Electrical showcase

Martin Parsons
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Can you give us some background on ECC?

Honeywell Environmental & Combustion Controls (ECC) provides everything from thermostats to BMS used by various integrators to provide a complete building management solution for sectors from hospitality to education, health, residential and commercial. Important projects in this regard in where we are involved are Princess Nora University and the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia.

What technology platforms do you employ?

We have some breakthrough technologies in ECC such as air valves and intelligent controls from Phoenix for laboratories and hospitals. The response time in detecting a change in pressure is under a second. ECC BMS controllers can integrate with these products to provide a total solution for the entire HVAC control system and BMS.

What makes Honeywell ECC such a great business is that, under one roof, it provides an unparalleled solution comprising top brands like Alerton, Centraline, Phoenix, Tridium and Trend. These brands provide customers with technology and applications that suit a particular construction need, instead of the typical situation of an external BMS provider supplying competing products where the portfolio would be much smaller. Honeywell ECC provides multiple brands for multiple applications, from the very basic to the highest level, so customers can really pick and choose.

Products comprise HVAC controls, including thermostats, valves, variable air volume (VAV) controls, air valves, chilled water controllers, comprising normal wire technology as well as wireless thermostats, where you stand to save a lot in terms of wiring and cables. Energy efficiency is something we promote actively, and help customers monitor and reduce energy consumption.

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By applying BMS, not only do you have efficient air-con and integration of the fire alarm system, surveillance and access control, it provides for a very efficient use of the equipment as well as optimising energy savings. Our VAV technology employs variable frequency drives (VFDs), by which you control the speed of the motor and hence the air flow. So instead of using ordinary dampers, which people employed traditionally, VFD controls the motor speed by sensors and therefore controls the flow, saving a tremendous amount of energy.

We cater for both BACnet and LONnet, including such unique solutions as Niagra for automation control. This means we cater for optimal flexibility and adaptability in application, as well as being able to supply the latest technologies.

Everybody sees thermostats, but what you do not see is all the building controls sitting in the control room controlling everything else. The bulk of these have invariably been supplied by Honeywell, either as engineering solutions or via our solution provider partners across the region.

How much of the region do you cover?

From this office we cater for the entire Middle East, and also parts of North and East Africa. This market is being driven by the investment in infrastructure in the construction industry. There is a huge investment across the region in education (universities), medical facilities (hospitals) and commercial infrastructure, as with the economic cities springing up in Saudi Arabia. A similar thing is also happening in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, with Masdar City driving a lot of the technology uptake in the latter.

Due to the billions of dollars being spent, surely the governments and planners want the best technology to be used. They want to put their money to real good use. All of the key areas showing growth are demanding hi-tech systems with the capability to integrate with third-party systems, as well as being able to realise the best energy savings. A Honeywell controller can integrate with any other products. This means that both customers and technology planners and users can make the best choices without being limited to one particular product or company. Thus Honeywell ECC provides a platform for world-class brands and different types of technology.

What are the latest developments?

Another area that Honeywell ED&S has moved into recently is commercial and residential lighting controls. The latter comprises RF-based solutions, and then we have the Ex-or brand from the UK for commercial lighting control sensors, which are not only based on occupancy, but also body heat and external light levels. These are intelligent, point-to-point sensors that can realise a 35% energy-saving in commercial buildings.

What are your growth prospects?

Honeywell is expanding in a big way, strengthening its already strong infrastructure and people base in the region, both on the technical/sales and operational side.