Issue: August 2005
By: Frank Bisbee

Bisbee's Buzz

Nearly 4,000 people died in U.S. fires in 2004. Toxic gasses or smoke caused almost 80% of those deaths. In all, 17,785 people were injured in fire situations during 2004. That number may be under reported because the symptoms from some toxic gasses may not appear for many hours after the exposure. www.nfpa.org

In the world of cabling, plenum rated cable (CMP) is the predominant installed datacom-cabling product in the US. Plenum cable is installed IN THE AIR SYSTEM. If these cables generate toxic gasses and or smoke in a fire scenario, the results can be deadly. The primary material used to insulate the plenum cabling is FEP (Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene) commonly known by the trade names: Teflon and Neoflon. We wanted to know more about this product and the safety considerations. We went to the DuPont website section for MSDS's (Material Safety Data Sheets). Shockingly, the MSDS for Teflon FEP is not available. We expanded our search to Google. On www.google.com we searched for "toxic Teflon" and the website reported 184,000 results. Apparently, we aren't the only ones who are trying to get the truth about these potentially deadly toxic gasses.

Some chemical manufacturers seem to have built the world's largest catapult and are hurling vast amounts of money at the marketing effort to push the CMP-50 cable. These same commercial parties seem to be pushing their profit agenda into the code making process. At the annual NFPA Conference, the NFPA membership did NOT approve this cable as a replacement for CMP, and as more facts surface the likelihood of an approval seems remote. At this time, the NFPA 90A committee for Air Conditioning is reevaluating the testing criteria for CMP and CMP-50 cables. Believe it or not! The plenum cables are NOT tested for toxicity (toxic gasses) under the current code requirements. Some of the gasses released when you heat these cables are ranked by the military in the same category as "phosgene nerve gas" (a chemical warfare weapon). United States Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, Medical Management of Chemical Casualties Handbook. http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/doctrine/army/mmcch/PulmAgnt.htm

The new media includes the distribution of video footage on DVD's. At almost all trade shows we see this marketing tool getting a serious workout. The famous magician, Houdini once said, " What the eyes see and what the ears hear, the mind believes." Today special effects are employed extensively to beef up the message. Unfortunately some video messages are somewhat deceptive and misleading. Besides, many toxic gasses are clear and the video is useless. It seemed our resolve to promote the full safety picture does not match the resolve of the special interests parties with the deep pockets. We can and will continue to promote more comprehensive codes instead of memorials. Are you rising to the challenge? Are you putting the pieces together or are you ignoring the warnings? Until the toxicity issue is addressed, we will remain vulnerable.

Remember: Safety Is Too Important To Ignore.


But that's just my opinion,

Frank Bisbee
"Heard On The Street" column
www.wireville.com
Jacksonville, FL
(904) 645-9077
frank@wireville.com

INVENTORY CONTROL or Out Of Control?

Everybody knows that the customer will wait until tomorrow to order the network that they want yesterday. Timetables and availability on the labor side is somewhat controllable by the contractor. Cables, connectors, and other required materials, are a challenge of inventory and usually outside of the control of the contractor. Maintaining large inventories to service their customers is not a good business practice for the contractor. We have all seen inventory building up in the contractor's warehouse AND that sometimes adds up to a small fortune. Much of the contractor inventory that is not installed immediately usually ends up as junk. Out of date, obsolete, or incomplete materials mean wasted dollars. Most contractors don't manage inventory on a small basis. As an option, the contractor should turn to the distributor to offer that part of the business solution for their customers.

Having all of the materials for the communications network is only part of the solution. We must have the peripherals. We need labeling and record systems. We need testers and analyzers. We need to stay abreast of technology, codes, and standards. We also need to be able to predict the future. Building barriers to obsolescence requires a vision for the future. Planning for the future challenges while delivering today's solutions, is imperative. Anything less is usually unacceptable. If you are a contractor, you do not want to go it alone.

Good advice: Use the Graybar VIP program. Capture their values and add them to your total solutions package. This approach is the least expensive and most effective business insurance available.

By now, you should have gotten part of the message about why Graybar is a "no-brainer" for the contractor. Let's add a few other bonus points to the Graybar distributor value. Face it; the distributor is the communications cabling and connector markets largest buyer. For the manufacturers, maintaining the best working relationship possible with a distributor like Graybar is an absolute must. The distributor is the focal point for the products to meet, combine, and create the network systems required in the marketplace. We don't buy parts anymore. We buy systems. The systems must be integrated and maximized. We buy system parts, but not "parts" parts. http://www.graybar.com/

Today the process of developing a design and evaluating alternatives for the cabling network infrastructure is more challenging than ever before. Functionality, performance, life-cycle term, and budget are thrown into the mix along with the entire technical specification. In the world of communications infrastructure, using a distributor like Graybar is a logical tool for the contractor. However, we still see many contractors failing to use or capture the values available from the distributor.

Graybar and Berk-Tek Launch Fiber-in-a-Box to Improve Contractor Productivity

Solution Saves Time and Money on Installation and Testing

Graybar and Berk-Tek have joined together to launch Fiber-in-a-Box, a fiber optic cable solution designed to help contractors save time and money. Fiber-in-a-Box will be featured Aug. 22-25 in Graybar Booth #303 during the BICSI Fall Conference at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn.

Contractors gain savings from the innovative packaging featuring countdown sequential foot markings every two feet to ensure cable length accuracy and minimize waste. The compact, stackable cartons protect the cable from damage that can occur during traditional pull and cut procedures. Since the packaging eliminates this kind of handling damage, the factory guarantees the cable, and pre-installation testing is unnecessary.

Fiber-in-a-Box is a tight-buffered fiber optic cable for Plenum or Riser environments. Each box includes 1,000 feet of 6 fiber or 12 fiber multimode Plenum rated (OFNP) distribution cable (62.5/125 micron) and features Berk-Tek's adjustable EZ-BrakeTM system with anti-backlash control. Ideal for horizontal, backbone or centralized optical cabling installations, the all-dielectric cable construction has 900 micron buffered fibers surrounded by aramid yarns and jacketed with next-generation lead-free polymer compound.

