The low voltage market is more profitable than the traditional electrical market, in some cases twice as profitable or greater. This key finding comes from ELECTRI International research evaluating contractors who perform both traditional electrical work and low voltage work. Equally important, almost half of all electrical contractors expect the low voltage market to double in the next five years. The conclusion? The low voltage market represents a significant area of growth in revenue and profitability that electrical contractors are well positioned to enter to their advantage.

ELECTRI International commissioned a major research initiative to develop a guide for ways an electrical contractor could enter and facilitate growth as an integrator in low voltage systems.  Investigators from the Maxim Consulting Group confirmed that rapid changes in low voltage systems and the convergence of the information technology market are creating a need for a more highly-skilled contractor base and workforce across a broader range of low voltage systems.

With the growth of low voltage systems, the EC industry is responding by cross-training its electrician base with technical and engineering skills related to low voltage systems, as well as hiring new low voltage technicians.

The detailed manual helps guide contractors towards a low voltage systems strategy by answering three questions:  Which markets? Which verticals? What competitive differentiators? To answer those questions, Maxim researchers organized the manual into separate sections:

• An overview of the low voltage market, trends, drivers, and projected growth
• Recommended strategies for entering the market
• Recommended organizational structures, licenses, certifications and skills
• A review of the scope of services contractors should consider offering
• Conclusions

The Electrical Contractor as the Integrator can be viewed and downloaded, at no charge by clicking on the research tab of this site.