Merten redefines luxury living.

(From Gulf Construction)

A German manufacturer of intelligent building systems is looking to capitalise on the fast-growing construction markets in the region through a well-planned expansion programme

Merten, which is celebrating its centenary year in 2006, has brought to the Middle East a range of products that will redefine luxury living in this part of the world. The German manufacturer offers a range of solutions for intelligent buildings, ranging from switches and security programmes to building systems technology to markets extending from Berlin to Bangkok

As part of a well-planned expansion programme to strengthen its presence in the Middle East market, the company has tied up with Bahrain-based Intercol to distribute its products and solutions in the kingdom. ISO 9002-certified Intercol currently represents more than 200 multinationals - including Nestle, Philip Morris, Volvo-Penta, MTU, Motorola, Nokia, Shell, Federal Express, LIC, Western Union, Con Agra, Alcatel, Danone, among others - in Bahrain and the region, providing them with sales and marketing, distribution, post-sales customer support and technical back-up. According to general manager K Sundararaman: "Intercol will be presenting Merten's entire suite in the region that will include high-quality glass and metal switches and movement detectors, among others." The agency plans to begin the distribution of Merten's EIB system (European Installation Bus), starting from this month (May)

Merten is also planning to set up a new office in Dubai over the next couple of months, which will undertake the distribution of the company's products in one of the most buoyant markets in the region. One of the most sought-after products in the hotel industry is Merten's Instabus EIB system. "Instabus EIB is the ideal solution for those demanding especially high levels of security, comfort, flexibility, efficiency and expandability," says export director Volker Schoch. "Building functions like light, air-conditioning, ventilation and temperature can all be controlled together. And this can be done with all the advantages of network solutions. "If the smoke detector starts an alarm, lights in the entire building are switched on and the blinds are raised automatically. If movement detectors identify unwanted guests in your building, an SMS is sent to you wherever you are. In short: Instabus EIB is all about making buildings smarter," he adds

Merten's systems can be used in the arrival, conference or sleeping areas of hotels and can also be used to give error messages. "For instance, hallway lighting could be programmed to show the way to the room at night. The air-conditioning and the room lamps can be controlled conveniently from bed. These are just a few examples of how Merten makes daily hotel life more comfortable, secure and efficient. This apart, the system can turn off the air-conditioner if the windows of the room are opened," says Schoch

The EIB system not only seeks to enhance customer comfort in hotels, but they also provide sizeable savings in energy costs, he adds. Merten@home Merten@home - an EIB system fro the home - is a hi-tech maid, which is modern, reliable, and user-friendly at the same time. "Imagine you are fast asleep at home. A short circuit in the kitchen gives out smoke. The intelligent Merten smoke detectors would sound a loud and distinct alarm. The attractive Argus smoke detectors can be radio networked to sound all the smoke alarms installed at home. Not only that, the lights would switch on automatically; the blinds would roll up immediately to give you sufficient light to move about and take prompt action," says Schoch