The steel market has faced many challenges such as supply chain issues and project halts due to the worldwide pandemic trials throughout recent years. Don’t let cable failure add to the mix!  

Industrial and commodity wire and cables are truly two different types of cables used for different applications. Industrial wire and cables are designed and manufactured for use in industrial settings such as Industrial Automation, Metals, Manufacturing, Military, Utility, Transit, and other heavy-duty industries and applications.  

If you work in the Shipyard or Marine Industry, you come face to face daily with the harsh conditions that wreak havoc on your operating equipment’s wire and cable. You constantly are struggling with environments causing premature cable failures. Shipyards are typically exposed to various factors that can damage cables, including moisture, extreme temperatures, corrosive materials, and heavy loads.

Mining is an inherently harsh environment. Applications expose wire and cable to serious abuse, which is a common cause of failure in commodity cables. Choosing a high-performance industrial cable, assembly or accessory is critical to maintaining safety, and reducing labor, material, and downtime costs.

Is your facility facing issues from extremely cold temperatures or the elements of mother nature during winter? Heat trace cables and assemblies can decrease downtime, increase safety and ultimately save your water pipes from bursting.  

The majority, if not all electrical wire and cable sold, will have specific ratings and/or certificates to define its intended use while providing end-users with a level of confidence in the cable's safety and reliability. The certification process ensures the cable meets the requirements of published safety standards such as OSHA and other safety organizations.

Part numbering disciplines and processes have changed over the years and most manufacturers use either Non-Intelligent or Intelligent part numbering schemes. If you are trying to decide what part numbering system works best for you, read below and consider all the advantages and disadvantages of intelligent vs. non-intelligent part numbering commonly used in industrial manufacturing today.  

Not all cable jackets are created equal. In fact, there are multiple materials for industrial cables, and they all offer different benefits depending on your environment. So, why does cable jacketing matter? Without a jacket, cables would be defenseless against chemicals, abrasion, extreme temperatures and more. Let’s break it down.  

Your cable has failed! Your operation has come to a halt and every minute down is costing your operation resources. Even though you cannot turn back time, you can help prevent costly downtime in the future by understanding why your cable has failed. 

Selecting the appropriate cable for your harsh industrial environment is vital to your operation. Let’s look at six common types of cable failure modes. 

A planned outage is good for business because it leads to desired benefits like increased productivity, energy efficiencies, and expense management. To maximize the success of your shutdown, approach it with a team effort and develop a solid process you can implement time and again.