Electrium is a British manufacturer and supplier of electrical installation equipment, wiring accessories, circuit protection products, distribution equipment, and low-voltage electrical systems. Based in the United Kingdom, the company serves residential, commercial, and industrial electrical markets through a portfolio that includes established brands such as Crabtree, Wylex, and Volex Accessories.
Electrium became part of the Siemens group in 2006. Siemens announced the acquisition in December 2005, and the transaction was completed in 2006. Siemens subsequently described Electrium as a wholly owned subsidiary, with the company’s existing brands and distribution channels retained.
The company occupies a specialized position within the electrical industry, supplying products that range from everyday wiring accessories and consumer electrical equipment to circuit protection systems, distribution boards, panelboards, and larger low-voltage switchgear.
Electrium and Siemens
Electrium’s relationship with Siemens is an important part of its corporate history.
Siemens announced its agreement to acquire Electrium in December 2005. At the time, Electrium was headquartered in Cannock, Staffordshire, and had approximately 700 employees operating across four sites. Siemens described the acquisition as an opportunity to strengthen its position in electrical installation systems in the UK.
The acquisition was completed during Siemens’ 2006 fiscal year. Siemens’ financial reporting lists Electrium Limited, UK among the businesses acquired during fiscal 2006.
In a later announcement, Siemens confirmed that Electrium had been a wholly owned subsidiary since January 2006.
The acquisition allowed Electrium to retain its established British brands while gaining access to Siemens’ wider resources in areas such as research and development, logistics, sales, and marketing.
Electrium’s Major Brands
Electrium brings together several established electrical product brands.
Crabtree
Crabtree is one of the best-known names within the Electrium portfolio. Its products include wiring accessories, switches, sockets, distribution equipment, switchboards, and circuit protection products.
The brand has a long history in British electrical manufacturing and serves domestic, commercial, and industrial applications.
Crabtree’s range extends from relatively simple electrical accessories to equipment designed for larger installations.
Wylex
Wylex is particularly associated with consumer units, distribution boards, circuit protection devices, and related low-voltage electrical equipment.
The brand has a long history in the UK electrical market and has developed products around the changing requirements of domestic and commercial electrical installations.
Current Electrium product listings include Wylex consumer units and distribution boards, as well as protective devices.
Volex Accessories
Volex Accessories forms another part of the Electrium portfolio, with products associated with electrical wiring and installation requirements.
Siemens identified Crabtree, Wylex, and Volex as the three established brands that formed a major part of Electrium’s portfolio following the acquisition.
Together, these brands allow Electrium to cover multiple areas of low-voltage electrical installation.
Electrical Installation Products
Electrium’s product portfolio covers a broad range of electrical installation equipment.
The company’s current online product platform includes products such as:
- Consumer units
- Distribution boards
- Panelboards
- Circuit breakers
- Moulded case circuit breakers
- Residual-current protection devices
- Arc-fault detection devices
- Switchgear
- Wiring accessories
- Cable-management products
- Photovoltaic consumer units
- Busbar systems
- Switches and sockets
Electrium also supplies Siemens-branded low-voltage products alongside products marketed under its established British brands.
This range enables the company to address applications from individual homes to larger commercial and industrial installations.
Circuit Protection
Circuit protection is one of Electrium’s key areas of expertise.
Electrical circuits require protection against conditions such as excessive current and short circuits. Depending on the installation and equipment involved, different protective devices may be used.
Electrium’s portfolio includes circuit breakers, consumer units, distribution boards, and other protective equipment.
Its current product range includes moulded case circuit breakers (MCCBs), miniature circuit protection equipment, AFDD-RCBO products, and other protective devices.
These products are designed to form part of electrical distribution systems and help protect electrical circuits and connected equipment.
Consumer Units
Consumer units are an important part of residential and smaller commercial electrical installations.
A consumer unit provides a central point for distributing electrical power to different circuits within a building while incorporating appropriate protective devices.
Electrium’s Wylex portfolio includes consumer units such as the AM2 Consumer Units listed on the company’s current product platform.
The company also offers photovoltaic consumer units designed for installations involving solar-power systems.
As electrical installations become more complex, consumer units have increasingly had to accommodate different forms of circuit protection and additional electrical technologies.
Distribution Boards
For larger installations, distribution boards provide a structured method of distributing electrical power among multiple circuits.
Electrium supplies distribution equipment under brands including Wylex and Crabtree.
The company’s current product listings include Wylex distribution boards and Siemens panelboards, demonstrating the range of distribution equipment available through its portfolio.
Distribution equipment can be used in commercial buildings, industrial facilities, and other environments where electrical power needs to be distributed safely across numerous circuits.
Switchgear
Switchgear is another important area of Electrium’s business.
