Reel Life

The Eland Blog has moved!

2011-08-03T02:36:00.000-07:00

The Eland Blog is now available here. Good news - you'll still be able to find all Eland's News and Events in the new location! Happy reading.

Eland gets competitive for a good cause

2010-07-12T10:12:00.000-07:00

Eland had a brilliant day out at the Asics 10k charity run.

Unfortunately the day started off with our team captain Tim having to sit out due to illness, however this only stirred our team on to try even harder to make him proud.

With the finish line in our sights and our charities, on our minds we set off on a sweltering day.

Everyone made it home with very commendable times; Mark Woodhams gliding in on the 52 minute mark, Roger McMonagle taking second spot and the rest of us doing it in a little over an hour.

Big congratulations to Team Eland: Darren Mountain, Imran Shah, Georgina Reid, Suzanne Machray, Balazs Valyi, Veronika Griffiths, Tim Cunningham, Neil Foster, Roger McMonagle, Mark Woodhams, Anthony Spike, Simon Cunningham and Suzanne Cunningham!

Run #1

2010-05-19T10:15:00.000-07:00

After this weeks slightly poor weather we are out on the Heath!

Our first run was yesterday; we started with a light training jog and set off at 5:45pm, a very leisurely 5km run - the pace wasn’t too hard and was a nice way to finish off a busy day.

Runs are planned for every Tuesday after work, the last couple of sessions in June/July will include a refreshing swim in Hampstead Heath Lido!!!

Introducing Virginie

2010-04-16T08:05:00.000-07:00

Introducing Virginie, our new Marketing Intern who has joined Eland Cables for her summer placement.

A business school student from Nice, in the South of France, she is currently studying at IPAG (L'Institut de Préparation à l'Administration et à la Gestion).

Adding some French flavour to Eland's international company culture, her chic style has already made her famous in our office.

Virginie finds it cold for April compared with the temperatures at home, but she loves going shopping in London, and as she is working on www.elandcables.fr she is learning to love electrical cables!

Just how MOtivated are Eland Cables' staff for charity?

2009-12-03T03:49:00.000-08:00

Enough to abandon their razors and put up with a month of upper lip itching and under-the-breath comments about Magnum PI. This was all for the worthy cause of Movember, which raises funds and awareness for prostate cancer during the month formerly known as November. And so facial hair became a trend and even the women joined in as fake moustache-sporting Mo-sisters - raising a total of £1031 for the charity. If you haven't already done so and wish to donate, visit the Eland Mo Bro's page.

Walking like a dog

2009-11-27T03:19:00.001-08:00

Well after a hard day's night, you'd think people at Eland Cables should be sleeping like a log. Instead we're out stretching those legs for charity again - this time it will be for a dog rescue centre near our Doncaster Distribution Centre called the Mayflower Sanctuary. Sales Executive Deborah Fox and her partner are planning a sponsored walk on Feb 28th and invite you to join them. If you'd rather spend your Sunday in bed with the papers, you can always sponsor them - any donations would be much appreciated.

Contact Deborah Fox on dfox@eland.co.uk for more information.

Hopefully every dog will have its day!

The colour pink is more than just another shade of Tri-rated Cable

2009-11-10T04:09:00.000-08:00

Eland is no stranger to the colour. In fact 2 whole walls in our London office are painted pink. And recently the Distribution centre decided to match those walls by participating in the annual Pink Day event to raise money for Breast Cancer. The team brightened up a grim autumn day with their pinkest attire and managed to raise £142 for charity in the process. Watch this space for this months Movember charity challenge!

And the winner of Marketing Campaign of the Year is…

2009-11-02T06:48:00.000-08:00

You’ve guessed it: us! We’ve just discovered that our 3D cable modelling campaign – wonderfully entitled ‘Eland does the Full Monty’ has won a coveted Electrical Industry Award. And we thought just being on Page 3 of Electrical Review in February was exciting enough.

As the title suggests, this was a campaign like no other. I’m afraid to say it bared no ressemblance to the film – although our Finance Director did get rather enthusiastic about performing in our Monday morning (dignified) strip show. We did tease customers with some revealing emailshots, but the only thing actually ‘bare’ was the cable, electronically stripped of its outer layers!

