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BSEE Cost Vs. Quality


Stephen Walton, technical director, Ellis Patents


The queson of cost versus quality has occupied the minds of manufacturers, specifiers, builders, contractors and wholesalers for more years than most of us can remember. And it was at the fore of Ellis Patents’ technical director, Stephen Walton when he opted to buy a 1930s in need of complete renovaon rather than a new build property in the same postcode.


“Taking on a renovation project probably wasn’t the most sensible thing I’d ever done; especially when you take into consideration the challenging nature of my job and a rapidly growing son. But my wife and I had been in the same house for ten years and we’d outgrown it. And while we could have bought that brand new house on a nearby development, we didn’t, and the reason was simple – they don’t build them like they used to.


In my experience buildings today are built for a price, and not for the long term – a view that was backed up by many of the tradesfolk who worked on the house during its refurbishment, who commented on the build quality of it compared to today’s new build homes. I realise this sounds like I’m teetering on the edge of a grumpy old man rant about how things were better in the old days, but I’m not. I believe we live in the most exciting of times, and that the technology we have access to enhances our lives in a myriad of ways – whether at home, work or play. Just consider how easily so many millions of us have seamlessly transitioned to working from home since normality was suspended last March. But advances in technology don’t necessarily go hand in hand with improvements. In the 1930s houses were built in a robust way as the mentality was different. Yes, cost was an issue, but longevity was key. Over the following 90 years industry has mastered the art of producing products that will survive the required life span, but no more. Described as the bathtub curve, this approach has been developed so costs can be cut to the bone, while products will only last as long as absolutely necessary. Some consider this is efficient, but for me it’s a clear case of going too far in the pursuit of margin.


Ellis Patents’ No Bolts Cleat, which was developed to solve a maintenance issue for Network Rail


The Hackitt Report on the Grenfell Tower tragedy took a hard-hitting attitude towards bathtub building methods; citing a lack of responsibility and commitment to safety in the industry. The report insisted on major change, and in particular that systems as a whole are considered rather than individual manufacturers testing their own products in isolation.


Earlier in my career I worked in the subsea oil and gas industry, and during that time the Gulf of Mexico Macondo incident led to the kind of sweeping change that Dame Hackitt clearly wanted as a result of her report. The industry had become complacent and a series of failures contributed to the disaster. Post Macondo, documentation requirements increased significantly, and many more FMECA reports were needed.


Tesng mes at Ellis Patents – a cable cleats receives a shortcircuit test


DATA CENTRES


we test the smallest, middle and largest products in every range, rather than just the smallest and largest. We are also committed to improving existing products and developing new ones to ensure we are not just the world leader in the manufacture of cable cleats, but the market innovator.


What this means in practice is that wherever in the world cable cleats are specified, Ellis Patents cleats are under consideration.


We’ve banged the drum about the importance of cable cleats; reacted to a veritable flood of cheap and unsafe markets by focusing on the vital importance of correct specification; celebrated the introduction of British, European and International standards governing the use of cleats; and welcomed the arrival of others to into the market who read from the same hymn sheet as we do.


The result is that today I’m confident that the vast majority of cable cleats specified and installed in any major project, virtually anywhere in the world, are selected because of their proven quality as opposed to being selected solely on price. A position that certainly means the bathtub curve when it comes to cable cleats has been eradicated.


But moving forward will this victory for quality over cost be enough? And if not, where does the responsibility for whole system testing fall? Individual manufacturers coming together to test and sell whole project solutions as opposed to their own, often highly specialised, products? Specifiers? Contractors? Installers?


Inially designed for Siemens, Ellis Patent’s Cable Guide Clamp is now specified regularly and here is seen being installed in the Sotra Connecon project in Norway


Applauding what the subsea, oil and gas industry achieved is easy, but a great deal of that has been down to exceptional internal housekeeping. In contrast, the task the construction industry has been set requires wholesale change from manufacturers up.


At Ellis we have always put quality to the fore – an approach that has certainly seen us miss out on a number of specifications over the years. But the fact the cable cleats we design, manufacture and sell are tried, tested and trusted around the world bears testament to the success of our attitude towards the question of cost versus quality.


As standard we rigorously short- circuit test all of our cleats to ensure they will do the job they are designed for in the conditions in which they are installed. And when you consider their job is to keep powerful electrical cables secured in short-circuit situations, then the importance of this guarantee of performance is vital.


Our testing doesn’t stop with shor- circuits, with our in-house testing facility having the capacity to carry out lateral load tensile, axial load, needle flame, impact, and accelerated ultraviolet testing – all of which are conducted following the guidelines outlined in IEC61914:2015. But unlike the International standard,


28 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER MARCH 2021


And furthermore, we are called in with increasing regularity by the likes of Siemens, Balfour Beatty and National Rail, to design bespoke solutions, solve problem installations and help consign health and safety issues to history.


This commitment to quality hasn’t been focused solely inwards. Our overall goal has has always been towards erasing the bathtub curve when it comes to cable cleats and ensuring that quality always comes to the fore. And it’s fair to say that over the years we’ve been extremely active.


Considering these questions while I sit in the home office of my now complete 1930s refurbishment project (or home as I’ve been told to call it!), I feel whole system testing is a step too far. This house was built at a time when buildings were built to last, and the quality of products used during construction were deemed far more important than their cost. If the building industry as a whole can return to those days – and thus shelve the cheap and often unsafe products that have been responsible for so much heartache –; then the question we’ll be asking in years to come will no longer be “why don’t we build them like we used to?”, but “why didn’t we always build them like this?”


www.ellispatents.co.uk


A bespoke soluon developed specifically for Balfour Beay as part of its electrificaon of the Severn Tunnel


Read the latest at: www.bsee.co.uk


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