P15-16 Cable Management Ellis:Layout 1 28/01/2021 14:09 Page 16 CableManagement lFrom previous page 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 short-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, 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. 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 as 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. 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


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.


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? 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?”


16 | electrical wholesalerFebruary 2021


ewnews.co.uk


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