Fiber-in-a-Box is available exclusively at Graybar, a leading North American distributor of high-quality components, equipment and materials for the electrical and telecommunications industries. For a limited time while supplies last, purchases qualify for a $50 rebate on 12 fiber cables and a $25 rebate on 6 fiber cables. http://www.graybar.com/

Certified Training Schedule: September - December, 2005

Dates                      Class

SEPTEMBER
8/29 - 9/02            ITS Installer 1
9/12 - 9/16            ITS Technician
9/19 - 9/23            ITS Installer 2
9/26 - 9/30            ITS Installer 1

OCTOBER
10/10 - 10/14         ITS Technician
10/24 - 10/28         ITS Installer 1

NOVEMBER
11/14 - 11/18         ITS Installer 2

DECEMBER
12/05 - 12/09         ITS Technician
12/12 - 12/16         ITS Installer 1

This schedule is subject to change based on Customer requests.

We provide skilled labor at levels of discipline that will allow the enhancement of your current staff. Through our cost effective services you will increase profit and productivity, while reaching project requirements and deadlines.

Certified has a proven track record as one of the most successful staffing and recruiting firms in Texas. We are staffing specialist in the voice & data and electrical fields. With more than 30 years of staffing experience, Certified Communications has made a commitment to each of our clients and employees to remain confidential as well as attentive to all needs. We are excited about the potential this relationship represents for you as a client and for Certified as your Partner. We look forward to working together and we take this responsibility seriously. www.certified.com


James R. (Ray) Craig RCDD/ITS Specialist
Corporate Trainer
Certified Communications, Inc.
Suite #162
903 N. Bowser Road
Richardson, TX 75081
Toll Free 1-800-479-7126
Cell 972-880-6528

Superior Modular Products announces appointment of Dan Trotta to Director of Global Sales

Superior Modular Products, a leading developer and manufacturer of high-speed cross-connect products for communication networks, is pleased to announce the appointment of Dan Trotta as Director of Global Sales, effective August 1, 2005. As Director of Global Sales, Dan will lead the SMP regional sales staff and provide direction and support for national distribution accounts, as well as develop sales through new channels and articulate SMP's corporate strategic goals to the field.

Dan brings to SMP more than 20 years in sales and marketing experience in the telecommunications industry. He most recently led Systimax Solutions as their Sales Director for Major Accounts. Prior to that, he was responsible for all field sales activity and channel management in North America at Commscope and earlier as Commscope's National Account Manager with Anixter. He has also previously worked for Belden Wire and Cable in various management capacities. Dan's previous experience and proven sales history will be a contributing factor to the growth of the SMP brand and SMP sales efforts.

Superior Modular Products, headquartered in Swannanoa, North Carolina, is internationally recognized for its role in establishing the world's data/communications standards, through its innovative-patented technologies. It is a leading developer and manufacturer of high-speed cross-connect products for communication networks worldwide. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Preformed Line Products (PLPC) of Cleveland, Ohio. www.smpdata.com

BOMA Promotes Advocacy Assistant

BOMA's Advocacy Staff is pleased to announce that Emily Naden has been promoted to Advocacy Coordinator. In the eight months that she has been with BOMA, Emily has shown a strong work ethic and a willingness to tackle any task. She has done an excellent job in assisting the IT staff in redesigning the Advocacy section of the website as well as Currents. Expanding on her current responsibilities, Emily will be playing a larger role in assisting with the management and development of BOMAPAC. Congratulations Emily!

Contact: James Cox     202-326-6364     jcox@boma.org

www.boma.org

DuPont Misses Expectations, Shares Fall

By David Brinkerhoff

DuPont Co. (NYSE:DD - News), the No. 2 U.S. chemicals maker, on Tuesday posted second-quarter profit that missed Wall Street forecasts and said high energy costs and weak demand could drag down results in its auto paint business for the rest of the year.

DuPont, a component of the Dow Jones industrial average, cut its 2005 forecast and shares fell more than 6 percent in afternoon trade, weighing on blue-chip stocks.

While investors applauded the 6 percent rise in selling prices, second-quarter sales were nearly unchanged at $7.5 billion, hurt by weaker volumes, including slower-than-expected growth in Asia and falling car production in North America, they said. "It's a pretty poor earnings release," said David Begleiter, chemicals analyst with Deutsche Bank.

Excluding a gain of 11 cents on asset sales and a favorable tax gain, DuPont earned 90 cents a share in the quarter, missing the average forecast of 96 cents among analysts polled by Reuters Estimates.

Including the gain, net income in the second quarter increased to $1.02 billion, or $1.01 a share, from $503 million, or 50 cents per share, a year earlier.

Sales volumes fell in three of the company's five major business -- agriculture and nutrition, coatings and color technologies, and performance materials. Volumes in the United States and Europe also declined.

LOWER OUTLOOK

Looking ahead, the Wilmington, Delaware-based company lowered its 2005 earnings to $2.64-$2.69 a share, before gains, from a prior forecast of $2.65 to $2.85. It blamed surging prices for natural gas and oil, which are used to make chemicals and run plants.

Those costs could be at least $1 billion above 2004 levels, or double company forecasts, the company warned.

Deutsche Bank's Begleiter noted especially poor performances in two of DuPont's key segments -- its farm seeds and auto paints.

Earnings for agriculture and nutrition rose 6 percent, a disappointing figure for the normally strong summer planting season, Begleiter said,

That business lost market share to rivals in its engineered corn seeds. Adverse weather in Europe also hurt results, DuPont said, although it expects a strong crop season in South America going forward.

Meanwhile, coatings and color technologies earnings fell 9 percent on high energy costs and declining auto production. Those tough conditions will continue, DuPont said.

