Episode 111: Stuart Sutherland from Electrotherm Pty Ltd. VIC

Ben’s special guest this week on the Bees with Ben podcast is Stuart Sutherland from Electrotherm Pty Ltd. Electrotherm is an Australian manufacturer of specialized industrial heater jackets and pads. The company was established in 1991 with the aim of introducing energy efficiency to the traditional industrial heating market; their customer base includes industry, government, defence and research. And these unique heater jackets have an important application in the honey industry. As Ben explains, there is nothing more infuriating than when your honey stocks turn brick-hard in winter. Stuart tells us that he originally hails from south Wales (not New South Wales) and started his working life as a carpenter, working in joinery workshops across the UK producing stairs, windows and period mouldings before moving into shopfitting and a stint building boats in South Africa. Electrotherm was started by Mike Bell, an electrical engineer, who Stuart describes as a very inventive man, and Stuart took over the business about a year ago. Whereas many heating products utilize an element that is essentially a curly wire, Electrotherm’s products employ a very different carbon graphite element that looks like a black cloth and was originally developed to prevent icing in the wingtips of aircraft (it is also used as subfloor heating for houses in Europe). This has great advantages over the resistance wire format. Electrotherm is very thorough in its product development and employs stringent quality control The heater jackets are made from a very tough PVC-coated fabric - they must be able to tolerate considerable heat as the jackets can get up to 90 o C. Based in Seaford, near Melbourne. Electrotherm’s products are popular within the honey industry, as well as industrial chemistry, where heater jackets are commonly used to ensure glues, epoxy resins, polyurethanes and the like do not get too viscous in colder weather. Another of their customers uses heater jackets on skin creams and pharmaceuticals so that they do not become hard and difficult to work with. Electrotherm are always looking to improve and expand their product range, and are happy to take on custom work. Stuart will also be displaying his products at the Victorian Apiarists’ Association annual conference in Bendigo from 5-7 July. He views this as a great opportunity to meet people and to listen to his customers, which in turn will help to refine his product. And Stuart also has a very special offer for all of Ben’s listeners, but you will need to wait for the end of the podcast to hear it! For more information about Electrotherm’s innovative products visit: electrotherm.com.au And to find out more about the 122 nd VAA Annual Conference go to: https://www.vicbeekeepers.com.au/page-18116 https://electrotherm.com.au/