If you have yet to experience cables in 3D then visit try your hand at stripping, rotating and zooming in on our newly arrived Socapex Control Cable. It has to be the most fun you can have while at work in the cable industry!

Eland Cables’ SWA Cable enters the Premier League

2009-06-29T02:29:00.000-07:00

When the new football season starts in August, Eland Cables will be paying close attention to the Villa Park ground. I’d like to say this has something to do with the recent signing of Emile Heskey or news of Aston Villa’s pre-season friendly against Fiorentina. But, given we’re an electrical cables company with more than our fair share of Arsenal fans – it’s the closest ground to our London HQ – our interest is purely professional!

It’s the pitch and not the play we’ll be tuning in for this summer. That’s because we’ve just supplied some of our hard-wearing SWA Cable to the club, to power the water irrigation system. With its steel wire mechanical protection, SWA Cable is designed to survive even our great British weather, so we’re confident the pitch at Villa Park will be looking green all season.

Would you like to find out what cables are used in your favourite sporting activity? Post here and our electrical cables blogging team with investigate.

Elandflex Cable takes the boating world by storm

2009-06-12T03:31:00.001-07:00

Ask most sports fans about high-powered boating events – such as the 2009 Solar Splash World Championship – and they’ll talk about the thrill of the chase and the speed and manoeuvrability of the boats. That is, if they don’t work for Eland Cables. For when our team heard about the results of the recent solar-powered boat competition they only had one thing on their minds – Elandflex Cable.

Back in May, Team ‘Tarka’ from Southampton University took to the water at the annual university solar-powered boat championships held in Fayetteville, Arkansas. (You can find out all about the team’s trials, tactics and Telemetry on their race blog http://tarka.ecs.soton.ac.uk/blog.php). As the first UK team to enter the long-running sustainable technology event, we were really excited when they approached us about becoming sponsors and using our Elandflex Cable in the electrical systems on board Tarka. Being one of the only UK cable suppliers with IS014001 environmental accreditation, we were only too happy to support a team committed to doing their best for the UK and the environment.

By connecting the battery to the motor, our PVC flexible cable helped the team overcome a whole host of water-based challenges to finish in 10th place overall – scooping up the Teamwork Award, the Sportsmanship Award, and winning ‘Best Score for a Rookie Team’ along the way. Admittedly, team members Dirk De Jager, Karim El-Shabrawy, Rich Bowen and Peter Wilson should take most of the credit for achieving such a great result on their first attempt – but we do believe Elandflex had a crucial part to play.

We’re pretty proud of our Elandflex Cable – not to mention the few connectors we sent for good measure – for picking up a string of awards at the competition. We hear it’s still making the most of its newfound fame – it was last seen on its way back to Southampton where it will be appearing at the Boat Show, before doing a tour of local schools to promote engineering as a career. And Team Tarka is already planning next year’s race, so Elandflex could be making a return to the water as early as 2010.

For those of you inspired by Tarka and tempted to put a length of this single core PVC flexible cable to the test, we’ve got a 3D model on the Eland Cables website and a downloadable spec sheet to keep you entertained. Or, if you’ve used our other cables in something equally exciting, why not tell us about it? It’s time the rest of our electrical cable range got to share the spotlight.

The Reel Life Pub Quiz: Railway Cable answers

2009-05-14T07:12:00.000-07:00

Now you’ve had the chance to swot up on your railway cable knowledge, it’s time to find out whether you’re as quick as a bullet train or stuck on a red signal.

1) A: Signalling Cable Type A, D and E
2) A: On the London Underground
3) B: Points Heating Cable
4) A: Black
5) B: Power Cable
6) A: Bare conductor

How did you do?
0-1: Stuck on red: your railway cable knowledge won’t get you far
2-3: On the right track: you’ll be a railway cable expert in no time
4-6: Bullet train: what you don’t know about railway cable, isn’t worth knowing

The Reel Life Pub Quiz: Railway Cable

2009-04-01T08:36:00.000-07:00

We’ve probably all taken one, many of us need one to get to work every day, and some of us even make a hobby out of spotting one (or two)! But how much do we really know about trains and, in particular, the railway cables that power, heat and direct them. Take our quick railway cable quiz to see if you’re on the right track or off the rails…