Frank Mitsch, analyst with Fulcrum Global Partners, lowered his rating on DuPont to "neutral" from "buy" and cut his 2005 forecast to $2.70 a share from $2.80, and his 2006 outlook to $3.05 a share from $3.15.

SURPRISING DETERIORATION

"Although we believe that DuPont offers shareholders long-term value at current levels," Mitsch said, "the disappointing earnings along with below consensus near-term outlook ... will most likely restrain the stock from outperforming near term."

Merrill Lynch also lowered its rating on DuPont to "neutral" from "buy," citing a worsening outlook for earnings growth.

Analyst Donald Carson called the company's second-quarter earnings of 90 cents a share "significantly short" of consensus expectations. He also lowered his earnings per share forecasts to $2.70 from $2.80 in 2005 and to $3.00 from $3.25 in 2006.

"A somewhat surprising deterioration in the base (agriculture) business combined with the continuing headwinds in markets like automotive and Europe are diluting the margin benefit from the increased rate of new product introductions and the progress that management has shown in raising prices," he wrote in a report published on Tuesday.

Shares fell $2.85, or 6.5 percent, to $41.19 on the New York Stock Exchange.

Stock of the Wilmington, Delaware-based company fell more than 12 percent during the second quarter, underperforming peers on the S&P Chemicals index, which fell more than 8 percent over the same period. www.dupont.com

What happens to the chemical industry may have a big impact on the world of cabling.

The Beast Cabling Systems New Regional Sales Managers Appointed

Beast Cabling Systems, innovator of systems and processes that result in more efficient and more durable installation of cable, today announced appointment of three Regional Sales Managers. Each Sales Manager has sales responsibility for all Beast Cabling System products, including The Beast, The Claw, and The Wirewolf.

• Mark Kazes, RCDD, is Regional Sales Manager for the Northeast. Kazes has over 14 years of experience, most recently as a consultant and designer of structured cabling systems. Previously, Kazes worked in project management and construction administration, responsible for inspecting installations for quality and compliance during all project phases. He has extensive knowledge of both TIA/EIA and NEC. Kazes can be reached at 703.576.2866 or mkazes@thebeast.us.
  


• With over 15 years of sales and marketing experience, Chris McGavisk is Regional Sales Manager for the South. Most recently, McGavisk worked to establish marketing messages and materials for the launch of The Beast Cabling System. He expects that his background in consulting to small business will help contractors fully realize the labor and materials savings of The Beast system. McGavisk can be reached at 703.576.2845 or cmcgavisk@thebeast.us.
  


• Ken Robertson, RCDD, is the Mid-Atlantic Regional Sales Manager. He has over 25 years in telecommunications working in engineering and sales for commercial and government clients. His experience includes network integration, design and installation of LAN and WAN infrastructures, as well as installation of voice and data systems. Robertson can be reached at 703.576.2862 or krobertson@thebeast.us.
  

The Beast Cabling System consists of three major components, each carrying a lifetime warranty: The Beast, The Wirewolf, and The Claw.

• The Beast is a portable system that separates, organizes, and labels cable off the reel or out of the box. The system enables pulling of cable from up to 48 reels into cable pathways, conserving time and materials, reducing errors, and ensuring uniform installation practices for any crew on any job.
  


• Working in conjunction with The Beast, The Wirewolf helps sort and organize cable on the back-pull for termination on patch panels or blocks. By maintaining separation and organization of cable at the equipment side of a pull, this device can save 20 labor hours for each 300 cables pulled.
  


• The Claw reduces the common problems of twisted cable, damaged cable, and broken lead strings during cable pulling. The lead string ties to one end of The Claw and cables are attached to one of the numbered slots at the opposite end. By reducing spiraling of cables in the pathway, The Claw reduces costly damage to cables and offers labor savings for crews. www.thebeast.us
  

www.beastcablingsystems.com

CABA'S Connected@Home Conference & EXPO

On October 3-5, 2005 at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas, NV, we are hosting our Connected@Home Conference & Expo. CABA's event is collocated with the 2005 FTTH Conference & Expo. This collocation will allow for a shared and open exhibit floor, that will capitalize on over 2,000 connected home industry executives attending these two conferences.

The Connected@Home conference will feature and showcase innovative and cutting-edge technologies that provide entertainment, data, voice communications and home management/security systems over broadband and other infrastructures. www.caba.org

There are a number of promotional opportunities available, various levels of sponsorship, exhibit space, workshops and advertising venues. Please call me at: 613.993.7232 or email bryson@caba.org to get info on this exciting conference that you can't afford to miss.

Connected@Home, CABA's brand new residential conference, will be held between October 3-5, 2005 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino Convention Center. More information is available at www.connectedathome2005.com.

Hitachi Cable Manchester Organization Announcement

The copper and fiber optic cable business of Hitachi Cable Manchester (HCM) has experienced significant sales growth over the last 18 months. This growth has provided them with the opportunity and the necessity to enhance and expand their sales organization in order to support future growth. The following organizational changes will be effective July 1, 2005.

Ron Ruggiero is retiring as HCM's President. After almost 16 years with the Manchester facility, he will assume the position as Advisor to the President. In his new position, Mr. Ruggiero will assist in the overall management of HCM with the incoming President.

Hideo Kusumi has been promoted to President. Hideo was transferred from Hitachi Cable, Ltd. in 2003 and assumed the position of Executive Vice President.

Brian Griggs has been promoted from Senior Vice President to Executive Vice President. In addition to direct responsibility for Manufacturing and Engineering, Brian will also be responsible for Purchasing and Production Control.

Lynne Humenik has been promoted from Vice President to Senior Vice President of Premise and Fiber Optics. Ms. Humenik's new responsibilities will include increased focus on long-term growth and strategy, premise supplier relationship development, enhanced concentration on profitability and sales growth, and responsibility for OEM accounts.

Stephen Dane, RCDD, has been promoted to North American Sales Manager. Mr. Dane was the Northeast Regional Manager for HCM for over four years and has considerably increased sales revenue and the customer base in the Northeast. Stephen will be responsible for the Regional Manager organization and all sales in North America. Stephen will continue to report to Ms. Humenik in his new function.

