MK pulls the plug on consumer units

MK Electric, owned by US conglomerate Honeywell, has announced plans to quit the circuit protection business and discontinue the Sentry consumer unit product range.

By Gordon Routledge
Sunday 18th August 2019

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In a notice sent out to electrical wholesalers this week, the company blamed the complexities of the transition between 17th and 18th edition wiring regulations. The decision answers months of speculation as to why MK hadn't expanded the Sentry range to reflect the changes in the 18th edition. The 18th edition requires arc fault detection devices (AFDD), surge protection devices (SPD) and an expanded range of residual current devices (RCD). Without these additions, electricians would be unable to use the Sentry range in many residential installations.

Production stops in December 2019

The company says production of the Sentry range will cease at the end of 2019. Earlier this year MK announced the closure of a factory in St Asaph, which led to a review of product ranges. The once market-leading Sentry range has been in production for more than 40 years.

The decision to discontinue production comes at a time when competitor Siemens continues to expand 18th edition product lines. Siemens, which owns the Wylex and Crabtree brands, has invested heavily in AFFD technology and early adoption of SPDs. For many years MK relied upon Siemens for its circuit breaker and RCD technology.