Question one: What types of Signalling Cable are designed for use in tunnels, equipment rooms and public areas (clue: low smoke cables are specified for these locations)?

a) Signalling Cable Type A, D and E
b) Signalling Cable Type A, B and C
c) Signalling Cable Type B, E and D

Question two: Where might you find a Section 12 approved cable?

a) On the London Underground
b) Beside Section 11 Cable
c) On an overhead line

Question three: Which Railway Cable helps ensure trains can continue to operate in extremely cold temperatures?

a) Underfloor Heating Cable
b) Points Heating Cable
c) Extremity Warming Cable

Question four: The sheath on an RIA21 Railway Cable is which colour?

a) Black
b) Blue
c) Florescent yellow

Question five: What type of Railway Cable is Trackfeeder Cable?

a) Bus Cable
b) Power Cable
c) Overhead Line Cable

Question six: Which Railway Cable consists of a single stranded aluminium core?

a) Bare Conductor
b) Naked Conductor
c) Aluminium Conductor

Clue: all the answers can be found on the Eland website! Check out our Railway Cable at www.eland.co.uk/railwaycable/

Best Company, best ranking for a cable company… ever!

2009-03-02T03:18:00.000-08:00

There is so much good news coming from Eland’s offices at the moment, that it’s hard to believe we’re in the grip of the dreaded ‘credit crunch’. It seems like only a few days ago that we were cracking open the champagne to celebrate our coveted ‘Three Star Status’. And now, we’ve just received the highest ever ranking for an electrical cable company in the prestigious ‘Sunday Times Best Company to Work For’ awards.

The awards, which were held on 25 February in Battersea, are based on the biggest survey of workplace opinion in the UK. As you can imagine, we are so proud of our 12th place in the 50-249 employees category (out of 997 entrants) – up against everyone from charities to financial and legal institutions. The Sunday Times gave us a lovely write up, and I hope if you haven’t already got a supplement from last Sunday’s paper, you find someone who does. I am not sure they were too fond of our delightful orange carpet, but the bread, cheese, vitamins, smoothies, art, baking, personal training, dog, the leadership and the management – not to mention the professional and supportive working environment – got a big thumbs up!

We even baked a cake in the shape of a tri-rated cable for the occasion, so we thought we’d share it with you.

It has been a wonderful year for Eland so far. Long may it continue…
Check back soon for more updates.

Eland models make it to page 3

2009-02-05T01:55:00.001-08:00

Stripping the 3D cables on the Eland website is now so popular, it’s made it to page 3. Ok, so February’s Electrical Review magazine is not quite page 3 of The Sun, but you don’t have to be a cable enthusiast to see that stripping down the layers on any power cable, control cable, BS 7211 cable and 6491 cable – or any cable for that matter – is rather entertaining.

Have a play now and remember to let us know what you think by voting in our latest poll!

Could Eland Cables be the best cable company ever?

2009-02-04T05:52:00.001-08:00

Ok, so you can probably tell by the nature of the headline that this isn’t going to be a particularly objective article. But, given that we’ve just received the prestigious ‘Three Star Status’ at the Best Companies to Work for Accreditation 2009 event, I hope you will forgive us.

In Best Companies Accreditation – a scheme designed to reward businesses for achieving a high level of workplace engagement – three really is the magic number. Companies across the UK strive to earn those three stars (the top award) and only 55 managed it this year – including one cable company (US!).

It’s a big deal for us and it shows that we’re not your average cable company. We’re a group of individuals working hard and having fun along the way. And those three stars mean we’re doing something right!

We want to hear what you think makes us a great company. Why not post and tell us your thoughts?

Want your cable buying to take on a whole new dimension?

2009-01-20T09:31:00.000-08:00

Short of requesting a cable sample or visiting a manufacturer, it has – until now – been quite difficult to imagine what goes on beneath the PVC or LSZH sheath of an electrical cable. A two-dimensional photograph doesn’t really do justice to a cable’s often-intricate layers – consisting of everything from petroleum jelly and galvanised steel wire braid to non-hygroscopic tape.

Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, however – not to mention enough perspiration to sink the entire United Kingdom – Eland Cables has taken cable buying to a new dimension. The Eland site www.eland.co.uk is now covered in 3D models, which are practical, easy to use, and really quite good looking. Visitors browsing through the site can now zoom in on, rotate, and strip down the layers of any cable.

You can…

1) take a closer look at the twisted pairs on a BS5308 Cable

2) see what a 6381Y Cable would look like without its PVC insulation

3) zoom in on the class 2 stranded conductor of a SWA Cable

4) view 2491X Cable from every angle with the rotate function

There’s so much fun to be had – and knowledge to take in – and the great thing is, it’s all work-related! If you have a look before 23 January, you might even find the Golden Reel (and qualify to win a Dell Mini Laptop, which we’re giving away to one lucky surfer!).

With so many 3D models to explore, you better get started. (BS5308 Instrumentation Cable Part 1 Type 2 is my personal favourite.)

The most fun you’ve ever had buying cable? We want to hear from you.

Tis the season to love cable

2008-12-12T09:19:00.000-08:00

Ok, it may not be quite as exciting as a mince pie or a red-nosed reindeer, but cable gets a bit of a rough deal at Christmas. It powers the fairy lights on the Christmas tree, means we can settle down to a whole week of cheesy movies and it even let’s us go online to make the most of the January sales. But does it get a look in or a thank you even – not likely! That’s why to get us ready for advent next week I’ve decided to pen a little Christmas number – dedicated to all forgotten cables everywhere!

On the first day of Christmas Eland sold to me a drum of H01N2-D.
On the second day of Christmas Eland sold to me 2 Fireforce reels and a drum of H012N-D.
On the third day of Christmas Eland sold to me 3-core Arctic Grade, 2 Fireforce reels and a drum of H01N2-D.
On the fourth day of Christmas Eland sold to me 4 CT100s, 3-core Arctic Grade, 2 Fireforce reels and a drum of H01N2-D.
On the fifth day of Christmas Eland sold to me 5 Cable Glands, 4 CT100s, 3-core Arctic Grade, 2 Fireforce reels and a drum of H01N2-D.
On the sixth day of Christmas Eland sold to me 6 Belden Equivalents, 5 Cable Glands, 4 CT100s, 3-core Arctic Grade, 2 Fireforce reels and a drum of H01N2-D.
On the seventh day of Christmas Eland sold to me 7-core SWA, 6 Belden Equivalents, 5 Cable Glands, 4 CT100s, 3-core Arctic Grade, 2 Fireforce reels and a drum of H01N2-D.
On the eighth day of Christmas Eland sold to me 8 11kV drums, 7-core SWA, 6 Belden Equivalents,5 Cable Glands, 4 CT100s, 3-core Arctic Grade, 2 Fireforce reels and a drum of H01N2-D.
On the ninth day of Christmas Eland sold to me 9 Data Cables, 8 11kV drums, 7-core SWA, 6 Belden Equivalents, 5 Cable Glands, 4 CT100s, 3-core Arctic Grade, 2 Fireforce reels and a drum of H01N2-D.
On the tenth day of Christmas Eland sold to me 10 brand new patch leads, 9 Data Cables, 8 11kV drums, 7-core SWA, 6 Belden Equivalents, 5 Cable Glands, 4 CT100s, 3-core Arctic Grade, 2 Fireforce reels and a drum of H01N2-D.
On the eleventh day of Christmas Eland sold to me 11 CY Cables, 10 brand new patch leads, 9 Data Cables, 8 11kV drums, 7-core SWA, 6 Belden Equivalents, five Cable Glands, 4 CT100s, 3-core Arctic Grade, 2 Fireforce reels and a drum of H01N2-D.
On the twelfth day of Christmas Eland sold to me 12 multi-core Def Stans, 11 CY Cables, 10 brand new patch leads, 9 Data Cables, 8 11kV drums, 7-core SWA, 6 Belden Equivalents, 5 Cable Glands, 4 CT100s, 3-core Arctic Grade, 2 Fireforce reels and a drum of H01N2-D.

