To celebrate our 25 years of service to the electrical industry, we’ve picked 25 of the most interesting, impressive and astonishing building and infrastructure projects from around the world, that were not here when we started business.

We’ve witnessed some amazing mega-projects and feat of engineering in the past quarter of a century. As a company, we’ve been lucky enough to supply products to some of these projects, including The Channel Tunnel, Hong Kong International Airport, London Olympic Park and The Shard, helping to create engineering history.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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At its peak, cable theft was estimated to cost the UK economy £770 million per year. Even though a £5 million funded crackdown from British Transport Police (BTP) has helped dramatically reduce the level of cable theft, in the first half of this financial year, (up to 14th September 2013) there has been 95 incidents of cable theft within the UK’s rail network alone. Causing 30,928 minutes of delays and an estimated compensation cost of over £1 million.

These figures do not include the cost of staff time to repair and replace the stolen cable, replacement of the cable itself and the cost of extra security measures implemented to try to prevent future thefts. The total cost of these measures in the 12 months up to April 2013 reaching £12.7 million.

Causes Behind Cable Theft

It’s easy to see why cable theft has seen an increase in the past decade up to its peak, with the price of copper soaring since 2002. From £1000 to around £6000 per metric tonne at its peak.

With copper becoming so valuable and with its abundance within rail networks, copper theft via cables spiralled out of control.

Combatting Cable Theft

There are a number of methods than can be implemented to help fight cable theft.

Existing Technologies

Ellis Patents Tamper Proof Cable Cleats – Ellis’s tamperproof cleats are designed to make removing copper cables almost impossible. Its box design makes the task of detaching the cleat from the cable as difficult and as time consuming as possible.

This added to the requirement (for short-circuit protection) to fit cleats at regular intervals along the length of the cable means thieves will simply not have the time to remove the cleats, and therefore the cable, in time before the authorities arrive.

RedWeb Technologies – Working alongside the BTP, RedWeb Security have designed an indelible fluid that’s applied to the surface of cables. The spray will transfer to skin, clothing or hair of the thief and remain detectable for over 6 months.

Each batch of spray contains a unique forensic code which is traceable to the location of where it was applied to the metal. By glowing bright red under a UV light, signalling the suspected criminal had an involvement with the theft by being contaminated with the dye.

SmartWater – Similar to RedWeb’s forensic fluid, Smartwater asigns trackside cables with a uniquely coded chemical signature that is identifiable by police. The liquid is almost impossible to remove and can even withstand burning. Once detected the Smartwater provides the police with irrefutable proof of involvement with a particular cable theft. It has been proven to cut cable theft on key national rail routes.

Anti-Vandal Guards – These galvanised steel anti-vandal guards provide protection from vandalism and theft. Designed primarily for 25x3mm earthing tape, the guard is also suitable to secure and protect smaller cable systems. Easy to fix and with long lasting corrosion resistance, it is a further deterant to copper cable theives. Please contact us for price and availability.

New Legislation

The new Scrap Metal Dealers Act has now come into force, making it harder for metal thieves to sell on stolen metal. Replacing the 1964 act, it requires all dealers to have a licence, which it makes tougher to get, as well as requiring sellers to provide ID at the point of sale and have it recorded by the dealer.

It is hoped the new traceability deters criminals from carrying out copper theft.

These preventative technologies and innovations, along with tougher legislation and police crackdowns have helped reduce cable theft from its peak. Time will only tell whether or not this new scrap metal law will have the desired effect, however we believe the combination of these tactics, although incurring additional costs, will be beneficially in the long run compared to downtime, replacement cable and labour costs. Learn more about our offer of power cable lugs.

Video: Cable Thefts Reach Crisis Point

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All eyes are on the ICC Birmingham this week as the annual Electrical Contractors’ Associastion (ECA) conference takes place between 20th – 22nd June.

The Electric Event is a must for businesses within the building services or electrical contracting industry. The conference itself is focusing on understanding and managing change, keeping on top of new legislation and remaining profitable in a recession. Delivering fresh thinking, valuable insights and new opportunities, the event is full of key speakers, workshops and a chance to meet a number of suppliers at their exhibition stands.

Conference Speakers

There is a whole host of key industry speakers hosting talks on day 1 and 3 of the event, including Phil Fagg the ECA President, Steve Bratt the ECA CEO and David Philp of the Building Information Modelling (BIM) task group to name a few.

