An inventive family firm is making its second appearance in as many years on the list of finalists at the Electrical Industry Awards.

Lockwood-based Surewire Ltd has been shortlisted in the category for Innovative Commercial/Industrial Product of the Year. Last year, one of its products was a finalist in the same category – as well as the category for Innovative Residential/Domestic Product of the Year.

Surewire Ltd manufactures pre-wired maintenance-free lighting junction boxes  designed and developed to replace single junction boxes, the loop-in ceiling rose system and downlighter junction boxes.

Director Matthew Thompson, 32, said Surewire junction boxes made wiring a lighting system less time consuming, simpler, and cheaper. All cables can be cut and stripped to the same length with most wiring completed on the first fix and just one cable to wire at the light on the second fix.  They can be used for all lighting systems in domestic, commercial and industrial premises.

Mr Thompson said: “Surewire is the only product on the market which is pre-wired and one of only a few junction boxes which are maintenance free and complied fully with the latest wiring regulations.”

He explained: “A number of years ago I bought my first house, which is a mid-terrace in Netherton, and decided to do a full renovation which included a full re-wire. 

“To help cut costs and under the supervision of a part-P electrician, my dad completed the first fix wiring. One of the most time consuming processes was wiring all the individual junction boxes to create the lighting circuit.  My dad thought there must be a quicker and simpler way of doing this and started to put his ideas and ultimately his invention down on paper.

“I became involved and used my background in product engineering to design and develop a premium product which offers many benefits at a lower total cost than any other wiring system. 

“In 2011 and 2012 I worked most evenings in conjunction with my current employment and designed  the Surewire products.  All of my dad's savings, including some of my dad's pension fund has paid for patents, registered designs, trademarks, prototypes and BSI testing.”

Mr Thompson said efforts to secure funding from electrical distributors, retailers and banks to start manufacturing had failed.

“To start manufacture, my parents have had to remortgage their house and invest all the money,” he said. “One of my uncles has a manufacturing unit and has given us some space free of charge se we don't have many overheads while we start-up. Also, for start-up we’re having to work evenings and weekends in conjunction with our current employment until such a time the business can support us to join full time.”

Mr Thompson said the Surewire products were now set to appear at a number of electrical distributors from October and will be listed on the firm’s website,.

Winners of the Electrical Industry Awards will be announced at a gala dinner at London’s Royal Garden Hotel on October 24.