Our History

Heinemann Electric Pty Ltd

Founded in 1888 in the USA, Heinemann Electric was one of the pioneering companies in the rapidly-growing business of installing industrial and residential wiring systems. As the Heinemann organisation matured, it gradually began in-house manufacture of fuse elements and switches, and by 1913 was solely engaged in manufacturing.

In 1935 Heinemann completed development of the industry’s first fully-magnetic circuit breaker, a practical device that has since found wide usage in precision circuit-protection applications. The initial design has been continuously refined over the years, and there are now countless models and configurations available. To this day, the hydraulic-magnetic breaker is the preferred means of circuit protection in the most critical and precise applications.

Established in Australia in 1959, Heinemann Electric have been an integral part of the electrical industry, and today the company is one of the largest Australian manufacturers and distributors of circuit breakers, electrical switchboards and electrical installation products.

Product ranges have been extended over the years and Heinemann Electric is able to supply products which meet a variety of customer requirements ranging from; load centres, distribution boards, main switchboards, motor control centres, and electrical installation products under the Slegers brand. We also supply various ranges of miniature circuit breakers (MCB), residual current devices (RCD), moulded case circuit breakers (MCCB), and motor control equipment products.

Heinemann Electric’s head office and manufacturing operations are based in Melbourne. The company has sales offices in Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane, and Townsville and has distributors set up in Northern Territory and Tasmania.

In 2004 Heinemann Electric was acquired by South African Company CBI Electric, this acquisition has helped enhance Heinemann Electric’s profile and increase its optimum and sustainable benefits to its customers

CBI Electric

The foundations of Circuit breaker Industries (CBI Electric) were established in 1949 as a joint venture with Heinemann Company in Trenton, New Jersey, USA. During 1986, a local company, Fuchs Electrical Industries, was acquired and merged into a new company called Circuit Breaker Industries Ltd (CBI Electric). CBI Electric is a wholly owned company of Reunert Limited.

CBI Electric is the only African manufacturer of circuit breakers and residual current devices and has achieved international recognition for its competence and continues to represent the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) on the technical committees of the International Electro technical Commission (IEC), thus being instrumental in the development of international electrical safety standards.

In 1957, CBI Electric invented the highly sensitive residual current device (RCD), which eventually resulted in South Africa being the first country in the world to make the use of RCD’s mandatory. The development of circuit breakers, from miniature to moulded case circuit breakers, utilizes hydraulic-magnetic technology and most of the circuit breakers CBI Electric manufactures employ the hydraulic-magnetic principle of operation. This technology boasts two distinct properties; one being the accurate tripping characteristics, the other is its independent ambient temperature variations.

A dedicated research team focuses on the effective use of the hydraulic-magnetic technology in circuit breakers. CBI Electric has a substantial design and development capacity with approximately 4% of the staff being employed in the R&D department. They include highly skilled professional engineers, technologists and technicians who have won many national design awards.

The head office and component manufacturing operations are based in Johannesburg.  The Company has recently opened an assembly plant in Lesotho.  There are service branches in Cape Town, Durban, Bloemfontein and Port Elizabeth.
CBI electric sales offices in Europe and the United States complement these operations, as well as Heinemann Electric Pty Ltd in Australia.

Aerial view of head office and manufacturing facility in Mulgrave, Victoria, Australia.

Our Mission

Heinemann Electric will strive to become the leader in the electrical industry in design, manufacture and supply of electrical switchboards, circuit protection devices and electrical installation products.

Our Vision

• To provide the best customer service
• To exceed customer’s expectation
• To continually improve product quality
• To protect our environment
• To provide a safe and efficient manufacturing facility
  
  
  

Our Brands

Heinelec - Innovation by Design The Heinelec brand is a leading name in design and manufacture of technically advanced products for electrical protection. Supplying to the residential, industrial, commercial, mining and utility sectors. Distribution Boards: The Heinelec Range of Distribution Boards are designed and manufactured to the highest quality standards for optimum field versatility, for even the most demanding of applications. The Heinelec range of distribution boards covers a wide range of applications, from Light & Heavy Commercial and Industrial, through to the Mining Duty Distribution Boards that have produced outstanding results in performing consistently in the toughest of environments over and over again. Low Voltage Protection Equipment: Heinemann Electric has been producing quality and robust switchgear under the Heinelec banner to the Electrical Industry for over 50 years. The Heinelec Range consists of MCBs, RCBOs, Switch Disconnectors, MCCBs, as well as some additional lines such as, Earth Leakage Relays, and our trusted range of Emergency Lighting Test and Control Units.
CBI - Innovation through Experience The CBI Brand is a Market leader in design and manufacture of electrical protection. The CBI range includes circuit breakers for equipment, miniature circuit breakers, moulded case circuit breakers and auxiliary products for the protection of installations and equipment against overload and short circuit. These circuit breakers are suitable for use in residential, industrial, communications, and power distribution applications.
Slegers - The best choice for any application A strategic brand within the Heinemann Electric product family, Slegers offers a solution into the hands of the electrical Professional for most electrical installation tasks. The Slegers range of installation products includes quality plastic cable clips ,spring clip saddles, a diverse range of conduit pull through methods which include the unique “Jet line” system, bending springs, a large range of fasteners , installation & testing tools, Chemicals and marking equipment. One of the latest product additions to the Slegers stable is the Slegers ChemRange, the latest and one of the most versatile range of chemicals on the market. The Slegers ChemRange incorporates a wide range of high performance cleaners, universal lubricants, corrosion inhibitors, protective based coatings, marking paints, and specialty products such as the innovative ChemSkinGlove. Compact and ergonomic in design, the Slegers ChemRange has been developed for easy access in tight spaces and to produce a clean professional result for even the most challenging of applications. Each of our Slegers ChemRange products are specifically created and designed to provide a cost effective and reliable solution for a multitude of applications in and around the workplace or home.