Switchgear incorporates equipment used to control, isolate, and protect electrical circuits. It can range from relatively simple switching equipment to larger systems used in industrial and commercial installations.
Electrium’s portfolio includes switchboards, panelboards, and other forms of low-voltage switchgear.
A current Crabtree product listing, for example, includes a 63A three-phase plus neutral fuse combination unit designed and manufactured in the UK to BS EN 60947-3.
Such products demonstrate how Electrium’s portfolio extends beyond household wiring accessories into more demanding electrical distribution applications.
Wiring Accessories
Wiring accessories are among the most visible products associated with Electrium’s brands.
These include items such as:
- Light switches
- Electrical sockets
- Connection accessories
- Plates and accessories
- Cable-management components
- Installation accessories
These products are used in homes, offices, commercial buildings, and industrial environments.
Siemens described Electrium as one of the leading vendors of British Standards wiring accessories, circuit protection systems, switches, and sockets when announcing the acquisition.
The continued presence of these product categories reflects the company’s roots in the UK electrical installation market.
Cable Management
Electrical installations require cables to be routed, protected, organized, and supported appropriately.
Electrium’s portfolio includes cable-management products and accessories designed to support electrical installation work.
Cable management is relevant across many environments, including domestic buildings, offices, industrial facilities, and commercial developments.
Proper cable management can contribute to an installation’s organization, accessibility, and long-term maintainability.
Low-Voltage Electrical Systems
Electrium operates primarily in the low-voltage electrical installation sector.
Its products can form different parts of a complete electrical distribution system, from the point where power enters a building through distribution equipment and protective devices to individual circuits and electrical accessories.
This means the company is not focused on one isolated product category.
Instead, its portfolio spans multiple stages of electrical installation, enabling contractors and electrical professionals to source different components for an installation through related brands.
Residential Applications
Electrium products are used in residential electrical installations.
Products such as switches, sockets, consumer units, circuit protection devices, and wiring accessories are relevant to homes and residential developments.
Consumer units are particularly important because they provide the distribution and protection point for multiple household circuits.
Wylex and Crabtree products provide options across different residential electrical requirements.
For homeowners, these products may be largely invisible once an installation is complete, but they form important components of the building’s electrical infrastructure.
Commercial Applications
Commercial buildings typically require more extensive electrical distribution systems than individual homes.
Offices, retail premises, hotels, educational buildings, healthcare facilities, and other commercial environments may require distribution boards, panelboards, circuit protection, switchgear, and extensive wiring accessories.
Electrium’s portfolio is designed to address these requirements through its different product families.
The availability of both smaller installation products and larger distribution equipment allows the company to serve projects of varying scales.
Industrial Applications
Industrial facilities often have more demanding electrical requirements.
Manufacturing plants, warehouses, processing facilities, and other industrial environments may require robust distribution systems and specialized circuit protection.
Electrium’s switchgear, circuit protection, panelboards, and distribution equipment can form part of these low-voltage electrical systems.
Siemens’ original acquisition announcement highlighted Electrium’s position in electrical installation systems and its established presence in markets beyond the UK, including the Near and Middle East.
British Standards and Compliance
Electrical installation products must meet applicable technical and safety requirements.
Electrium has historically maintained a strong focus on British Standards products. Siemens specifically described the company as a leading supplier of British Standards wiring accessories, circuit protection systems, switches, and sockets.
Current product documentation also identifies applicable standards for individual products. For example, a Crabtree fuse combination unit is specified as being manufactured to BS EN 60947-3.
Standards compliance is important because electrical equipment must be appropriate for the installation environment and applicable regulatory framework.
Product Development
Electrium’s development within Siemens has provided access to a larger international engineering and business network.
When Siemens announced the acquisition, it stated that Electrium would benefit from Siemens’ resources in research and development, logistics, and global sales and marketing.
This relationship allows Electrium to combine established knowledge of British electrical installation requirements with resources from a global engineering company.
The company’s product range has subsequently expanded into newer areas of electrical protection and distribution, including products for photovoltaic installations and advanced circuit protection.
Solar and Photovoltaic Applications
The growth of solar power has introduced additional requirements for electrical distribution and protection.
Electrium’s current online portfolio includes PV Consumer Units, designed for photovoltaic installations.
These products reflect the changing nature of building electrical systems.
As homes and commercial buildings increasingly incorporate solar generation and other distributed-energy technologies, electrical distribution equipment needs to accommodate these systems alongside conventional circuits.
Arc-Fault Detection
Electrium’s current product listings also include 10kA miniature AFDD-RCBOs.
AFDD stands for Arc Fault Detection Device, while RCBO refers to a combined residual-current and overcurrent protective device.