Jac Schmidt joins HCM as the Central Regional Sales Manager. Mr. Schmidt has vast industry experience that he gained through management positions with Anixter, Graybar and Crescent Datacomm.

Also joining HCM as the South East Regional Sales Manager is Eddie Miller, RCDD. Mr. Miller has over 15 years experience in the cable industry including positions with Draka and Anixter as well as seven years as a contractor. www.hcm.hitachi.com

FSR Inc Announces The Room Navigator

West Paterson NJ - July 8, 2005, FSR, a leading supplier of audio and video switching equipment, has announced the new Room Navigator. The Room Navigator is a multi video format A/V switcher and control system in a box. It is an affordable solution for single display A/V installations in classrooms, boardrooms, conference rooms, and multimedia applications.

Control the Room Navigator remotely with one of the two designer-style switch plates, via RS-232 or the built-in IP Port with integrated web server. The rack unit contains 3 video switchers, a 4x1 RGBHV switch, an 8x1 Composite Video Switch and an 8x1 S-Video Switch. www.fsrinc.com

CommScope Second-Quarter Profit Sinks 81% but Still Beats Wall Street Estimates

CommScope Inc. managed to top Wall Street estimates Monday even after the maker of cable used for telephone and data networks reported that second-quarter profit fell 81 percent from one-time charges this year and a large after-tax gain a year earlier. Commscope shares rose $2.32, or 14 percent, to $19.21 in morning trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Over the past 52-weeks, shares have fluctuated from a high of $22.65 in October to a low of $13.83 in April, and are up 4 percent on the calendar year so far.

Quarterly income fell to $16.3 million, or 25 cents per share, from $84.1 million, or $1.16 per share, a year ago. Excluding charges for cost reduction initiatives in the latest quarter and an after-tax restructuring gain in the year-ago quarter, earnings rose to $17.3 million, or 27 cents per share, from $8.1 million, or 11 cents per share, a year ago.

Revenue rose 8 percent to $336.7 million from $312.9 million last year.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial expected lower earnings per share of 18 cents on revenue of $331.3 million.

Gross margins rose to 26.3 percent from 23.1 percent a year ago from higher prices and ongoing cost reduction initiatives.

The company forecast third-quarter sales of $335 million to $355 million, and raised its sales estimates for the year to $1.3 billion to $1.35 billion, from $1.2 billion to $1.3 billion. Analysts estimate third-quarter sales of $338.8 million and sales of $1.31 billion for the year. Last year, CommScope posted third-quarter sales of $309.1 million, and $1.15 billion in annual revenue. www.commscope.com

NAED TASK FORCE ADDRESSES SPECIAL PRICING AUTHORIZATION CONCERNS WITH NEW TOOL TO MEASURE DISTRIBUTOR CARRYING COSTS

The National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED)'s Task Force on Special Pricing Authorizations (SPA) Process Efficiencies has released an Inventory Carrying Cost Calculator designed to provide NAED member distributors with a tool to better determine the costs associated with SPA-tied inventory.

Profitability expert Dr. Al Bates of the Profit Planning Group developed the Inventory Carrying Cost Calculator for the Task Force. It is an Excel spreadsheet tool that allows distributors to insert their numbers and measure the costs associated with carrying inventory that has higher "in-to-stock" prices. The calculator allows distributors to assess inventory-carrying costs based on a number of variables that can be custom-tailored to each manufacturer and each distributor.

"The Inventory Carrying Cost Calculator takes the guesswork and emotion out of the conversations relating to 'who bears the cost to carry inventory subject to SPAs,'" said Tammy Miller, SPA Distributor Task Force chair and president of Border States Electric Supply in Phoenix, Ariz. "The first benefit will be to know the true cost of carrying the inventory; the second benefit will be the fact-based negotiations between distributor and manufacturer."

While the calculator may not capture all the costs and nuances of some SPAs, Task Force member and Secretary-Treasurer of Madison Electric Company in Warren Mich., Benjamin Rosenthal, said it is a step in the right direction. "It's a good tool and good starting point for discussions between manufacturers and distributors on how to deal with the [SPA] burden," said Rosenthal.

The initiative to improve SPA Process Efficiencies started in response to distributor member feedback that SPAs were a considerable business challenge that needed examination. NAED first held open forum town hall meetings at regional conferences to encourage discussion on SPAs, followed by articles in TED Magazine and a survey to the industry.

In May 2004, NAED organized distributor and manufacturer SPA Task Forces, involving 21 companies and led by distributor Tammy Miller of Border States Electric Supply and Fran Piscitelli of OSRAM Sylvania. The Task Force has met multiple times to analyze the various issues involved and consider standards that would simplify the processes involved with SPAs.

The Inventory Carrying Cost Calculator is one of three tools created by the SPA Task Force to help make SPA processes more efficient for the entire industry. SPA Process Efficiency Tools include: a Recommended Industry Vocabulary to help standardize the terminology used by electrical industry manufacturers and distributors during the SPA filing process and a Recommended Best Practices for the SPA Claiming Process to help the industry become more efficient. In addition, the SPA Task Force endorses the Industry Data Standards developed by the IDEA Standards Committee as a best practice to automate the entire claiming process.

For the industry to reap the benefits of improved SPA process efficiencies NAED is encouraging its electrical distributor and manufacturer members commit to implementing the task force's recommendations by Sept. 1, 2005. To take part in this effort, distributors and manufacturers must go to www.naed.org/spa, download the "Count Me In" pledge form, fill it out, sign and fax back to NAED at (877) 312-9801. Once a company has registered its support, the company needs to designate a SPA Implementer within the company to follow through on the process internally and participate in the monthly Webinars. Lastly, NAED requests that members advocate for the adoption of the SPA best practice tools within the industry, especially with software providers.

