customers the best possible service wherever they are in the world. The Niedax Group operates its own sites in more than 30 countries in Europe, Asia, America, and Australia.

THE NIEDAX BRAND – HOLISTIC COMPETENCE BASED ON THREE PILLARS

Global Specialist

Customer Proximity

Experienced Expert

At home in the world – Niedax produces and delivers worldwide and is experienced with any market requirement.

Our maxim is to advise our customers when developing electrical installation solutions, and to work with them on the planning and implementation.

With history that can be traced back 100 years, Niedax is an experienced and established partner.

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Legrand

The smart home becomes more Green wellbeing

with Legrand connected solutions

Green wellbeing is the innovative approach that embraces the range of connected, smart and scalable products by Legrand, BTicino and Netatmo brands, fostering sustainability and CO2 emissions reduction while increasing daily comfort, safety and peace of mind in residential and commercial buildings. The Green wellbeing program focuses on four main application areas, aimed at maximizing energy savings and enhancing a more intelligent use of natural resources.

CONSUMPTION AWARENESS

SMART HEATING

The Smart electric control panel Legrand Drivia provides full transparency on electrical energy use at home, employing connected energy meters and other devices easy to install in existing electrical panels. It allows to plan daily actions that can be remotely controlled, especially on high consuming appliances, ensuring functionality and power savings also by setting alerts when defined consumption thresholds are reached.

Temperature management are ensured by Netatmo Smart Thermostats, reducing energy wastes by setting each room at different preferred temperature needs. Automatic controls based on connected devices allow to adjust roller blinds and skylights to outside light and weather conditions, improving the efficiency of the heating system. In addition, Netatmo Indoor Air Quality Sensor devices can be used to monitor air quality and ensure a healthy environment.

SUSTAINABLE LIGHTING BTicino Living Now residential connected wiring devices create the perfect mix of indoor lighting and natural light, ensuring a perfect light design and lowering power consumption. Light level sensors and motion detectors automatically command blinds and lights depending on the presence of a person in a room.

Legrand’s lighting management solutions also enable to create customized light scenarios and schedules that can be controlled with a smartphone or voice assistant.

Green wellbeing at home Innovative solutions for buildings

The EDIT / June 2023

EV OPTIMIZATION Green’ Up Smart recharging stations help taking advantage of electrification in mobility. The Green wellbeing program includes complete infrastructures to ensure the recharge of electric vehicles when arriving at home or at the more convenient time, significantly reducing your energy bills.

For both residential and commercial buildings, with Green wellbeing the entire Legrand team is committed to deploy smarter, more efficient and sustainable solutions that combine comfort and reduction of our daily environmental impact.

Paving the way to a brighter, greener and healthier future for both people and the planet.

Energy bills going up?

Tap and they go down.

With Legrand Home + Control app, saving energy is simple.

Just a tap to monitor and manage your consumption planning the best one for you and your bills.

ENERGY

SAFETY

Your Smart Home in just one app

CONTROL

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Aster van Laere

Experience Rotterdam through the eyes of a local with

The EDIT / June 2023

Aster van Laere

Experience Rotterdam

We met Aster at the end of 2022 while brainstorming how to create a sophisticated and unforeseeable social evening experience in Rotterdam, for the 2023 EUEW Business Convention. Aster’s genuine grace and elegance, her overwhelmingly positive energy, her captivating smile, and her interest in making our event the best possible charmed us from the first meeting. The proposals she brought to the table were a mix of classical recipes for success spiced up with unconventional proposals, offering a flavor for every taste.

From our first discussions we could see how she was slowly falling in love with our event and how happy she was with the freedom and trust we gave her to

offer the most amazing experience for our guests.

Our collaboration only grew from there. Resourceful and well connected, Aster was not only an invaluable piece of the puzzle for our social evenings, but she was also instrumental in helping us identify other collaborators with our desired standards of service, that are also helping us offer you an unconventional, and unforgettable experience in Rotterdam.

Nothing but true joy in her eyes when we proposed to introduce her and her beautiful life and career to the EUEW community. She also agreed to throw in some local insights on how to experience Rotterdam.

Let’s start by taking a step into Aster’s magic world.

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Aster van Laere

We were delighted to meet you and your agency Aster. Would you do us the pleasure of introducing the business to the EUEW community as well?

What is the main activity of your business and what are the main values that drive you every day?

Likewise! My job is basically to create memorable moments. At our event and entertainment agency we create distinguished events and entertainment concepts. Each day we bring the most fun and talented professionals together in order to create memories for our clients and their guests. With lots of energy and fun. Because, well.. Let’s be honest, isn’t it great to make people happy?

Tell us a bit about the history of the Marc van Laere agency. How did it come to exist and how did it metamorphosize to stay relevant over the years?

It all started with Marc van Laere. Besides being a creative entrepreneur, he is also my dad. He started working in the industry when he was 20 years old. After 15 years he decided that it was time for his own agency.

The industry was quite different back then. Just a rolodex on your desk and that’s it. Fast forward 25 years later, the agency has created over a thousand unique events and shows.

We organized an introductory tour for -now Queen- Maxima through the province of Brabant, we opened a mall in Thailand with 10 people vertically dancing against the façade of the mall, we organized a dinner right in the middle of a barn with 20 CEOs and we made a huge floating platoon underneath the Erasmus bridge with 50 ice dancers performing an amazing show Everything we do is different, but always with an eye for special entertainment, because coming up with entertainment for an event is what we love the most.

