Swindon firm to handle Blackpool Illuminations

Business software specialists Decent Group have created a system to automatically control Blackpool's world famous illuminations.

The Swindon firm's work is crucial to the success of the attraction, which is due to be switched on by Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen on Friday, 2 September.

Decent Group's system will control each of the million lamps.

The switch-on system has been designed with the Blackpool Illuminations team to automate the switching on and off of the six-mile lights show. 

Decent founder and managing director James Ducker said: "It’s a joy to be part of this world famous spectacle.

"It’s not simply about guaranteeing the lights come on every day through the four-month season. We’ve also helped the team stay safe and be certain they can manage the vast amounts of equipment they need to wow all those millions of visitors that come to see the Illuminations each year."

The team in charge of the Illuminations can schedule the daily switch-on either manually or automatically. A separate launch sequence is initiated for each of the eight units on the Blackpool Promenade, in total lighting up the million LED lamps connected by 100 miles of cabling. Once the lights are on, a message is sent to the team to confirm the operation is complete. 

This isn’t the only innovation that Decent has introduced at Lightworks, Blackpool’s illuminations workshop. The company has also introduced a lifting plan that ensures that installing the illuminations is safe right across the six miles of promenade. 

Detailed data is recorded for each of the Illuminations displays based on testing done in the warehouse, so when the team take them out to be installed they have precisely the information they need. The system also ensures that installation is safe and compliant. 

Decent’s new stock management system helps the Lightworks team keep track of the one million lamps and the equipment that supports the display. The system not only knows the location and other key information for every single item of equipment, but also tells the team how much each job costs. 

It even automatically orders new bulbs and other parts before they run out. Decent Group also created a sign in and sign out system for the warehouse.  

"We are delighted with the difference Decent has made to how we work," said Richard Williams, Illuminations Manager at Lightworks. 

"The team has come up with creative solutions to every challenge we give them. As a result we can work more easily, more quickly, more consistently and more safely. 

"We feel very confident now that we have these new systems to call on."

Further information can be found at  www.decentgroup.co.uk/blackpool

For more than 20 years, Decent has designed and built bespoke business systems that have transformed businesses across a wide range of industry sectors. 

These systems, the firm promises, streamline and automate business-critical processes, making them more efficient, intuitive and robust.