The SPA Inventory Carrying Cost Calculator, as well as other SPA Recommended Best Practice Tools, is available at no additional cost to NAED members. To access a copy of the SPA Carrying Cost Calculator, contact NAED Customer Service at (888) 791-2512 or customerservice@naed.org.

NAED is the trade association for the $70+ billion electrical distribution industry. Through networking, education, research, and benchmarking, NAED helps distributors and manufacturers increase profitability and improve the electrical distribution channel. NAED's membership represents approximately 4,100 locations internationally.

The US Office Market Ended 2004 On A High Note

The US office market ended 2004 on a high note, reporting a 5.0 percent increase in Net Operating Income (NOI) and a decrease of 6.1 percent in Total Expenses, according to the data collected and reported in BOMA International's 2005 Experience Exchange Report (EER). www.boma.org

With the economy being stronger in 2004 and with the creation of new jobs, building occupancy increased slightly in comparison with the year before (88.70% in 2004 vs. 88.54% in 2003). The dollar amount spent per rentable square foot on different expense line items provides a mixed picture, but the overall expense data in the 2005 EER indicates that even though total income remained constant at $23.89 in 2004, the NOI increased by 5.0 percent ($14.15 vs. $13.51 in 2003). Building management achieved this increase by working to decrease their Total Operating Expenses by 3.0 percent ($6.32 vs. $6.52) and by decreasing administrative costs, which declined again by 1 percent in comparison with the previous year ($1.22 vs. $1.23 in 2003).

Additional 2005 EER Highlight information will be available in the July/August issue of BOMA Magazine or you can click here to get a highlight sheet that includes 2003-2004 US private sector expense comparisons, trends in security spending, income and expense averages for class A, B and C buildings and more.

NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) NEWS

Smoke and toxic gasses kill more people than flames do.

Some cable materials generate toxic gasses that can kill workers in a confined space. These deaths represent the very worst in the American workplace. At this time there is NO TESTING REQUIRED for TOXIC GASSES in the plenum-approved cables (CMP & CMP-50).

Most victims of fire succumb to the smoke and toxic gasses - not to burns. In the US Between 75 and 80 percent of the deaths result from toxic gasses and smoke. Proposals for toxicity testing for communications cabling have been ignored in the past.

www.nfpa.org
JOIN NFPA TODAY !!!!

Codes and Standards
As part of its commitment to enhancing public safety through the adoption and enforcement of key ANSI codes and standards, NFPA is making its codes and standards available for review online by the public.

See the documents in NFPA's Annual 2006 cycle and Reports on Proposals for each document.
Read NFPA News for the latest information on codes- and standards-making activities.
See the lists of NFPA Technical Committees seeking members and soliciting proposals.
Looking for an older Report on Proposals or Report on Comments? Check out our new ROP/ROC archive tables.

Research and Reports
A new NFPA study shows that in the United States in 2004:
There were 3,900 fire fatalities, most of which (82%) occurred in the home.
There was a fire death every 135 minutes.
There was a fire injury every 30 minutes.
A residential fire occurred every 77 seconds.
A fire department responded to a fire every 20 seconds.

Download a copy of NFPA's "Fire Loss in the United States in 2004" report (PDF, 63 KB).
Visit NFPA's One-Stop Data Shop for a complete list of statistical reports, most of which are available at no cost for NFPA members.
The Fire Protection Research Foundation is requesting proposals for a consultant for its project on "Reducing Fire Deaths in the Aged: Optimizing the Smoke Alarm Signal". Proposals are due August 15, 2005 (PDF, 79 KB).
Research Foundation launches new detection and alarm initiatives.
View proceedings of 2005 Suppression & Detection symposium.

Professional Development
Protect people and their places of work with NFPA training. Learn about emergency evacuation training for individuals who oversee or implement the evacuations and relocations - and a training on NFPA 1600 (the National Preparedness Standard on Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs) for individuals responsible for business continuity and resumption.

Learn safe electrical design, installation, and inspection in the one-day NFPA 79 seminar.
The new 2006 Life Safety Code® Seminars begin this fall. Register today!
Learn to enter and work safely in aboveground petroleum storage tanks in accordance with API 2015 and 2016 in the Safe Tank Entry two-day workshop offered by NFPA and the American Petroleum Institute.
Call for papers (PDF, 10 KB) for The Fire Protection Research Foundation's 10th Fire Suppression & Detection Symposium, February 1-3, 2006, Orlando, FL.

Allan Jowsey of the University of Edinburgh, Jessica A. Kratchman of the University of Maryland, and Scott Somers of Arizona State University, have been chosen as this year's scholarship recipients of NFPA's Fire Safety Education Memorial Fund. Isman grant applications for HAZMAT response teams due September 15.

Public Education
Download NFPA's smoke alarm installation program guide, a comprehensive resource for fire safety advocates - firefighters, safety educators, businesses, and other community leaders.

Greetings U.S. Southeast Region BICSI Members

Mark your calendars for the upcoming BICSI U.S. Southeast Region meeting in Winston-Salem, North Carolina (Adam's Mark Hotel) on Friday, October 21, 2005 from 8:00 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. We are searching for technical presenters and "What's New, What's It Do" session presenters for this meeting. See the following information for more details.

Technical Presenters
This meeting will have a security theme, with three to four scheduled technical presentations. Presentations should be no more than 45 minutes in length and address current trends in the Information Transport Systems industry or security related trends. Presentations must be vendor neutral! The goal is for all BICSI specialties to receive CECs from this meeting and for content to appeal to a wide ITS audience.

If you are interested in presenting, or have a speaker to suggest, please contact me (see below for contact information) or Gretchen Swartzlander, BICSI Meetings & Conference Coordinator (gswartzlander@bicsi.org; 800-242-7405) by Monday, August 8, 2005. For consideration, you must give the title and length of the presentation by the deadline.