Workshop Streams

Day 2 features the ‘Meet the Suppliers’ exhibition as well as numerous workshops. The Technology Live workshops are an ideal opportunity for electrical contractors, consultants, designers and specifiers to hear directly from leading industry manufacturers about their latest products and innovations.

We’re particularly looking forward to ”Fire performance cables: Applications, features and which specifications to use to get it right” by Martyn Corbishley of Prysmian Cables.

If you’re attending let us know how you found the event in the comments below.

2013 marked the 150th year since the London Underground became the first underground rail system. On that day, around 40,000 people were carried on the service that ran between Farringdon Street and Paddington.

Since the early days of gas lit platforms, steam powered trains and class division and now with around 3.5 million daily users, the tube system has come a long way since then. We look back on the history and practices of the victorian era and look at how they have evolved into the standards and codes of practice prevalent on the LU network today.

The worlds first underground network

When it was first opened, the London Underground was the first of its kind in the world, it was a pioneer of engineering and has driven many developments since then. One of the biggest differences compared to the current underground was the development of increased safety measures. In its early days the tube was remarkably different to the modern day system we know today. A key difference was the use of steam powered carriages.

The problems of using steam trains in an underground environment were obvious from the very first day, with a porter being taken to hospital and several passengers having to leave the platforms due to the smoke and fumes. In efforts to improve the air quality within stations, even smoking was restricted, as to reduce its contribution to the poor air quality.

Electric powered carriages

Electric locomotives were first used on the London underground as early as 1890, with the district and circle lines switched fully from steam power to electricity in 1905. Although it wasn’t until 1961 when the last steam-hauled passenger trains were replaced.

With the introduction of a fully electrical underground rail system, old systems would have to be upgraded to accommodate the new power cables and supplied that lined the tunnels. Introducing the use of various cabling accessories such as cable hangers, cleats and flexible conduits.

Introduction of LUL approval and LUL standard 1-085

In 1987, a fire broke out at the Kings Cross underground station where 31 people lost their lives and 100 others were injured during the incident. It was revealed after the accident that the fire itself was only part of the reason for the deaths and injuries. Many of the products used on the London underground during the time contained harmful hydrocarbons that not only released harmful, toxic smoke which affected the breathing of the victims but also burnt with a thick black smoke, severely reducing their visibility and ability to find the exits.

As a result of the tragedy, the Fire Precautions (Sub-Surface Railways Stations) Regulations were introduced in 1989. These regulations, also known as Section 12, require that all electrical equipment within the Underground Network must adhere to strict safety standards.

All electrical cable and accessories installed within Section 12 locations must meet the requirements of LUL standard 1-085. This standard outlines the fire safety performance of the materials used, including smoke emission, flammability and flame spread.

Demand for LSFZeroHalogen (LSZH) products

Since the Kings Cross fire, the use of halogenated compounds within the LUL network has been restricted and more low-smoke, zero (or low) halogen products have been specified. When exposed to flame, these LSZH products not only burn a much less toxic smoke, but the smoke is white in colour, minimising its effect on visibility during a fire.

Manufacturers are now able to supply products that have these LSF properties while maintaining the performance of their traditional counterparts.

Limiting Oxygen Index (LOI)

It should be understood that just because a product is classed as halogen free does not indicate fire resistance or self-extinguishing properties. The Limiting Oxygen Index (BSEN ISO 4589) determines the percentage of oxygen in the atmosphere that would need to be present for the material to combust. The oxygen percentage present in the air during normal conditions is 21%, meaning the higher the percentage, the greater flame retardency.

Since the 1987 fire, the rail industry set standards that all materials used in underground passenger carriages demand an LOI of 34% of greater, compared to 28% LOI on overground rolling stock. This shows the extra precautions now being taken on the LUL network.

Full LUL product range

We are able to offer a wide range of LSFZeroHalogen and LUL approved products, suitable for use within the London Underground network and other mass-transit systems. Key LUL approved products include cable cleats, glands and trackside flexible conduits.

Engineering the London Underground Video:

Watch this short film made to inspire the next generation of engineers.

The film takes you on a trip through the Tube’s history to the present day and celebrates 150 years of civil engineering on the Tube.

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