ABOUT US

AUTOMATION SOLUTIONS

HOW IT USED TO BE - THE PROBLEM

The installations undertaken during that period proved difficult and costly, to say the least. The final HOME AUTOMATION installation, product and integration were not reflected by the price tag. What was promised and what was delivered were two very different things.

Amandla Electrical, like most electrical contractors, had little knowledge of the products we were installing. We have had no training and no training was offered. Further to this the HOME AUTOMATION sales persons and supposed HOME AUTOMATION project coordinators had no on-site electrical experience. We got the distinct impression that HOME AUTOMATION products were being sold into the marketplace by sales persons and companies who had little thought or interest in the final product. This left us, the electrical contractor, to deal with an unhappy client and an unsatisfactory HOME AUTOMATION installation. These automation installations often did not work properly and this led to conflict between the electrical contractor and the home owner. The result being a disgruntled home owner who lost all faith in “HOME AUTOMATION”. Further more it became clear that the HOME AUTOMATION companies were not qualified nor authorized to work with 220V electricity so again the burden was on the electrical contractor to take responsibility for a HOME AUTOMATION product or system that we had no knowledge about and in most cases were not SABS / SANS approved.

To have the electricity legally connected we were forced to issue a compliance certificate for, and on behalf of, a HOME AUTOMATION company who by this stage had already fled the scene and had been paid at least 90%.

Now the finger pointing began between the architect, the lighting consultant, the HOME AUTOMATION supplier, the electrician, the council and the home owner. In the HOME AUTOMATION market it is still unclear as to where each person’s responsibility started and where it ended.

It was clear to me and my associates that there was room in the market for a full turnkey solution where the HOME AUTOMATION specialist was also the lighting designer and the electrical contractor.

A professional and qualified electrician and automation specialist who was legally able to take full responsibility for the initial design, the electrical installation, the HOME AUTOMATION specification, installation and commissioning.

This ability, along with installation-specific electrical compliance certificate and warranty documentation to cover the HOME AUTOMATION products became paramount in our growth strategy.

REQUIREMENTS
Amandla Electrical embarked on a mission to source the “best” HOME AUTOMATION product on the market. We identified the product based on the following parameters in order of preference and priority based on our experience