SMKA is proud to present underfloor systems from Ackermann, made by OBO Bettermann – the market leader for concealed electrical installations.

Where subtlety and stress-free application meet simplicity and style – the Ackermann product range has been satisfying customers since electrical systems were first sent underground over six decades ago. For almost two decades, SMKA has been the exclusive partner to the brand in the Middle East.

Ackermann and OBO Bettermann

The 1950s brought big changes in business, society, architecture and design. Accordingly, new solutions were required for electrical installations. For this reason, Ackermann developed the first underfloor system Teliflur in 1955, to meet the requirements of modern buildings. For the first time, access to power and data was possible ‘away from all four walls’. In 1965, Ackermann then marketed the first underfloor accessory socket, which offered a flush-floor supply solution and could be connected to an underfloor trunking system. OBO Bettermann took over the Cable Management sector from Ackermann in early 2006. The Ackermann products have since represented key components in the wide-ranging portfolio of OBO electrical installation solutions. OBO remain the market leader in the underfloor systems sector, as well as one of the world's leading systems providers for cable management.

Even today, OBO and Ackermann continue to improve these systems further. The result: A truly unique product range.

Ackermann’s underfloor solutions

Designed and developed with the customer in mind, Ackermann and OBO supply the finest solutions for underfloor electrical distribution systems. Their combined ambition is complimented by high-quality materials, an expert knowledge of impact noise prevention, and professional engineering, to ensure the optimal quality is delivered, every time. From carpet to linoleum, floating screed to natural stone, the product range proves valuable, versatile and very fashionable in a wide variety of floor types.

In-Screed Installation Systems

The in-screed installation system was Europe’s earliest underfloor system, as we know it today. It was presented for the first time in 1965, and has since been repeatedly revised to meet ever-evolving customer requirements and industry guidelines. For more than five decades, planners, architects and customers have relied on the tried-and-trusted technology for creating a high level of freedom in the placement of underfloor electrical installations.

Better still, the screed-covered installation’s duct system boasts an extremely robust and versatile design. Three different widths and heights, as well as a comprehensive range of accessories, allow the ducts to be adapted exactly to the individual requirements of any project.

Flush Floor Trunking Systems

The Flush Floor open trunking system is a practical, stylish and modular solution for in-screed cable routing. This is because the system, when installed with a floor covering, can be opened along its entire length – should your furnishing plans be modified at any point, the electrical installation in the trunking can be adapted accordingly.

A range of mounting benefits, such as lowerable floor covering profiles or rapid height-adjustment units, offer a great deal of flexibility and security for professional underfloor installations. Different trunking widths and heights provide sufficient installation capacity and can be applied to both dry- and wet-care areas, depending on the device installation.

UDHOME Floor Sockets

Elegant, discreet and space-saving ‒ these three words are all hallmarks of the UDHOME floor socket. Its visible parts, made of fashionable brass or stainless steel, blend inconspicuously into the modern interior architecture of homes, hotels, shops and many other spaces. In so doing, the UDHOME offers a compact, high-quality connection for power and modern data ‒ from HDMI to a USB connection – exactly where it is required.

The fitting of UDHOME floor sockets is remarkably low-key, requiring considerably less space in the floor than other electrical installation systems. Even threading the cables is stress-free: cables are simply fed into hollow tubes embedded in the screed and run up to the UDHOME socket. This means that, upon completion, they are completely invisible to the users of the rooms. Service outlets

The polyamide, stainless steel and aluminium service outlets of the Ackermann brand are as fashionable as they are functional. The high-quality units are suitable for both dry- and wet-care floor coverings such as carpet, PVC or linoleum, as well as parquet, laminate, tiles and stone floors.

The service outlets can be combined with screed-flush and screed-covered underfloor systems, can be used in raised and cavity floors, and are also available for heavy-duty areas. The height-adjustable products come in round or square designs, in three sizes, and are designed for all kinds of power and data connections. Such versatility ensures that whatever your plans, there will be a stylish and practical solution.