From big to intimate, from an entire concept and event production to a customized entertainment concept.

During the 25 years of existence of our agency exists quite a few things changed. At the same time others stayed the same. Every project that we do, we start with the question: how can our involvement make it better for our clients and their guests? If you keep thriving for the ultimate result, I believe you will never become irrelevant. No matter how the industry changes.

The EDIT / June 2023

Experience Rotterdam

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Aster van Laere

On the company website you mention having gotten “the event blood from dad” but when did you first realize that this entertainment business was made for you as well?

It took me a while. I knew I wanted to become an entrepreneur. After my BBA, I made quite an unexpected decision to not continue to get a master’s degree, but to start my own restaurant in the city of Utrecht at the age of 21. I’ve always had a thing for hospitality. It quickly became the most unsuccessful restaurant in the city’s history. So, I had to turn things around. The place was huge, we had a big parking spot attached to it and since it was at the outskirts of the city, the city hall was very lenient with my opening hours. I turned the place into an event location where we would organize public parties, but people would also get married there or businesses would organize a brainstorming session at our venue. I worked seven days a week for 4 years and I had a blast.

After a while I felt like I should do something outside of the four walls of my location. I did love the event industry and so I decided to take the plunge and ask my dad how he would feel if I joined the company. He was extremely surprised and a bit hesitant at first. Our decision would affect my siblings as well. Looking back on it, it all worked out for the best. I joined the company in 2021 and have never loved a job as much as this one.

Which type of events do you like organizing best and what makes these events your favorites?

Business events for sure! People attending a business event are attendees instead of visitors. It is not like people buying a ticket for a specific show or making a reservation at their favorite restaurant. For example, at the EUEW Convention; of all the reasons why someone should join the conference, the entertainment during these days is not in the top 3. However, it is so great to brainstorm together with the organization and find ways in which the guests will enjoy the "unexpected" show. If the show brings some added value to the overall experience at the event, we can only take the win.

If you were to share with us your view on what makes an event excellent, which would be the three main ingredients?

• Have a clear goal

• Ambassadors from the inside

• Elements of surprise

Have a clear goal on why the event is hosted and communicate it throughout the event.

Have people close to the guests or attendees in your organizing committee and make sure they become the biggest fan of the concept.

Throughout the event, take people out of their comfort zone and get ready to create memories together.

The EDIT / June 2023

Experience Rotterdam

You are now addressing the EUEW community, formed of impressive companies in the electrical wholesalers’ and suppliers’ industry, ranging from the smallest companies, family-owned companies, to the largest corporations and professional organizations all over Europe. Recently, the events industry got quite a serious boost and more and more events are organized for business or leisure purposes. Why should these companies reach out to you? What is the added value you promise to bring them?

What makes us different is our creative process, which involves the client and knowing the client from the beginning. Together we discuss what they would wish to achieve with their event. This will be the common theme throughout the process and execution of the event. Once we have set a clear goal on what our client would wish to achieve, we start creating. No company is the same. That is why we do not believe in standardized concepts. Together with the insights and ideas of our client, we aim to bring new insights and ideas that fit the client and their goal. One of the benefits of decades of experience in the industry is a broad network with the best suppliers and professionals.

For us, co-creating means that we work very closely with our clients. Being there for them whenever they need us, but also harnessing their respective networks and support with our own network where we can.

Together with our clients we have created multiple award-winning entertainment concepts and events.

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Aster van Laere

ROTTERDAM LOCAL INSIGHTS When you think about Rotterdam, which are the first places that comes to your mind to visit?

The city is known for its amazing architecture. If you have the chance, walk across the Erasmus bridge to the nhow sky bar on the 7th floor with a stunning view, check out the kubus houses near Blaak, or stop for some coffee and apple pie at Dudok at the park. This is where you can get a lovely view on the impressive Euromast. And the apple-pie is amazing.

How would you describe the locals in Rotterdam in about five words?

Don’t talk just do it or as the people from Rotterdam say it “Niet lullen maar poetsen” What would be an underrated must try food in Rotterdam?

Zeemansboter! Since Rotterdam is a dock-city, the dock-workers needed some power food. This peanut butter is based on that vision. I can imagine that bringing home a jar of peanut butter for your family is not the obvious souvenir. But believe me, this one is a must try!

Is it easy to get around in Rotterdam? How do you feel about the water taxi experience?

If a metro isn’t really your cup of tea you can rent an electric Felyx scooter at almost every corner of the street. Just download the app and your e-scooter is ready to go. If you are really looking for a fun way to get around, the water taxi is the way to go. There is absolutely no better way to experience the city and its beautiful skyline from the Nieuwe Maas!

What is a hidden gem in Rotterdam that tourists would tend to overlook?

Skip the Markthal. Although it is a beautiful building and great for taking pictures, the food isn’t the most amazing. Go to the intimate Fenix Food Factory or the bigger The Foodhallen, the raw-almost Berlin vibe of Rotterdam combined with amazing food. The stands are often owned by young chefs that haven’t opened their own restaurants yet. Don’t expect a sitting dinner at this dynamic place. Everyone is walking around, enjoying some music, sipping micro brewery beers or delicious cocktails.

The EDIT / June 2023

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