DS-APR23-PG10_Layout 1 06/04/2023 15:42 Page 1


FEATURE CABLES & CONNECTORS


sponsored by


Feature


CONNECTING WITH SHORTER LEAD TIMES


Machine builders are still facing extensive


component shortages and long lead times, and this is affecting productivity and economic


recovery. However, igus’s factory capacity, buying power and ‘stock in case’ approach means it can supply cables and cable/connector sets much faster – cutting lead times from months to just days in some cases. At a recent press conference in London, Matthew Aldridge, managing director of igus UK, explained how…


F


or some time now, manufacturers – in particular vehicle and machinery builders – have had to cope with crippling component


shortages. Caused by a number of factors, including the global pandemic, the shortage of semiconductors, and the war in Ukraine, companies are facing lead times of up to 50 weeks for some products, which is resulting in production lines having to stop and affecting UK production levels. In fact according to igus, machine and equipment


builders are suffering from ‘the longest waiting times in living memory for critical parts’. “Companies are still really stretched and these


persistent parts delays are stalling the economic recovery,” said Matthew Aldridge, MD of igus UK. Cables and connectors are essential components in the millions of machines produced every year – and again, the manufacturers are experiencing long delays for these. According to igus, purchasing teams have been faced with two choices: find third or even fourth choice suppliers and pay more for unknown brands, sometimes with low or unproven quality implications, or just wait. This obviously affects productivity and customer relationships. So how can igus cut these lead times?


RELIABLE SUPPLY igus manufactures a huge range of cables as well as cable/connector plug-and-play assemblies. It is, in fact, one of the world’s biggest industrial cable, connector, and cable assembly manufacturers. Due to the size of the company, it has both


factory capacity and buying power which, it states, ensures more reliable supplies. Added to this, the company stocks cables and


cable/connector sets at its site in Northampton and its German headquarters. This ‘stock-in-case’ approach has helped many igus customers source cables more quickly over the last 24 months. In addition to holding over 1,300 individual cable types in stock, igus also assembles cables with an array of connectors, and builds multi-cable


10 DESIGN SOLUTIONS APRIL 2023


assemblies into a ready to install e-chain – a solution that suits higher volume machine builders who just need the cable set to ‘fit and forget’. According to igus, more and more customers of


plain cables, who would typically assemble their own cable sub-assemblies, are ordering its e-chains and ready-to-connect cables due to the long lead times imposed by their normal suppliers. The result is that igus has become a vital partner for both machine builders and the industries they serve. A reliable, just-in-time, supplier of crucial components like cables will be essential to help OEMs operate through the next year, the company stated. “igus has supplied cables globally since the 1980s.


We’ve built a huge cable and connector business on manufacturing capability, stock and buying power, so we can offer standalone cables and e-chain assemblies for almost every application within days, certainly two to three weeks,” explained Aldridge.


SHORTER LEAD TIMES One example cited by igus is a manufacturer of machines for processing meat. The company had been given a lead time of 26 weeks for the cable assemblies it needed so, having used igus bearings, e-chains and chainflex products for many years, it turned to the company for help. The cable assemblies use standard parts, and igus was able to supply the identical cables in just ten days, unblocking the production line. However, companies are also having trouble


sourcing engineered plastics parts – and igus can help here, too. One drinks manufacturer, for example, needed plastic rollers for its production line and was facing serious production downtime due to the lead time for replacement rollers. Following help from the igus technical engineering team, a sample was manufactured to prove its quality, and now hundreds of parts are being supplied in just days.


igus www.igus.co.uk


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56