Cassettes

Ackermann Cassettes are not just made to impress, but to endure – the stainless steel and brass used by OBO will bring lasting quality to any arrangement. As well as superior materials and solid strengths, the cassettes provide an unrivalled design versatility. The range comprises round or square cassettes of different sizes, and all the units offer plenty of space for energy and data connections. The height-adjustable and decouplable cassettes are a popular choice in natural stone or tiled floors.

In the heavy-duty variant, they can also withstand hefty loads of up to 20KN and are the ideal solution for intensively-used areas. In addition to variants with a cord outlet, the product range also contains versions with a tube body.

Ackermann Success Stories

Even today, OBO and Ackermann are closely tied. This has seen the creation of countless new and further developments in the underfloor segment, which can be found in buildings all around the world.

‘Closer to nature with flush floor trunking’

The oldest and largest zoo in the UAE, Al Ain Zoo, was opened in 1968 and much has changed and improved since, including the zoo’s electrical installations. SMKA rose to the challenge and provided Al Ain Zoo with flush-floor trunking for the administrative building. The project also included the fitting of special solution boxes from Ackermann, tailor-made to the zoo’s requirements.

‘Professional solutions for prestigious office complexes’

SMKA supplied special raised floor trunking systems, including powder coated trunkings, for the prestigious Dubai Silicon Oasis Headquarters building. Other examples are the supply of bespoke weather proof flush floor trunkings to Jebel Ali Free Zone offices, and the special solution weather proof boxes under the GRAF9 series supplied to Dubai International Financial Centre. Major convention centres, including Dubai World Trade Centre Exhibition halls and Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company Convention Centres, similarly have high-quality Ackermann floor boxes.

‘The most important Opera houses and Museums around the globe’

The Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow is the world-famous home of the renowned Bolshoi Ballet and Bolshoi Opera. A key part of its renovation work was the installation of a new OBO underfloor system to provide a discreet power supply. In Dubai’s new Opera House, the requirements were to provide a solution to manage the heavy equipment and also to take care of water proofing. Ackermann provided Underfloor Boxes for heavy-load class and also IP65 rated boxes. At the Louvre Museum, Abu Dhabi, and the Etihad Museum, Dubai, Ackermann rose to the challenge yet again to deliver IP65 and heavy-load class boxes with customised solutions to fit modules required by AV suppliers.

‘Installations for the world’s tallest building’

At 828 metres high and 206 stories, the Burj Khalifa is currently the tallest structure in the world. Not visible at first glance, but essential for the mega-tower, is the underfloor cable management with system and special solutions from OBO and Ackermann.

Underfloor systems for both dry- and wet-care floors were installed, as were bespoke installation units with a recess in the floor covering. This allowed the installation of a switched socket, designed and developed for the world's first Giorgio Armani Hotel. The Dubai Mall attached to Burj Khalifa has also been equipped with special solution boxes from Ackermann UFS.

‘Customised special solutions for airports and malls across the GCC’

Ackermann has been providing custom-finished boxes to meet the special requirements of strength, waterproofing and also the aesthetic appeal of all major airports and shopping malls in the UAE. As Ackermann’s exclusive partner in the region, SMKA supplied special Grommets and IP65 solutions from Ackermann to many malls and airports, such as the Dubai Mall, Mirdif City Centre, Dubai Airports and Midfield Terminal at Abu Dhabi, to name but a few.

SMKA is proud to list the City Center Me'aisem in Dubai – fitted with special brass finished floor boxes – among its case studies, as well as the Skypark Plaza and the Midfield Terminal at Abu Dhabi Airport. The Midfield Terminal even needed underfloor trunkings to be Hot Dipped – Ackermann was able to design and produce special accessories and provide technical support to the team in selecting the correct solution.

Find out more

If you’d like more information about the underfloor electrical distribution systems from Ackermann and OBO Bettermann, get in touch with an SMKA representative today. Alternatively, you can visit one of our showrooms.