Niko

History

Niko was founded in 1919 by two brothers, Alphonse and Werner De Backer. In their workshops in Sint-Niko-laas, they designed and manufactured switches and socket outlets that quickly won the Belgian market. In 1965 with the luxury switch, the Inter 70, the company brought its first products to the international market.

Today, Niko is led by the third generation of the De Backer family and all the solutions offered by this family-owned business are created to meet the daily needs of its customers. It designs innovative concepts that make life at home and at work flexible and easier. Niko is dedicated to providing well thought-out design and an environmentally friendly approach. To this end, Niko invests heavily in research and development.

Facts and figures

Niko is a Belgian company with its headquarters in Sint-Niklaas. The building houses the manufacturing departments alongside the research and development, sales and customer support departments. Niko markets its solutions throughout Europe from branches in 7 European countries: Belgium, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Slowakia, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Niko also brings its products to the international market via a worldwide network of distributors.

From these domestic and foreign branches, Niko delivers more than 5000 products and solutions for switching materials, door communication systems, lighting control and home automation systems. These are intended for both residential and professional environments as well as for residential care complexes. Niko is the market leader in Belgium.

Niko is a company in full expansion that employs more than 700 people, that has 130 million euro in equity capital and an annual turnover of more than 120 million euro.

Belgian market leader in switches and socket outlets

8 branches
in 7 European countries

700+employees

120 miljoen euro annual turnover

130 miljoen euro equitycapital

Mission

Our society is changing more rapidly and radically than ever before. In the last few years, we have clearly seen a number of trends develop. Being more efficient with our energy consumption, for example, has become an important priority. Changing family situations, such as extended families, require individual solutions. Because people are living longer lives and remaining in their homes longer, their houses must be adapted to meet their changing needs.

Niko has a mission to provide practical solutions to meet these changes in our society. Niko designs and produces solutions with well thought-out designs and an environmentally friendly approach. Niko's solutions enable young families as well as older generations to enjoy a flexible life surrounded by comfort and safety. These solutions are innovative, stylish, energy-efficient and durable, and they make offices user-friendly.

Switches and socket outlets are well-known products from Niko's range. Niko also provides lighting control systems, home automation, service platforms and applications for telemedicine to provide solutions for the new challenges of our society.

Innovation

In order to continue to be able to anticipate the changing needs and demands of the consumer, Niko must continuously evolve along with the newest technologies and develop its own innovative concepts in the area of applied technology.

For this reason, Niko has an extensive research and development department. In this department, designers and developers are continuously busy creating electronic solutions that are innovative in the areas of design and user-friendliness. While doing so, they always take into account the needs of the customer and the environment.

The designers at Niko are inspired by everything that happens in the world around them, from the newest developments in the automotive sector to the latest evolutions in lifestyle, media and culture. In the "inspiration room’", especially designed for this purpose, they can brainstorm and experiment with ideas, concepts and materials.

How better to familiarize yourself with the needs of the consumers than by simply asking them? Niko attaches great importance to the insight of its customers and therefore regularly organizes market researches. Panels are created consisting of consumers and installers. Marketing staff members go on the road to find out how the finished products are used in the field.

The fact that these innovative approaches produce results is proven by the various awards Niko has already received.

In 2011, the Niko Home Control eco-display has been declared a reddot winner. The reddot awards are the internationally coveted ‘Oscars’ for product design. The jury was convinced by its trendsetting design: a pure design with smooth buttons and well-balanced proportions that can be built in discretely.

In 2010, for the second consecutive time, Niko received the Vendor Rating Award. This prize is awarded by the association of Belgian electronic wholesalers to the supplier with the best products and service provision.

In 2009, the Niko LED strips were nominated for the Etop Innovation Awards. The plug-and-play connection system, which allows simple installation of LED strips, is also exceptionally innovating.

International Forum Design Award: In 2007, Niko was able to accept this prestigious German prize for the Niko Pure and the Niko Intense series.

Niko is part of Niko Group, the European reference for electrotechnical solutions and services.

Production with minimum impact on the environment is one of Niko's core values.

Quality requirements

Niko stands for top-quality products and services in the areas of technique as well as design. In order to ensure this top quality, Niko checks its products during each production step.

Starting from the design and development phase, Niko's quality control department makes sure that the products fulfill the applicable international legal and regulatory requirements. Therefore, Niko has its own quality lab that complies with the ISO 17025 requirements. Niko only works with high-quality materials. To ensure this quality, Niko carefully monitors its suppliers by way of thorough selection processes and regular audits. Upon delivery, all raw materials must go through a special entry inspection. Also during the production process, Niko carries out manual and mechanical checks to test the products both visually as well as functionally.

If, in spite of all this, one of the products is defective, the customer service department is always available. Customer complaints are handled with care and lead to corrective measures in the relevant phase of the production process.

4 year warranty on all Niko products

Niko is pleased to announce that it has now increased its warranty period on all products to a minimum of four years twice that of the legal required warranty of two years. This again confirms Niko’s belief in delivering top quality products with top quality service to its customers.

Every Niko product undergoes a thorough check at each production stage ensuring that once again that Niko continues to deliver the consistency of product that all Niko customers are used too.

The warranty period for all products is 4 years from the date of delivery, even when the product manual states a different warranty period. The date of invoice applies as the delivery date.

Warranty provisions

The warranty consists of a repair, replacement or credit note, free of charge.
The warranty does not apply in the following circumstances:

in the event of a defect that results from a faulty installation

in the event of a defect that results from the incorrect use or operation of the product

in the event of external causes such as damage due to moisture or overvoltage

Product tests

Before our products leave the factory, they are checked and tested several times. For this purpose, Niko has its own quality lab that complies with the ISO 17025 requirements.
Machines test all electronic aspects for durability and wear, safety, resistance to dust, water and heat resistance, impact resistance of switches and emissions

Certificates

Niko actively follows all European initiatives related to product legislation. Each amendment is implemented to guarantee the safety of the user. The legal requirements are adhered to at all times. If applicable, the EC declarations of conformity can be requested from Niko.

In addition to CE marking, the majority of our products also has a country-specific quality mark which has been granted by accredited agencies, such as CEBEC, KEMA, NF, ENEC, … Even though these quality marks are not required, they do underline the quality and safety of Niko products.