"What's New, What's It Do" Presenters
I am also soliciting presenters for the "What's New, What's It Do" session. This session is fun, informative, and a great way for our members to learn about the industry's latest products and services. We have used the format at several region meetings and the comments from members, guests, and presenters have been overwhelmingly positive. Here's how it works.

As a "What's New, What's It Do" presenter, you will have the opportunity to talk for five minutes about your latest and greatest products. You will also have a table to display products before and during the meeting. There is a $200.00 fee to participate.

The guidelines for the "What's New, What's It Do" presentations are as follows.

1. Your product(s) MUST be available and currently in inventory. You may talk about multiple products during your five-minute slot.

2. There is no moderator. You must introduce yourself.

3. If you plan to use a slide presentation, your laptop must be booted up and ready to go. The previous presenter will disengage from the video projector and you will connect your laptop. Your slide presentation must automatically begin.

4. Your presentation will last no more than five minutes. A one-minute warning will be given, and then a final buzzer will sound at the five-minute mark. You must exit the stage quickly to make room for the next presenter.

Nine slots are available and presenters are accepted on a first come basis. If past experience is any indication, slots will fill up quickly, so please e-mail me with your interest in "What's New, What's It Do" as soon as possible. A waiting list will be kept in case someone is unable to participate.

BICSI Region meetings are designed to provide members both educational and networking opportunities. Thank you in advance to those who will commit their time to ensure that this is a dynamic meeting.

Sincerely,
Charles "Chuck" Wilson RCDD/NTS/OSP Specialist
BICSI U.S. Southeast Region Director
Wilson Technology Group, Inc.
Phone: (352) 796-9891
Fax:(352) 796-41980
cwilson@bicsi.org

Fluke Networks New OptiView WAN Analyzers Help IT Managers Maximize The Value Of Expensive WAN Links

New traffic analysis and security functions make it easy to capture volume trends, match traffic to business services, set security levels, and pinpoint unauthorized traffic

Fluke Networks today expanded its multi-award-winning OptiViewTM suite of network monitoring and analysis products with the introduction of new capabilities for the OptiView T1/E1, DS3/E3, and OC3/OC12 WAN Analyzers. Within 20 minutes of deploying these new WAN analyzers, IT managers can now get detailed visibility into WAN traffic volume. This information is critical to managing and optimizing WAN expenses, which, according to analyst estimates, consume as much as 30% of an organization's IT budget.

Match WAN data to business services
Custom Application Groups now available in the OptiView WAN Analyzers allow the user to organize protocol ports into customized groups that relate to business services. A comprehensive list of default groups is provided such as Internet Services, VoIP, and Instant Messaging.

"With the new custom groups feature, you can get statistics that relate the traffic volume to business related services or applications such as Oracle. You can also create custom groups such as 'back up' or 'My Custom Database Service,'" said Ward Cobleigh, Fluke Networks Solution Marketing Manager.

Security features help with Sarbanes-Oxley compliance
The OptiView WAN Analyzers' new security capabilities include administrator-defined account authorization and control. User level accounts can be assigned specific permissions or access limits such as only viewing the headers of each packet. Security events such as packet capture or capture file download can be sent to a syslog server for accounting.

"The new OptiView WAN Analyzers allow customized authorization levels," said Cobleigh. "This lets the administrator define what each user of the analyzer can or can't see. Only users with the appropriate access level and privileges will have access to potentially sensitive information contained within captured packets. This security meets government Sarbanes-Oxley regulations."

Zero in on device activity
The WAN Analyzers' new Host Activity statistics allow the user to focus on specific hosts or servers to see both what applications they have used and with whom they have been exchanging packets across the network. Network administrators can verify that a particular high-bandwidth user is performing legitimate business related work and spot unusual security events such as the spread of a virus, denial of service attacks, or unauthorized data transfers. This capability helps remove unauthorized use on a WAN link and can reduce the need for costly WAN upgrades.

Multiple users on a single WAN analyzer
As a further means of maximizing productivity and increasing ROI, these WAN Analyzers incorporate a dedicated 10/100Mbps Ethernet management port that enables control of the unit from any point on the network. The simple, intuitive user interface for all OptiView LAN and WAN analyzers provides easy access to a variety of unique views and the right information for every member of the network team. Up to eight users can access the analyzers simultaneously to encourage collaborative troubleshooting.

WAN Front Page -- simple but with powerful drill-down to details
For any given WAN link, the analyzers display the most critical elements of the circuit in a simple "at a glance" screen. The user interface allows users to quickly and easily drill down into any area of interest -- near-end and far-end router endpoints, DS3 or E3 physical layer connectivity, LMI heartbeat, number of VCs -- with a single mouse click. This type of information is invaluable when determining if a performance issue needs to be resolved by a Service Provider or the private network owner. The built-in HTML reports eliminate the finger pointing that can ensue and minimize Mean Time to Resolution. Pricing and Availability

OptiView WAN Analyzers are available for immediate delivery from Fluke Networks sales channel partners worldwide. Pricing for the OptiView T1/E1 WAN Analyzer starts at $5995. The OptiView DS3/E3 WAN Analyzer starts at $12,995, and the OptiView OC3/OC12 WAN Analyzer starts at $17,995. All prices are suggested U.S. list. Current OptiView WAN Analyzer customers with Gold Support will be provided with upgrade information shortly.

About Fluke Networks
Fluke Networks provides innovative solutions for the testing, monitoring and analysis of enterprise and telecommunications networks and the installation and certification of the fiber and copper forming the foundation for those networks. The company's comprehensive line of Network SuperVision solutionstm provide network installers, owners, and maintainers with superior vision, combining speed, accuracy and ease of use to optimize network performance. Headquartered in Everett, Washington, the company distributes its products in more than 50 countries. More information can be found by visiting Fluke Networks' Web site at www.flukenetworks.com

Preformed Line Products Announces Improved Financial Results for the Second Quarter and First Six Months of 2005

Earnings per diluted share increased 56% from the second quarter of 2004 and 88% for the first six months

- Net sales increased 15% for the second quarter and 21% for the first six months

Preformed Line Products Company (Nasdaq: PLPC - News) reported financial results for the second quarter and the first six months of 2005.

