A new Sqippa partner: Lejeune Multi Electra
Lejeune is a service-oriented installation company characterised by going beyond "just" standard security and/or electrical installations. Data is becoming increasingly important in this respect; then the link is is quickly made and a new partnership emerges.
For more than 55 years, Lejeune has specialised in e
Acting together to combine smart technologies
Electrical installations, alarm systems, camera and fire alarm systems, access control, emergency lighting, data networks and intercom systems.
While the focus for Lejeune's electrical solutions is mainly on the B2B market, it is different for security systems: there, the private customer group is also strongly represented.
Erwin Hermans, co-owner of Lejeune since January 2021, has been working for quite some time on making buildings and installations smart with the latest technologies. To this end, he entered into a far-reaching partnership with FourIQ. Together they figured out that smart emergency lighting would really add value for building owners and that's how they ended up with Sqippa.
Increased safety thanks to Sqippa
Soon after being introduced to Sqippa, Lejeune got the chance to put smart emergency lighting into practice. In June 2021, we delivered the installations of Bankastudio's in Maastricht. Bankastudio's is a collective building that houses TV Maastricht, among others, but where you can also rent spaces for making music, for example.
"HBI Bisscheroux's smart emergency lighting is running there and we monitor it online within Sqippa. The customer doesn't have to do anything for this, we manage everything. And we like it: we have no breakdowns."
Now, should anything go wrong, we solve the breakdown before the customer even notices. We are fully in control. This increases safety in the building. As a building owner, you therefore know for sure that you have an optimally safe situation when it comes to emergency lighting. Of course, there are other providers of smart emergency lighting, but HBI in combination with Sqippa felt right away.
"We chose Sqippa for several reasons. Firstly, they think 'out of the box' and also look at the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of a building. Secondly, it is an open system that we can do a lot with. For instance, we can also link other systems to it and are not solely dependent on Sqippa."
The Sqippa community and platform: a valuable combination
Erwin is very keen on the combination between platform and community. Although he does not yet have much experience with the community, he is aware of the value of sharing knowledge between manufacturers, building owners and operators.
"It is precisely by sharing knowledge that we can offer our customers appropriate solutions that are normally only available to companies with bigger R&D budgets. And if Sqippa can develop innovatively because the community feeds them well, we are all winners!"
The future is efficient
Erwin sees a smart future ahead. One in which both customers and installers have to start thinking differently, but also reap the benefits.
"You can already see that the revenue models of installers are changing. Of course we continue to install traditionally, but installers can also add value by cleverly deploying the data we collect. On the one hand, that data is there to keep the installation in order, but you can also use it to link lighting to a school's class schedule or to the weather forecast. For example, we could also better regulate the temperature in a building the moment the sun starts shining brighter." This is an application that Erwin believes Sqippa can also play a role in.
"Another important point is that installers can work more efficiently. Not only do we serve more customers with fewer people, but the number of driving movements also decreases. And thus we contribute to CO2 reduction."
Yet this change also requires a different way of looking at building costs, says Erwin.
"Not only by building owners, but also by installers. We must constantly ask ourselves how we can achieve the maximum result for the client. That means an optimal installation, which pays for itself." This is not yet a popular view in the market, but Erwin hopes this will soon change.
"I always compare the cost of a building to an iceberg. The construction costs are the tip of the iceberg that you see. But the cost of running the building is everything that is underwater. And that is precisely where you can make the money. For example, a building owner can save up to 20% on TCO over a 10-year period. Simply because with Sqippa, the cost of your maintenance becomes much lower. That also means that building owners first have to spend a bit more, and then save a lot of costs."
