[ Spotlight: Cable management ]
personnel who have the ability to visit sites to ensure the latest timesaving products are specified.’
Time is of the essence When it comes to the design of cable management systems, timesaving attributes have become a significant selling point, as this is usually the best way to reduce the overall cost of the installed product. ‘Labour is one of the key financial risk factors in
any project and invariably one of the most difficult elements to manage,’ claims Paul Cooper, key account manager at Unitrunk. ‘Early engagement with the right supplier enables the contractor to make the most of the benefits of faster fitting systems but, perhaps more importantly, it can help to secure a critical advantage when tendering for projects.’ Unitrunk’s Uniklip cable tray eliminates the need
for conventional fixings and the time consuming cutting, assembling and filing of components, while Cablofil’s Faslock coupler provides a quick to use tool-free solution and ensures that bends keep their shape once formed, making them ideal for data cables. Also conscious of the benefits of a faster installation, Marco Cable Management has launched its Strut Clip and Quick Lock solutions, while Legrand’s Salamandre trunking has been redesigned to deliver benefits in terms of configuration and lifetime costs.
Good looking Aesthetics have also grown in importance due to demand from customers for solutions that fit perfectly into their office design schemes. Rehau has developed curved and bespoke trunking options, while last year Schneider Electric introduced its Performa Zinc+, which features a coating that has a self-repairing effect on cuts and scratches, thereby eliminating the common issue of imperfections. The environmental attributes of a product also
Cablofil cable management solution Case study: Ahead of the curve
Rehau’s ability to provide bespoke sections of curved trunking helped it to win the cable management contract at the new build Darwen Vale High School in Blackburn, Lancashire. The school, which has been completely rebuilt to a contemporary
layout behind its original 1930s façade, features a number of curved internal walls that posed a challenge for the M&E installation. However, Rehau was able to provide a simple, bespoke curved solution and supplied more than 2,000m of trunking. In all of the classroom areas with curved and S-shaped walls, the trunking has been supplied in easy to install sections pre-formed into the required shapes. Malcolm Taylor, group sales and marketing manager at Rehau, says:
‘This curved trunking is produced by heating conventional 3m lengths of straight trunking in a specialised oven and then placing into a forming jig to achieve the specified bend radius. Our expertise in polymer processing means that we can guarantee that the dimensional integrity of the trunking is maintained throughout the curve and performance is not compromised by the process.’
The wrong cable management solution can have an adverse effect on performance
have a part to play in the purchasing criteria, and some end users will only work with companies that can demonstrate exemplary green credentials. MK Electric has pioneered a sustainable approach to what it does and recycles the off-cuts from the window manufacturing industry in the production of its cable management extrusions. Having developed this capability to process old window frames, it saved more than 100,000 from being sent to landfill in 2012.
Risky business Despite the common misconception of cable management solutions as being simple and uncomplicated to use, it is surprising just how often they are not specified and installed correctly. For example, a failure to understand separation distances for power and data cabling standards can cause
The right cable
management solution is key to a quality installation
48 ECA Today March 2013
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