Net income for the quarter ended June 30, 2005 was $3,696,000, or $.64 per diluted share, compared to $2,371,000, or $.41 per diluted share, for the comparable period in 2004. Net sales in the second quarter 2005 were $52,692,000, an increase of 15% from last year's $45,884,000.

Net income for the six months ended June 30, 2005 was $6,924,000, or $1.20 per diluted share, an 85% increase from the prior year's $3,735,000, or $.64 per diluted share. Net sales increased 21% to $103,464,000 for the first six months of 2005 compared to $85,414,000 in 2004.

Rob Ruhlman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said, "We continue to improve on our strengths of international diversity, innovative product designs and lean manufacturing combined with cost containment. Our second quarter improvement was primarily driven by our international operations. Our year-to-date domestic improvement continues to be driven by our innovative products for fiber to the premise. Meanwhile our controlled expenses are leveraged over higher volumes. Currency had a favorable impact on sales of $1.8 million for the quarter and $2.9 million for the year."

On Wednesday, June 8, 2005, the Board of Directors declared a regular quarterly dividend in the amount of $.20 per share on the Company's common shares, payable July 28, 2005 to shareholders of record July 1, 2005.

Founded in 1947, Preformed Line Products is an international designer and manufacturer of products and systems employed in the construction and maintenance of overhead and underground networks for energy, communications and broadband network companies.

Preformed's world headquarters are in Cleveland, Ohio, and the Company operates three domestic manufacturing centers located in Rogers, Arkansas, Albemarle, North Carolina, and Asheville, North Carolina. The Company serves its worldwide market through international operations in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, England, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain and Thailand.

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 regarding the Company, including those statements regarding the Company's and management's beliefs and expectations concerning the Company's future performance or anticipated financial results, among others. Except for historical information, the matters discussed in this release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties which may cause results to differ materially from those set forth in those statements. Among other things, factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in such forward-looking statements include the strength of the economy and demand for the Company's products, increases in raw material prices, the Company's ability to identify, complete and integrate acquisitions for profitable growth, and other factors described under the heading "Forward-Looking Statements" in the Company's Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 24, 2005. The Form 10-K and the Company's other filings with the SEC can be found on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov. The Company assumes no obligation to update or supplement forward-looking statements that become untrue because of subsequent events.

www.preformed.com

Communications News Newsletter Vol. 6, Issue 8
http://www.comnews.com
August 2005

Want to know what your peers were most interested in reading about in recent issues?

Here are their "favorite" products…
IN JUNE: An alternative to traditional innerduct, CableGuide SC is a textile-based innerduct solution maximizing space utilization, with the ability to conform to the inside of the conduit yet still keep multiple cables segregated.

IN MAY: The HP Power Distribution Unit, with power monitoring, supports rackmount applications with either single-phase power or three-phase power. The rackmount PDU provides full-rack power utility ranging from 7,300 watts up to 22,000 watts. Available models include single-mount units with 39 receptacles and dual-mount models with 78 receptacles.

And our readers' favorite recent articles …
IN JUNE: Monica Kennis remembers the induction of videoconferencing using H.323 as being far more problematic than purposeful. "We came in kicking and screaming," Kennis recalls. "It was a painful transition to go from H.320 and a T-1 with dedicated bandwidth to a process that was unreliable and trouble-prone, with no way to figure out what the problems were."

IN MAY: As voice over IP (VoIP) proliferates in large, high-profile businesses, hackers will find ways to exploit the weaknesses they already know to disrupt voice service. As network convergence moves forward, separating data, voice, video and other media will become more difficult.

In your August issue:
· COVER STORY: HOME IMPROVEMENT
· Storage
· Mobile Computing
· Cabling
· Testing & Monitoring
· Traffic Analysis

Stop phishers from attacking your organization and stealing confidential information! Each year, thousands of companies succumb to phishing attacks, losing valuable credit card information, bank account numbers, passwords, and company secrets to phishers who claim to be from authentic businesses. 8e6 Technologies help you protect your company from these attacks. Click here for a FREE White Paper.

COVER STORY: HOME IMPROVEMENT
Just in time for hurricane season, Rooms To Go implements offsite data mirroring backup solution.

STORAGE
How to identify storage solutions
Storage hardware can be expensive, so why not consider outsourcing your data backup needs?
Consider SAN cabling
Your storage-area network may require special cabling for best performance.

The TrueNet Structured Cabling System is a complete infrastructure solution from a single global manufacturer. TrueNet includes not only cable, connectivity, and cable management solutions for fiber, 10G Ethernet over UTP, and Category 6/5e, but also media conversion, power-over-Ethernet, and other solutions for the data center to the desktop. If your project is enhancing network performance, future-proofing infrastructures for emerging technologies, or deploying new applications such as VoIP and WiFi, TrueNet is the one true solution for you. Click here or call 1.866.210.3524 x230 to learn how TrueNet can help you build a high-performance, highly reliable network.

MOBILE COMPUTING
Clinical care goes mobile
Hospital moves closer to all-paperless goal with secure wireless technology.

Which way to MAN?
Pasadena City Hall opts for CWDM network for temporary distributed system.

Wireless products

CABLING
Networking relieves growing pains
Hospice's new building cabled to accommodate remote workers, new technologies.
Transition to the next generation
Connectivity is the single most overlooked component of the cabling infrastructure.
Push past the standards
Higher-performing products can provide flexibility in the design of the network.
New Cabling products

Integrating your 10/100 Ethernet network with Gigabit Ethernet? Transition Networks 10/100/1000 converters allow you to migrate your networks seamlessly. The copper to fiber media converters auto-negotiate your networks optimal speed on the copper connection while the fiber connects at 1000Mbps. Connect our converters back to back with our modular chassis cards and standalone units or connect directly to a Gigabit port on your switch. Extend distances up to 2km on multimode fiber or up to 120km on single-mode fiber. Transition Networks offers a lifetime warranty on all products. Please visit our web site for more information at www.transition.com.