Could this be the UK’s Christmas number one? While I’d like to say yes, I don’t think it has the nationwide appeal of the X Factor. If you think you’ve got a cable Christmas number one in you, post your song choices here!

Wired for sound: the cable charts

2008-11-25T10:18:00.000-08:00

Reading about Madonna's latest Sticky and Sweet Tour the other day, I was amazed to discover that around 100,000 feet of electrical cable was used to get this multimedia musical spectacle off the ground. Now, this got me thinking – not about whether it was H07RNF Cable, but whether artists have ever been inspired to write songs about wiring and cables. And, guess what, they have! Here's my cable top five (but please note, I haven't heard of many of the either!):

1) Please check the signal cable (Artist Gunne): this electro house number certainly won't get me on the dance floor, but what a title!

2) Letting the cables sleep (Artist: Bush): Not sure those telephone cables will be getting much of a rest with lyrics such as 'Silence is not the way/We need to talk about it'.

3) Cable & Wires (Artist: 16 Volt): This song should come with a health warning – I would only advise you to listen to it if you are tone deaf.

4) Jumper cables in the rain (Artist: Brooke Fox): As you can tell from the title, this isn't an up-beat song, but one about a car breaking down. With the words 'turned me on to ten-thousand volts of electric life' in the song, however, I'm surprised she survived to write a song about it!

5) Danger! High Voltage (Artist: Electric Six): I know this song! They certainly wouldn't have had a 'fire in the disco', however, if they'd used FireForce Fire Performance Cable!

Is your Mp3 player filled with great cable songs or lyrics, or do you know of a BS5308 number to knock 'Please check the signal cable' off the top spot? Reel Life wants to hear from you!

I'm writing my own cable Christmas number at the moment, so come back soon to get your festive season off to an electrifying start!

Cable: a reel bundle of laughs!

2008-11-21T08:19:00.000-08:00

I often think there's just not enough laughter in the world – and that certainly applies to the cable industry. Attempting to prove that cable actually can raise a smile I have been searching for some cable jokes and, I have to say, it hasn't been easy. I did find one about the first ever Transatlantic telegraph cable, but I can't say the punchline on this 19th century number is quite what I had in mind:

Q: Why is a happy husband like the Atlantic Cable?

A: Because he is spliced to his Heart's Content.

(This joke unfortunately relies on the fact you need to know that the town at one end of the cable, on Newfoundland's Trinity Bay, was named Heart's Content.) (Source: Harper's Weekly, 1866)

It wasn't until last night, however, tucked away in a cellar deep below the streets of London at The Comedy Store, that I came across a comedian who actually uses a microphone cable as part of his act – and no not just to broadcast his jokes. In fact, the man in question, Paul Zenon – who describes himself as part comedian, part magician – actually took a pair of (well-insulated) pliers to the cable in an attempt to convince us he could transmit sound through his body. Admittedly, you did have to be there in order to understand what was funny about cutting through cable, but trust me, it certainly made my evening! (Don't worry, no microphone cable was harmed in the making of this joke.)

Does anyone know any good cable jokes?

The Reel Life Pub Quiz: The answers

2008-11-17T01:35:00.000-08:00

Do you know your YY from your CW1308? We’re about to find out…

1) B: BS6004
2) A: YY, CY and SY
3) A: Polyvinyl Chloride
4) C: Purple
5) B: Telephone

How did you do?
1/5: Disaster area: I wouldn’t show up for work tomorrow!
2/5: Danger zone: Back to cable classes for you
3/5: Work in progress: Not bad, but not particularly good either
4/5: Cable geek: you’re close to perfection so keep trying
5/5: Cable genius: we all bow to your greatness

Cable news: strange but true

2008-11-13T02:08:00.000-08:00

Cable lovers beware: there is a cable-chewing cat on the loose with a taste for AC adapter cables! According to Cnet News – who ran the story ‘Cables and cats and chewing, oh my!’ on 21 October – cat Iris the destroyer has rather expensive taste and has no interest in munching on ‘plain-old power cords’. And she’s certainly not alone.

I myself have been a victim of such cable crime! When I was younger, my grandmother’s dog Lucy decided to eat her way through the cable powering the family Nintendo console because we were paying too much attention to Mario Kart. If you have a pet with a rather unhealthy appetite for electrical cables, share your pain here!

