Christian Dodgson, Managing Director of Clearly Automated, takes on our terrific and tantalising quiz, Comment From The Coalface.
Tell us a little about your company. What do you specialise in? Who is involved?
Clearly Automated is a home automation company based in Leeds and we’re a Lutron Diamond Dealer. We specialise in lighting control, window treatments and home cinemas. I run the business with my wife, Lynn Williams. I founded Clearly Automated in 2008 and Lynn joined later, in 2014, after working with Lutron for 13 years as a sales manager in the UK. Our proudest moments came in 2017 when we won the CEDIA Award for Best Integrated Home, as well as two Lutron Excellence Awards.
What projects are you working on right now?
We’re working on a few projects. Today, we’re in the middle of installing 50 Lutron blinds in a residential property in Nottingham. We’ve got a lighting control project in Cheadle Hulme and a lovely home cinema job in Abersoch. In May, we’re heading back out to Ibiza to commission a 12m x 5m cinema room. The project has been live for a few months and we’re really excited to hand it over to the client. It’s a high-spec job and one of the most stunning we’ve ever done.
How do you feel the industry in general is going right now?
From our perspective, we’re feeling positive. We were upgraded to Lutron Diamond Dealer status in January this year, which has helped us build a strong pipeline of projects for the months ahead. We’re also noticing that the cinema side of the business has been growing year on year. Projects are taking a little longer to get started, which could be a knock-on effect of the economy, but on the whole, we’re positive.
What areas of the smart home, AV or luxury commercial sector need to improve, and how?
We mainly do residential work at Clearly Automated. That said, we recently completed some hotel apartments in Leeds and Manchester for a commercial group. It was encouraging as they really welcomed our high-end approach to lighting control. It made me realise how much work still needs to be done around education. As installers, and as an industry, we need to better explain what’s available and how smart home automation can benefit, particularly for luxury commercial clients.
Do you think training needs to be improved? If so, how?
Training is a key part of any industry and it never stops. It’s hard to say how it could be improved, as we work so closely with Lutron and the training has always been excellent there. Only last week, our staff were going through a new course to get to grips with the latest Intelligent Lighting portfolio.
Is there a project you are particularly proud of, and why?
Of course, I’m proud of the projects that won the CEDIA Award and the two Lutron Excellence Awards. The most recent award we won was for the Best Palladium, Sivoia QS or Triathlon Shading Project. It was a real challenge. We had to design two bottom-up trapezoid blinds for an apex window. It was frameless, with no crossbars and very little room in the ceiling above.
The client didn’t want any part of the blind visible when in the open position and didn’t want to see frames or top bars when closed. It was tough, but the end result was fantastic – not to mention winning the award.
The Ibiza project is another I’m proud of because of the logistics. It was our first time getting everything, including the team, abroad.
The cinema from the company’s triumph in the Best Integrated Home – Level III CEDIA Award
Clearly Automated won Best Shading Project for the above install in the Lutron Excellence Awards
This project won a Judges’ Choice gong at the Lutron Excellence Awards
Are there any brands or products you particularly like working with?
We’ve been working with Lutron since 2010 and we’re mainly known for our Lutron installations. I love the reliability, quality of build and engineering that goes into the products. You install it once and it lasts a long time.
What is the best and the worst thing that has happened to you on site?
The worst thing that happened was when we had four men on one side and four on the other lifting a 3m piece of mirrored glass. They counted ‘one, two, three’, but some of them moved on “two”. A big sliver came off, which was a nightmare.
The best is harder to pinpoint. I always enjoy the handover and seeing the client delighted with the end result. We had a recent project with three bottom-up blinds in a summer house that lined up perfectly with the windows. I remember that handover as a real moment of satisfaction for me and the team.
What is the most unusual client request you have had?
I once had a client who didn’t want touchscreens or keypads. They asked for everything to be controlled by occupancy sensors, voice and just one touchscreen per floor. We did it, of course.
How do you see the sector changing in the future?
With AI, voice control and apps, it’s inevitable that more people will adopt smart home technology. It’s already happening with smart TVs, thermostats and similar products.
However, I think there will always be a split. A growing percentage of the market will be happy using specific apps like the Lutron app or Heatmiser app, but there will always be a segment that wants full home automation.
A good quality product will always be in demand. Companies like Lutron will continue to deliver for this market, as seen recently with Orluna fittings and, in future, developments like Ketra.
Are there any people, organisations or companies that have been particularly inspirational in your working life?
I recently read Outwitting The Devil by Napoleon Hill. It’s very relevant at the moment and quite an amazing story.
Away from work, what are your interests or hobbies?
Golf would probably be the main one. I also enjoy reading and travelling.
You get one wish concerning the market. What are you going to wish for?
Deliveries to turn up on time, every time.
Favourite music and films? What are you watching or listening to right now?
I’m currently watching series six of Race Across the World. Favourite film? I’d probably say La La Land. I enjoy watching that with my wife, Lynn – it’s one of our favourites.
You can invite three people (living or not) out for a meal or a drink. Who’s coming and why?
Nikola Tesla – I think he’d be a fascinating guest. After that, Winston Churchill. And from popular culture, I’d love to meet Don Henley from the Eagles.
Christian would love a chat with Nikola Tesla