After acquiring the long-established Irwin Electrical of Letterkenny in 2005, EWL Electric rebranded the store in November, 2019. One thing that hasn’t changed, according to Business Manager Jonny McKenna, is their commitment to satisfying the requirements of their valued customers.
EWL Electric is renowned as Ireland’s premier electrical wholesale distributor, supplying quality branded products to the trade and industry. EWL Electric serve the country from 14 locations throughout Ireland, each carrying a comprehensive stock and run by friendly, experienced, and highly motivated staff.
“We’re a national wholesaler with a local presence,” Jonny McKenna emphasised in conversation with Building Ireland.
An electrician by trade, Jonny was appointed Business Manager of the Letterkenny branch in September, 2016. “When I came in, I always planned that I would give the business a fresh face so making the decision to operate under our own name was a logical one to make.
“We still have the history of being known locally for 40 plus years but the significant added bonus of customers coming in from other parts of the country knowing that they are able to access the products and service they are familiar with from their own EWL, Edmundson or Eastern Electrical location.”
The company’s customer base includes electrical contractors and engineers, industrial companies, facilities management, government agencies, local authorities, power generation, utilities, construction, panel builders, food industries, hotels/leisure, retail, air conditioning, heating and ventilation, refrigeration, security, and fire prevention.
Jonny and his team value each customer, regardless of size or spend, and are committed to providing a comprehensive, unrivalled service and attention to quality.
“We’re an energetic and progressive team, always trying to look forward and keep up with the ever-changing trends in the market. We’re always learning and our team in Letterkenny and nationwide are taking part in extensive training through the industry recognised EDA programme at present. Training and education aside, people buy from people, so we always try our best to be add value to our customer’s business and be as helpful as possible throughout our interactions.
“The majority of our customers come from the North West, from Sligo right around to Derry and Tyrone and we appreciate all of our customers regardless of spend or size. That’s part of our business model. No matter whether our customer is well established or just staring out, everyone expects good service and that’s what we build our business on.”
A major strength of EWL is their commitment to satisfy the demands of their customers with innovative, high quality and cost effective ‘branded’ products sourced from the world’s leading manufacturers.
Their business constantly adapts to meet the needs of an ever-changing market and their very strong relationships with their suppliers ensure that information regarding new products and trends is quickly communicated.
Amongst the wide range of products stocked are lighting, lamps, cables, wiring accessories, domestic, commercial, industrial, switchgear and fusegear, control and automation, cable management, ventilation, space heating, water heating, cable components and accessories, emergency lighting and fire detection, security access control, site electrics and supplies, tools and fixings, instrumentation and electronic components.
They stock well-known brands such as Ansell, Thorn, Ledvance, Philips, DeWalt, Milwaukee, Knipex, Wera, ATC, Hager, Garo Ei Electronics, Prysmian Cable, EO EV charging and an exclusive wiring accessory brand Thrion.
“What sets us apart is that we aim to stock the leading manufacturer brands in our industry. Over the last 18 months or so we have been establishing a new brand to the market called Thrion who manufacture many different styles of wiring accessories. The ranges carry 25 year warranty and not only are the products of high quality they are extremely competitive.”
EWL Electric operate a highly decentralised business philosophy through which local managers, like Jonny, are empowered to make all important business decisions.
Their dedicated staff offer unbiased advice to find the best solution to their customers’ specific needs. Their management style means that they build relationships with customers and suppliers locally to the benefit of everyone, nationwide.
“Between Brexit, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the ever-challenging supply chain issues, we have been steadily increasing our stockholding. We’re extremely fortunate that we are in a position that we can do this being part of the wider Edmundson Electrical Group.
“The outlook at present is very positive in our area and with our customers working further afield. There’s a lot happening as businesses tries to bounce back from Covid and we are seeing more and more projects that have been delayed that are now ramping back up again trying to make up the time.”
With an eye on the future and continuing to drive the business forward, Jonny is hoping to add to his team to keep the service high and keep up with the demand.
He concluded: “We’re adding some new team members very soon to keep us moving forward. We have a same day delivery service from stock so it is important now that we can keep up with this commitment. Stocking the premium brands, developing our team, and providing a high level of service to our customers is what we are all about.
“I’d like to thank all our customers and suppliers who supported us throughout the last 18 months and a massive thank you must go to my team for all their support and adaptability during a what was and still is a challenging world we are living in.”
EWL Electrics
Port Road
Letterkenny
Co Donegal
F92H68N
Tel: (074) 912 4240
Website: www.ewl.ie
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, February 2022, Vol 8 No 2