Green tips: Pedal power

2008-11-11T07:58:00.001-08:00

Did you know that if you cycle to work for a year, you are likely to get wet less than 12 times? Now, when I spoke to a man from the London Cycling Campaign about this a few years ago I forgot to clarify a) what he meant by wet and b) whether that figure went up if you lived in Manchester. But, whatever the answers, it’s a pretty good statistic – and reason to dust off those handlebars.

Now I know what you’re thinking, what does this have to do with cable? Well, I could talk about carbon footprints and health benefits to tie in with Eland’s ISO14001 Environmental Management accreditation. But, by looking into schemes such as OyBike – a street-based bike rental service – popping up all over the world, I have actually discovered cable does play an exciting part in helping us go green!

Wanting to know more about the cable between a rental bike and the electronic locking system holding it in place, I asked Bernie Hanning, the man at the top, to explain. ‘We use a steel wire rope cable with a plastic sleeve that has a stainless steel tip permanently pressed onto the end of it,’ says Bernie. ‘This tip has a chip with a unique number embedded into its core. When inserted into our electronic locking mechanism the chip identifies itself, enabling us to work out which bike is attached to the cable.’ Fascinating stuff!!!

Want to find out more about a cable near you? Post a question and we’ll investigate!

Cable news: but not as we know it!

2008-11-10T01:11:00.000-08:00

When it comes to news articles, I often find that the headline is so much better than story itself. Take the following stories with the word ‘cables’ in the title:

Tigers to chew through cables tonight? (Worksop Guardian, 15/10/08)
The real story: lead up to football game between Prescot Cables and Worksop Town
Reel Life version: Escaped tigers seen chewing through Coaxial Cable in an attempt to stop people watching the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Dork talk: Stephen Fry explains the suitcase of cables he takes with him when travelling (Guardian Unlimited 18/10/08)
The real story: a piece about the gadgets Stephen Fry takes with him on his travels.
Reel Life version: Stephen Fry reveals why he won’t leave the house without a reel of lighting cable to keep him in the spotlight.

Properly used jumper cables pose no danger (San Francisco Chronicle 24/10/08)
The real story: should jumper cables be used on modern cars?
Reel Life version: Follow the pattern and you won’t electrocute yourself, says local knitting club.

If you know of any weird and wonderful cable news – or just want to share your favourite cable headlines – Reel Life wants to hear from you.

The Reel Life Pub Quiz!

2008-11-07T02:35:00.000-08:00

Ok, so questions about cable never quite make it into your average pub quiz. But, if they did, how would you fare? Test your knowledge with our cable conundrums and come back on Monday to find out whether you're a cable genius or bottom of the class! (We're starting simple but the questions will get harder in the weeks to come!)

Question one: 6381Y meets the requirements of which standard?

a) 6381YBSS1AVDE0250

b) BS6004

c) ISO/OEC11801

Question two: Name the three different types of Control Cable used in process automation

a) YY, CY and SY

b) Why oh why, see why and don't know why

c) DP, CY and PY

Question three: What does PVC stand for?

a) Polyvinyl Chloride

b) Plastic Vinyl Chlorine

c) Popular Versatile Cable

Question four: What colour is Cat 6 LSZH Cable?

a) Rainbow coloured

b) Red

c) Purple

Question five: What type of cable is CW1308?

a) Armoured

b) Telephone

c) Bathroom

Clue: all the answers can be found on the Eland website!

Fame for Fibre Optic Cable

2008-11-06T01:35:00.000-08:00

You know you’ve been bitten by the cable bug when you’re watching one of your favourite TV programmes and all you can think about is not that a submarine is about to destroy Britain’s communications network, but how it’s going to do it by tapping into Fibre Optic Cable!

Now I used to watch the BBC TV series Spooks purely because I worked in an office beneath the studios and actually got to visit the Grid – the nerve centre for the series. But, with a Fibre Optic Cable plotline in the second episode of the latest series, I have never been more excited about tuning in – and that’s not just because it’s available from Eland. I wonder what they’ll think of next – an attack on Cat 5E, or the end of 6381Y as we know it?

