Herkes Electrical Supplies — from the stable to the stage
By Richard Mead.
This article appeared in Electrical Gems Issue 86, August—September 2008
The name Herkes Electrical Supplies may not release a flood of adrenalin that would cause an increase or "spike" in your pulse rate. Compared with the diverse and exciting products that are available through this progressive company and the events that have been made possible because of the company's involvement in a diverse range of endeavours and activities, Herkes Electrical Supplies is a plain brown wrapper. But as the old proverb goes; what's in a name?
Steeped in history, Herkes commenced trading in 1954 with a modest staff of three and a sole focus on electrical products to be sold to the electrical industry. Founded under the guidance and ownership of Bill Herkes (hence the name) the company prospered. The ownership batten was passed to Garth Tanswell in 1980 and substantial growth was experienced, with staff members increasing into the 20s and a larger, more diverse client base. Inevitably, with all this expansion, alteration and growth, the company now offers a colossal product range.
Garth was a founding member of Gemcell, and back in 1990 at Clipsal's 75th Anniversary celebrations, was one of the assembled group of independent electrical wholesalers underneath the oak tree at Chapel Hill Winery when Robert Gerard suggested they band together and form a buying group. Garth took Robert's advice to heart and along with a small group of "true believers" Garth helped lay the foundation stones for the Gemcell group.
In the company's early days, Herkes traded from the back of a converted stable in Alberta Street, Sydney. In time, Herkes realised that the stable - while great for horses - was not an ideal electrical warehouse. This revelation soon resulted in a move to more practical, larger commercial premises in Nickson Street, Surry Hills. Steady growth later resulted in relocation to 890 Bourke Street Waterloo, in Sydney south, where Herkes is still situated today. This modern warehouse boasts a floor space of over 1500 square metres and 21 staff are employed. Herkes currently stocks in excess of 14,000 items for the convenience of its 750 account holders and regular customers.
Since Garth Tanswell took the company's reins it has diversified from its core business of electrical supplies, yet this remains its number one function and focus. Herkes specialises in many areas including cables, leads, conduit, transformers and heat-shrink. But the difference between the past and the present in this respect is that today, this is where the product range begins. New products are always being released; LED products are now becoming prevalent from basic hand-held LED torches through to LED lighting used in store displays and in the not too distant future - Professional Lighting. At Herkes, these and a thousand other exciting products are just the tip of the electrical supply iceberg.
As Herkes continues to grow and mature, customers' needs are constantly changing. Herkes remains intuitive to the shifts in the electrical industry landscape and to its own customers' needs. The product range is constantly being fine-tuned in response to changes in rules and regulations, legislation, advances in technology and environmental, price and quality issues.
Herkes Professional Lighting was born in 1989 to specifically cater to the demands of the theatre and entertainment industries. Herkes Professional Audio came into existence in 2003. Although separate divisions, lighting and audio are both complementary and interactive, requiring talented and specialised staff.
These exciting divisions have been a catalyst for the involvement of Herkes in many different fields and industries including theatre, television and film. The list of projects that Herkes has been involved in includes (but are not limited to) the films The Matrix (1999), The Matrix Reloaded (2003), The Matrix Revolutions (2003) and Wolverine (2009). Herkes has also been involved in the television series Survior: Vanuatu (2004) and Farscape, which ran for four seasons and finished with the story being made into a movie.
When it comes to theatre, Herkes is continually involved with the Sydney Opera House and Bell Shakespeare Company. Other projects include the Lyric Theatre, the Sydney Theatre, the Powerhouse Museum's Dianna Exhibition and the Australian Museum's exhibitions Surviving Australia and Dinosaurs.
As well as the exciting events mentioned above, Herkes has been involved in different forms of sponsorship including (but not limited to) Sydney Special Children events, The Starlight Foundation and more recently Vision Australia.