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The Electrical Installation Equipment Manufacturers' Association (EIEMA) and the British Electrical Systems Association (BESA) joined forces with effect from 1 April.

Both organisations already co-operated under umbrella organisation BEAMA (British Electrotechnical and Allied Manufacturers' Association). The new body will be known as BEAMA Installation.

Former EIEMA president Mike Storey takes over as president of the new association. "There has been a marked reduction in the number of players in the market because of mergers, takeovers and acquisitions," explains Storey. "Numbers within EIEMA have dropped from 60 to 45 in recent years and there is nothing to suggest that this trend will not continue."

Indeed, BEAMA has seen the number of trade associations under its auspices drop from 18 to ten, a development seen in many other industry sectors.

In many respects, this was a merger waiting to happen. "The product areas that the two associations represent fit together to form the backbone of any electrical installation – it is a natural fit," says Storey. The new association has 66 member companies.

Many within the sector may wonder why it has taken so long for the merger to happen. Fresh impetus seems to have come in the shape of Geoff McCann, BESA president and now vice-president of BEAMA Installation. McCann is managing director of a company that was a member of both EIEMA and BESA and there was a direct line of communication between the two bodies.

The combined resources mean the installation materials sector will now speak with one unified voice

Dave Dossett

Dave Dossett, formerly EIEMA director, now takes up that position for BEAMA Installation. He is supported by two deputy directors: Anne Humberstone (installation equipment) and Peter Downham (cable management).

Dave Dossett is also chief executive of BEAMA and it is his remit to make the body more cost-effective while maintaining the lobbying effectiveness of the various groups.

"For EIEMA and BESA to join together has many benefits for our members," explains Dossett. "The combined association provides a larger, more stable platform from which to launch industry initiatives and communicate views.

"The combined resources mean the installation materials sector will now speak with one unified voice. We will have even more impact when talking with UK and EU governments and exert greater influence on standards and potential legislation affecting the industry," says Dossett.

Dossett sees the new body exerting a big influence on European directives. "Jointly we will now be able to focus more on international, and especially European, lobbying and standardisation work. We will speak with a single voice regarding issues like the harmonisation of plugs and sockets," says Dossett.