Arc-fault detection technology is designed to identify electrical conditions associated with dangerous arcing and provide an additional layer of circuit protection.
The inclusion of such products demonstrates Electrium’s movement beyond traditional switches and consumer units into newer forms of electrical protection.
Bi-Directional Protection
Another category in Electrium’s current portfolio is bi-directional electrical protection.
The company lists AM3 bi-directional devices among its products.
Bi-directional devices can be relevant to electrical systems in which current may flow in more than one direction, including installations associated with distributed energy resources.
This is increasingly relevant as electrical systems evolve from traditional one-way power distribution toward more complex networks involving generation, storage, and consumption.
Plug-In Busbar Systems
Electrium also offers the Starbreaker Plug-in Busbar System.
Busbar systems can provide structured methods of distributing electrical power within appropriate installations.
A plug-in design can simplify aspects of distribution and allow compatible protective devices to be incorporated into the system.
The Starbreaker system is currently included in Electrium’s online product portfolio alongside consumer units, MCCBs, panelboards, and other distribution equipment.
Electrium’s UK Presence
Electrium has historically maintained a significant manufacturing and commercial presence in the UK.
When Siemens announced its acquisition, Electrium had four sites across Cannock and Brownhills in the West Midlands and Hindley Green and Wythenshawe in the North West of England.
Its headquarters have been associated with Cannock, Staffordshire, where the company continues to have its UK commercial presence.
The business has evolved since the acquisition, but its UK identity remains an important part of the Electrium brand.
International Markets
Although Electrium is strongly associated with the UK electrical installation market, its products have also been supplied internationally.
Siemens highlighted Electrium’s established access to markets in the Near and Middle East at the time of the acquisition.
The combination of British electrical standards expertise and Siemens’ international network provided opportunities for the company’s products to reach markets beyond Britain.
The Electrium brands have therefore maintained a presence in international electrical supply chains while continuing to focus strongly on the UK market.
Electrium and the Electrical Industry
Electrium occupies a distinctive position because its portfolio combines several long-established British electrical brands under one corporate organization.
The company’s product range covers both highly visible consumer products, such as switches and sockets, and technical equipment used behind the scenes in electrical distribution systems.
This broad range allows Electrium to participate in multiple stages of an electrical installation.
For electrical wholesalers, contractors, engineers, and specifiers, the company therefore represents a supplier with products spanning everyday wiring accessories through to circuit protection and distribution equipment.
Relationship With Siemens’ Low-Voltage Business
Electrium has also been integrated into Siemens’ wider low-voltage business activities in the UK.
In 2013, Siemens stated that responsibility for Electrium’s low-voltage products business formed part of the remit of the head of its UK Low and Medium Voltage Division. Siemens described Electrium as a leading vendor of British Standards wiring accessories, circuit protection systems, switches, and sockets.
This reflects the strategic role Electrium has played within Siemens’ UK electrical installation portfolio.
The relationship also gives customers access to a combination of Electrium’s established British product brands and Siemens electrical technologies.
A Broad Low-Voltage Portfolio
One of Electrium’s defining characteristics is the breadth of its low-voltage portfolio.
A single organization provides products covering:
- Wiring accessories
- Switches and sockets
- Consumer units
- Distribution boards
- Panelboards
- Circuit breakers
- Circuit protection
- Switchgear
- Cable management
- Photovoltaic distribution equipment
- Busbar systems
- Advanced protective devices
This breadth allows Electrium to serve different installation environments while maintaining specialized product brands.
Conclusion
Electrium is a British electrical installation equipment manufacturer and supplier with a long-established presence in the UK low-voltage electrical market. Its portfolio covers wiring accessories, circuit protection, consumer units, distribution boards, switchgear, panelboards, cable management, and other electrical installation products.
The company is particularly associated with established British brands including Crabtree, Wylex, and Volex Accessories. These brands allow Electrium to serve residential, commercial, and industrial customers with products ranging from switches and sockets to sophisticated distribution and protection equipment.
A major milestone in Electrium’s history came with its acquisition by Siemens in 2006. Siemens retained Electrium’s established brands and distribution channels while providing access to its wider resources in research and development, logistics, sales, and marketing. Siemens subsequently confirmed that Electrium had been wholly owned since January 2006.
Today, Electrium’s product portfolio also reflects changes in the electrical industry, with offerings such as photovoltaic consumer units, bi-directional devices, arc-fault detection products, and plug-in busbar systems alongside conventional circuit protection and distribution equipment.
From everyday household wiring accessories to equipment used in larger electrical distribution systems, Electrium represents a broad segment of the British low-voltage electrical installation market. Its combination of established UK brands and Siemens ownership has enabled the company to maintain its British electrical-market identity while operating within a larger international engineering group.