Has cable ever taken centre stage in your favourite programmes or films? If so, Reel Life needs to know! Happy posting.

60 seconds with Paul Scattergood

2008-11-03T06:57:00.000-08:00

Talking to Eland’s new Warehouse Management Systems Support Analyst, Paul Scattergood, it’s hard to imagine he’s only been in the cable industry for less than two months. Here, he explains why, when it comes to cable, cars and training air cadets, the sky really is the limit…

1) What’s a typical day for you at Eland?
Programming and maintaining our warehouse management system, about four cups of coffee and packed lunch with a pork pie!

2) What are your first impressions of the cable industry?
I am surprised at how many different cables there are – everything from Coaxial and Fireforce Cable to Data Cable. When you don’t work in the industry you take cable for granted.

3) What are you working on at the moment?
I am testing the new version of our ATMS warehouse system, which will help us more easily locate, organise and track our stock. Once the new system is in place I will then be looking to use my experience from other warehouses to identify areas where we can improve efficiencies even further. It’s an ongoing process but by investing in technology we are becoming faster and more streamlined, improving the experience for our customers as a result.

4) What’s the most interesting cable fact you know?
Copper melts at around 1,100°c.

5) How do you spend your time when you’re not at the Distribution Centre?
I help out with mountain rescue, teach 13-18 year olds about aviation and work as a flying instructor. I also play in an Airsoft league, which is like extreme paintballing.

6) What’s the one thing most people don’t know about you?
I own a rare Mitsubishi FTO and won the ‘Best Mitsubishi on show’ award at the 2008 Japanese Auto Extravaganza.

7) If you were a cable, what would you be and why?
I’m like CW1308 – I like multitasking and have lots of information to give.

8) What’s the best thing about your job?
Every day is different and I thrive on solving the challenges the role brings.

Bus Cables – two have come along at once!

2008-10-28T09:08:00.000-07:00

Delve into the fascinating world of cable names and you could be forgiven for thinking you need to learn a second language – or at least have a degree in code breaking. Not only will you stumble across everything from the incredibly descriptive Individually Screened Multi-Pair Low Cap RS422 Cable (Belden Equivalent) to the delightfully harmonised H07RNF Cable, but with acronyms such as FTP, UTP, GSWB, LSZH, PVC, PE and SWA thrown in, it’s enough to give Einstein a headache!

That’s why, when I was tasked with the job of investigating the new Profibus Cables we have in stock, I breathed a sigh of relief. Ok, they do come with their very own acronyms – Profibus DP (Decentralised Peripherals) and Profibus PA (Process Automation) – but when you refer to them as simply Bus Cables, the name actually makes a lot of sense. While you can’t hitch a ride with them, and they won’t keep you waiting out in the cold for what seems like days, they do transport information from a controller into the field (or factory floor) – and yes, two have arrived at once!

Why not tell us about your favourite cable names and acronyms – you can even rename some if you like?

Collect your order in style

2008-10-22T09:49:00.000-07:00

When I dropped in on the Distribution Centre at our Northern Sales Office in Doncaster recently – looking particularly stylish in my bright orange high visibility vest – I spoke to a visitor who described it as the ‘Buckingham Palace’ of warehouses. Now, I know we haven’t had a royal visit, it certainly doesn’t have a flag flying from the roof and the security guard isn’t dressed in red with a furry black hat, but when you see how clean and tidy it is, you’d have to agree.

Of course, if you buy cable in North East England, our Distribution Centre is more than just an industrial tourist attraction. With the Customer Collection Area open from 8am – 6pm (midnight by prior arrangement), customers can collect cable an hour after putting in an order. I have even heard there are sweets and mugs of tea available for those placing a particularly big order – just remember, you heard it here first!

We’ll be interviewing North East Sales Manager Anne Gummerson in our new 60-second interview slot, so pop back soon to find out more about the cable scene in North East England!

Why cables rule the world

2008-10-21T03:28:00.000-07:00

I have to say Eland Cables’ latest article Why it’s ok to like SWA in the online Cable Genius series is really quite fun. I share Sonja’s frustration that society is all too quick to wish for a world without cables. Am I the only one who is attached to that tangle of wires under my desk? Am I the only one who enjoys spotting a new bundle disappearing off into a hole on my way to work? Perhaps so, but these small-but-perfectly-formed – and yes often beautiful – industrial masterpieces are actually pretty fascinating, and they deserve our respect.

