From protecting the Royals to safeguarding environment

Oct 24 2007 by Alistair Houghton, Liverpool Daily Post

Alistair Houghton meets PAUL MURPHY, managing director of Forum Plus

AS A former Royal protection officer who now sells technology to some of the region’s richest residences, Paul Murphy is the soul of discretion.

But there’s one thing he is happy shouting about – his environmental technology and the “intelligent buildings” his company Forum Technik is helping to create.

As founder and director of Widnes-based Forum Plus, he is proud to have made the switch from protecting the Royals to protecting the environment.

Murphy serves two markets under the Forum Plus banner.

Forum Technik focuses on providing automation and energy-saving solutions for com-mercial buildings, from control-ling lights so they switch off when not needed through to devices that adjust heating levels when windows are opened. He says using such hi-tech can help organisations cut energy costs by as much as 30% over five years.

Meanwhile, Forum Living focuses on the residential mar-ket, with technology capable of automating entire homes so they can be controlled from afar.

Murphy also works with his wife Paula’s Bydesign Studio interior design business, which works on homes for the North West’s great and good.

But, as with his time protecting the likes of Princess Diana and Margaret Thatcher, he won’t reveal any gossip that could breach the confidence of those he’s worked with.

Originally from south Liverpool, he started his working life as an electrical engineer, eventually joining the Depart-ment of the Environment, but his Civil Service career took an interesting turn when seconded to a new role in security.

Unsurprisingly, Murphy won’t reveal any specifics, but he will say it was a tough but sometimes glamorous assignment.

“I worked in central govern-ment in a specialist department that used to have to protect the major figures in the UK, such as the Royal Family and serving Government ministers,” he said.

“I went to all the Royal palaces and met all the serving Prime Ministers at Chequers. It was a hard job. I spent a lot of time away from home and a lot of time travelling in the UK and abroad.

“But it was an extremely fascinating job. For me as an ordinary man from Liverpool to meet all those world figures and visit places we’ve all read about was fascinating.”

Eight years ago, he began work-ing with Paula on the creation of Bydesign Studio. As her business grew, he realised there was a market for building automation, and launched his Forum Plus brand four years ago.

Forum is an integrator. It doesn’t make the technology but specialises in linking it together and making it easy to use.

“It sounds simple and that’s what we aim to be,” said Murphy.

“It’s complicated, but people don’t need to know that. The results are what people buy into.”

His work means he has had to join forces with some giants of the technology world.

“We’ve been approached by both Siemens and ABB to re-present them as systems integra-tors,” he said. “It’s quite an achievement for a small firm.”

Forum is helped by the fact many manufacturers in the home and building control field have joined forces to create KNX, a royalty-free world standard so all new technology can link together seamlessly with no risk of a “Betamax vs VHS” format war. Forum is a member of the KNX (UK) Association.

“Intelligent building” technology may be futuristic, but it is now in widespread use. Murphy said: “It’s been cham-pioned in mainland Europe, par-ticularly by German companies, and we adopted it four years ago.

“It’s been used in high-profile schemes such as Canary Wharf and the British Library, and the most significant use in Europe is at Terminal 5 at Heathrow. Since that’s got into the public domain, it’s made our life easier because people see it’s tried and tested.”

Murphy says his company is working on commercial buildings in the UK and beyond, including hotel projects in Ireland.

Locally, Forum Technik is about to start installing its tech-nology at the UK headquarters of engineering and robotics firm ABB in Warrington.

Murphy says he is now keen to win more North West contracts.

“To be honest, it’s been slow on the uptake in our region,” he said. “But we feel it’s changing and we’re starting to get the ear of people. We’re talking to some of the biggest agencies and developers in the city.

“We sponsored a First Friday meeting in Liverpool and the interest was phenomenal.

“Everyone works in a building, owns one or rents one, and anyone leading a company needs to pay the energy bills.”

Murphy is most proud of the fact that by helping companies save energy he is playing a part in helping cut carbon emission and save the environment.

He said: “It’s such an exciting industry because you feel you’re doing something worthwhile. We are making a contribution to protecting the environment.

“Our technology is passive. You don’t have to get up and do some-thing. You don’t realise that the lights have gone off.”

Forum’s growth has also seen it become a leader in its field. Murphy says it has more engineers in its field than any other company outside London.

He said: “As part of our busi-ness, we have to accept the role of being an ambassador for the tech-nology, and educating people, because it’s all so new.

“There are less than 200 qualified engineers in the UK, while in Germany there are over 6,000. We’ve only got 15 people, but quite a lot are boffin types, highly-qualified people. It’s not labour intensive – we’re consultants really.”

Forum Living, says Murphy, is “extremely busy” working on private houses, many of which are worth more than £1m.

It supplies leading designer brands such as Poggenpohl, Sub-Zero and Wolf. Murphy says firms such as Poggenpohl can choose to partner with companies like his rather than having their own sales teams throughout the UK.

Its work includes home cinema installation and broadcasting satellite television and music throughout the property. That same technology, says Murphy, can also be used in commercial boardrooms, executive suites and receptions.

“Our company does a lot of top-end high-wealth residential properties with all the bells and whistles,” he said. “That market is still growing rapidly.

“In residential applications, it’s less about energy efficiency and more about fashion, or other issues such as assisted living.

“One function can be applied to many things. The same thing that in a footballer’s house helps to put his heating on before he comes home can send a signal that an elderly person hasn’t moved for a while and perhaps a nurse should be sent.”

alistairhoughton