As part of its 25th anniversary celebrations Aico, a market leader in domestic Fire and Carbon Monoxide (CO) protection products, has launched a new sophisticated training and demonstration facility at its premises in Oswestry, Shropshire: the Centre of Excellence.
A standalone building comprising of 4326 ft² (402 m²) over two storeys, the Centre of Excellence has been built by Aico to demonstrate its comprehensive product range and provide customers with the latest training and meeting facilities.
On the ground floor of the Centre of Excellence Aico has created ‘Ember Place’, which emulates a furnished home, with typical room layouts including a lounge, kitchen and bedroom. Aico alarms and accessories are fitted within these rooms to clearly demonstrate which products are suitable for these settings. And, just to add a bit of extra character, each room has been designed and furnished from a specific decade from the 1960s to the present – flying ducks on the wall and all.
These rooms use infographics to explain the potential fire and CO risks in a property and details the products suitable to install to protect residents. Special Applications boards display how Aico products can be interlinked with third party systems such as Warden Call Systems and Gas Shut Off Valves.
A hands on training room is located next to ‘Ember Place’ where Aico will conduct specific training courses for customers, including its Aico Fire Products Trained Installer Scheme (AFPTIS) which has been designed for electrical contractors. The scheme has so far trained 9500 people over almost six years.
Running across the length of the first floor of Aico’s Centre of Excellence is a large modern meeting room which can accommodate up to 50 people and a break out area with seating and desks. The meeting room has the latest presentation facilities including an automated projector, sophisticated LED lighting with a variety of settings and automated black out blinds.
The launch of the Centre of Excellence is the first event in 2015 to mark Aico’s 25th anniversary. Visitors to The Centre are able to gain an overview of the history of Aico, along with its parent company Ei Electronics, through an infographic marking all the key stages in these companies’ histories, including actual products – past and present - from the 25 years Aico has been in business.
Bringing customers right up to date, visitors to the Centre can also get a taste of the current alarm manufacturing process through a series of video monitors showing the nine different stages of production at Ei’s plant in Shannon, Ireland.
The Centre of Excellence was officially launched on the 14th January at a major event attended by 154 people, including a host of key Aico customers from Local Authorities and Housing Associations, Electrical Contractors and Wholesalers, as well as national and local media. Tours were conducted around the Centre following a ribbon cutting ceremony by Michael Guinee, Managing Director of Aico and parent company Ei Electronics.