SWA is one such cable that should command our attention. Yes, it’s got a good name – ok not as exciting as HO7RNF, but certainly catchier than Cat 5E PE FTP GSWB LSZH Cable. Yes, it’s robust and good looking – although admittedly the braiding on SY Cable is a little more attractive. Yes it’s tough – so tough with its Steel Wire Armour (or Aluminium in a single core cable) that it can survive underground projects. And yes, it’s popular – we at Eland have sold more than 11 million metres of the stuff in the last three years alone. In fact, it’s so impressive, there’s a SWA site dedicated to telling us cable fanatics all about it.

So convinced are we that the world needs cables everywhere – and cable fanatics – we are about to begin our new ‘Where would we be without cables?’ series. Watch this space for the first post, but be warned, your life will never quite look the same again.

How much do you think about railway cables?

2008-10-18T03:17:00.000-07:00

Some may accuse me of having a one track mind. And I must confess I do – it starts at Mudchute on London’s Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and it ends, after a rather exciting descent, underground at Bank Station.

Actually, as I fight to ride in the DLR’s front seat on my daily commute – a position so coveted it has its own Facebook group – it’s not just the track that gets me thinking. Have you ever considered how much Rail Cable is used to get you from A to B (or C2C if you happen to travel into London from a bit further afield)?

By Rail Cable I don’t just mean Signalling Cable Type B1, B2, B3, C1, C2 0r C3, SWA Cable, Points Heating Cab le or Screening Conductor – you only need to look on and around the track to see the miles of cable used. I am also thinking about the Section 12 Fire Integrity Cable installed in everything from those platform help points and departure boards to CCTV cameras. Trust me, once you start looking around for these wonders of technology, you won’t even need a book.

Of course, if you haven’t been lucky enough to experience travelling to work on the commuting equivalent of a theme park ride, it’s about time you took a closer look. We’d love to hear about your DLR experiences and favourite Rail Cables.

Green tips: How green is your email?

2008-10-10T08:56:00.000-07:00

One of the great things about email is that once a message actually makes it into your inbox it rarely – unless you mean for it to or have a complete email meltdown – gets lost. So why is it that so many of us insist on printing each one to add to the mountain of paper we like to have sitting on our desks but never actually read? We’re all guilty of this, and for those of us with our hands almost glued to the print button, it’s not something that will change overnight.

While we know the thought of a paperless cable supplier is a little hard to imagine, by adding a simple environmental message to an email signature – preferably in green with a tree – we could all help ensure at least some words never make into print. Here’s the one we use at Eland Cables: ‘Please, consider your environmental responsibility. Before printing this e-mail ask yourself: "Do I need a hard copy?".’ After all, less printing means more trees, less waste, less paper and more money at the end of the financial year.

Out and about: The AWEBB Conference

2008-09-30T06:54:00.000-07:00

It certainly wasn’t all cable samples and company brochures at the latest AWEBB Conference by Tower Bridge on 3 October. Those electrical wholesalers who made it to the Eland Cables stand were treated to a spread of flapjacks, fairy cakes, iced buns, chocolate brownies and – you guessed it – orange and blue branded Eland Cable cakes.

Of course, sugary treats aside, the Eland team was actually there to promote the range of products that don’t regularly appear on our wholesale pricelist (sign up to receive it if you’re a wholesaler), including Control Cables, Armoured Cables, PVC Flexs, Data Cables and Field Bus Cables. We also wanted to highlight our cable sourcing and custom cable services, which make light work of tracking down – and manufacturing – those difficult-to-find cables.

I am not sure walking around a conference with the words ‘Can you resist?’ on the back on a T-shirt is to be recommended, but the cakes certainly went down well – with those not under the watchful eye of their calorie counting girlfriends – and we managed to talk to a number of regular customers. A few people did ask about the flapjack recipe, and while I am not at liberty to give away Eland’s secrets, let’s just say Golden Syrup makes a huge difference!