Our story
Image: MD Gary Stevens meets The King at Buckingham Palace at the reception for recipients of The King’s Awards for Enterprise, June 27th 2023.
Focus SB®
Dedicated to creating design-led luxury electrical accessories with products specified by design consultants around the globe for over 40 years.
Commencing trading in April 2001 as the result of a merger between Sussex Brassware Ltd and Focus Electrical Ltd, we have evolved from humble beginnings into a multi-award winning British brand, achieving a King’s Award for Enterprise for International Trade in 2023.
Innovative
Renowned for the design, development and manufacture of premium electrical wiring accessories we are at the forefront of our industry. Our long standing ability to create desirable faceplate and light switch designs and finishes using a blend of traditional artisan crafts combined with cutting edge technology is complemented by years of in-house experience and investment in manufacturing training.
Product innovations:
- One of few manufacturers able to match its rocker and toggle switches to plate finishes.
- Electrophoretic lacquering of polished brass plates providing durability and a hard-wearing finish.
- The only UK electrical accessory manufacturer with total control of its manufacturing process in-house.
- First and only UK and European electrical accessories manufacturer licensed to sell direct to mainland China (Oct 2017).
- The only truly flush-mounted electrical plate for the UK market, the Focus SB Smoothie®, designed in collaboration with the architects and designers, SHH (2014).
- The first fully certified double throw centre-off retractive toggle grid switch suitable for use with mains voltage in the UK (2017).
- Latching push button switch (2020)
- Patented ‘pogo-pin’ earthing mechanism (2020).
- Electronic low-voltage keypad switches for control of lighting and blinds (2021).
Our people
"At Focus SB we believe that with the right support, investment and training, anyone can achieve great things!”
With an established reputation we are committed to offering quality and customer satisfaction.
More than 10 of our employees have been with us for over 25 years!
At Focus SB our core values include treating all our stakeholders and communities with dignity and respect, supporting the mental health of our employees and trying to help make the world a better place. We actively nurture a harmonious company culture to support our staff and help them to succeed and regularly support charitable organisations or government initiatives whether linked to projects or to our communities.
Our MD Gary says: “I have been in manufacturing for over 40 years and started life as a technical apprentice. The future of any industry is the people and skills that underpin it and that is no more a true fact than in manufacturing and whilst there is still a requirement for the old traditional craftsman skills in manufacturing, there is a growing demand for people with IT skills, skills in robotics and AI, design and creative skills, sales and marketing skills, HR, accountancy and administrative skills.”
Quality
We offer a high quality, sustainable alternative to ‘off-the-shelf’ plastic switches and sockets with our beautifully finished hand assembled faceplates and components specified by prominent design consultants for world class hospitality and leisure resorts, prime residential developments, heritage buildings, royal residences, superyachts and commercial projects internationally.
Combining traditional methods of manufacturing complemented by the latest technology, Focus SB’s distinctive faceplates and switches feature elements of hand finishing, with every product hand assembled in Great Britain. Made from quality stainless steel and solid brass raw materials, our product components are approved to British Standards and independently tested by Intertek for safety. We operate a Quality Management System which complies with the requirements of ISO 9001:2015.
Manufacturing and engineering capabilities:
- Component design, development.
- Prototypes, samples.
- Flexible production programmes.
- CNC milling.
- Assembly and finishing.
- Press tooling.
- Press work.
- Metal finishing (lacquering, bronzing, spray painting).
Sustainable future
Sustainability is important to us and we are committed to reducing our carbon footprint and minimising our impact on the environment and our communities by continually evolving our processes and investing in a sustainable future for the company, our employees and the planet.
Focus SB’s manufacturing, head office and showroom sites are located in a rural area in East Sussex, near to the coast and countryside, and we are committed to minimising plastic packaging and disposing of chemical waste responsibly. Leading the way to a greener manufacturing future in our industry we are actively investing in new technology and initiatives to reduce our carbon footprint. We pledge significant ‘green energy’ investment.
We are an accredited industry partner of the Society of British and International Interior Designers (SBID) and hold long standing memberships of the Make UK and Made in Britain organisations.
Timeline highlights
1979 Sussex Brassware commences trading on 12th July.
1995 Ron Evans, John Harrold and Roger Kemp set up Focus Electrical Ltd in Hailsham East Sussex, commencing trading in 1996.
2001 Sussex Brassware merges with Focus Electrical Limited form a new company Focus SB Limited.
2004 Acquisition of local engineering company C H Turner & Sons Ltd to expand plate manufacturing capabilities.
2016 Focus SB Limited begins manufacturing its own brand of electrical inserts, Gary Stevens appointed as Managing Director.
Member of Made in Britain Campaign.
2017 Disability Confident Employer
2018 Enterprise Adviser volunteer
2019 We celebrate our 40th Anniversary!
2020 Patented ‘pogo-pin’ earthing mechanism.
2020 - 2024 Export Champion Gary Stevens accepts invitations from Department for Business & Trade to become an Export Champion for Southern England in 2020/21, 2022/23 and 2023/2024.
2021 Focus SB became a member of BEAMA, the UK trade association for our sector, invited to join and be front of centre of policy-making and decision-making for the future of electrical industry standards, alongside our peers.
East Sussex Careers Hub Industry Champion.
Electronic control switches for low voltage control of lighting and blinds - ‘Control switches by Focus SB’.
2022 First company on our industrial estate to install solar panels.
‘Control switches by Focus SB’ is [d]arc awards Kit, Technology award category winner.
2023 King’s Awards for Enterprise International Trade category winner, Gary Stevens MD attends reception at Buckingham Palace and meets His Majesty King Charles III on 27th June.
HRH The Princess Royal visits Focus SB on 22nd November and presents Gary Stevens MD with The King’s Awards for Enterprise for International Trade engraved crystal winner trophy.
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UK industry firsts
2023 Renaissance by Focus SB soft launches in March - solid brass flat screwless plate with distinctive square corners, a design-first product (Patent Pending UK & China 2207356.3). Debuts at Decorex 2023.
2022 ‘Alisse accessories by Focus SB’, power sockets and data outlet range launches in partnership with Lutron.
2020 Innovative latching push button switch, the only one of its kind on the market that can be used to replace any conventional light switch up to the rating of 6AX. Two push button functionality options available, conventional on/off light switch and retractive.
Exclusive collaborations: Lutron Palladiom keypad faceplates.
2017 Focus SB made history when we became the first and only British (and European) manufacturer in our industry to gain CQC factory accreditation to supply and sell wiring accessories directly from Europe to China, also gaining full CCC licence for all of our products for the Chinese marketplace.
Launch of only fully certified to BS EN 60669-1 double throw centre off retractive toggle grid switch suitable for use with both mains voltage and ELV in the UK.
2014 Focus SB Smoothie® flush wall mounting system.
2004 We became the only UK manufacturer with total control of our production processes in-house.
Accreditations, certifications, memberships:
- ISO 9001:2015 BSI certified.
- Society of British and International Interior Designers (SBID).
- Made in Britain Campaign.
- China-Britain Business Council’s Outbound Programme (CBBC) 2017.
- CCC (China Compulsory Certificate) approved, CQC (China Quality Certification Centre) compliant 2017.
- Disability Confident Employer.
- BEAMA (electrical accessory manufacturers trade association).
- Make UK