TESTING & MONITORINGG Analysis tools improve performance
Adding bandwidth may not always be the best answer to managing application traffic.

Mobile Business Expo integrates the business strategies, technologies, tools and corporate issues necessary to build an end-to-end mobile strategy and manage a mobile workforce. A well-executed mobility strategy gives today's leading companies a competitive edge and extends your reach throughout the wireless world. Attend Mobile Business Expo to give your workforce the anywhere, anytime access to applications, data and communications that fast-moving markets demand. Register with code MLCJMB18 to save $100 on published prices.

TRAFFIC ANALYSIS Where IT, business meet
Understanding the actual end-user experience is vital to managing application delivery.
The distributed system option
Unifying a logical business-centric view of the network with a physical view is critical.

VoiceConFall® 2005 http://www.voiceconfall.com to be held August 29 - September 1, 2005, at the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel in San Diego, CA is the industry's premier event for technologies, products and services for enterprise voice, IP-telephony and convergence. VoiceCon attracts an audience consisting primarily of telecom, network and IS/IT managers from large, end-user organizations, as well as the equipment manufacturers, service providers, VARs, system integrators and consultants that serve the enterprise marketplace. Register for VoiceCon 2005 at http://www.bcr.com/voicecon/fall/register.php and use VIP Code: F6XQ1CMN to receive up to $300 off of the registration fee.
Product Spotlight: Power

General New Products

COMNEWS COLUMNS WHOSE INTERNET IS IT?
by Ken Anderberg, Editor
The Bush Administration seems intent on controlling important aspects of the Internet.

MAKE BLADES EASIER TO MANAGE Try applying some "glue" to facilitate less painful management of your blade servers.

DO YOU NEED TO RENEW YOUR SUBSCRIPTION OR BEGIN A NEW SUBSCRIPTION? Click here


visit the Communications News Editorial Archives for articles, product releases and Buyers Guides from past issues.

Mike Holt Invitation

I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to attend one of my two-day Grounding versus Bonding seminars.

As you know grounding and bonding of electrical systems, sensitive electronic, and communications equipment is the most important and least understood activity in the electrical, data processing and communications industry.

I hope you'll attend one of these high-energy programs that will cover the basics as well as the advance concepts necessary to ensure a safe installation.

Just for fun, take my online quiz to find out if you need to attend this program…Click here.

The cost of this seminar is $495, but for the next 20 business days, I would like to offer you a special price of $379. Simply write "Invitation $379" in the notes of your online order.

Click here to download a flyer about the seminar.

Click below to register online.
· Boston: October 11-12
· Philadelphia: October 17-18
· Seattle: November 9-10
· Chicago: November 16-17

Contact Donna at 1.866.NEC.CODE (632.2633) for additional details.

Hope to see you at one of my seminars.

God Bless,

Mike Holt
www.mikeholt.com

PHILIPS LIGHTING & ADVANCE TRANSFORMER TEAM UP TO PLEDGE $250,000 TO NAED EDUCATION & RESEARCH FOUNDATION

The National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED) announces a $250,000 commitment by Philips Lighting and Advance Transformer to the NAED Education & Research Foundation.

A joint statement issued by Erik Bouts, president & CEO, Philips Lighting, and Brian Dundon, president & CEO, Advance Transformer, stated, "Philips' pledge to support the NAED Education & Research Foundation is not a donation, but an obligation. We fully recognize and appreciate the value NAED and its members bring our companies and this industry. Philips has long believed that education and research are essential ingredients to the growth and sustainability of the electrical industry. We salute and are proud to support NAED in this strategic initiative."

Philips Lighting and Advance Transformer have been at the forefront of the lighting industry for decades. Divisions of Philips Electronics North America Corporation (PHG-NYSE), Philips and Advance are recognized industry-wide for leadership in innovative fluorescent, HID, and LED lighting.

"Philips Lighting and Advance Transformer have been supporters of NAED's Foundation for many years. We appreciate this generous donation and look forward to their continued support and guidance as we establish permanent funding for the Foundation," said Bob Reynolds, chairman of NAED's Foundation and chairman, president & CEO of Graybar Electric Company, Inc. in St. Louis, Mo.

The company's donation will become part of an endowment fund for the NAED Education & Research Foundation. The principal amount of the endowment will remain untouched, while the interest will be used to commission future projects and studies. As a $250,000 donor, Philips and Advance will be recognized at the Guarantor Level and have a permanent position on the Channel Advantage Partnership Council, which will help select future educational programs and research projects. www.naed.org

MRV Communications Reports Second Quarter of 2005 Financial Results

FTTP Business Resumes Growth in the Third Quarter; Second Quarter Revenues Increase 4% Sequentially

MRV COMMUNICATIONS, INC. a leading provider of network equipment and services and fiber optic components for metropolitan access and Fiber-to-the-Premise networks, reported its results for its second quarter ended June 30, 2005.

Revenues for the second quarter of 2005 were $64.6 million, which represents a sequential increase of 4% from the immediately preceding quarter and a year-over-year decrease of 4%. Revenues for the first half of 2005 were $126.7 million compared to revenues of $126.8 million for the same period last year. Net loss for the second quarter of 2005 was $4.1 million, or $0.04 per share, a reduction of 35% when compared to a net loss of $6.4 million, or $0.06 per share, for the first quarter of 2005. Net loss for the second quarter of 2004 was $3.1 million, or $0.03 per share. Net loss for the first half of 2005 was $10.6 million, or $0.10 per share, compared to a net loss of $7.8 million, or $0.07 per share, for the first half of 2004.

"As expected, our FTTP business resumed growth in the third quarter," commented Noam Lotan, President and Chief Executive Officer or MRV. "Our revenues for our optical components decreased in the second quarter as result of the transition to the next generation of our FTTP triplexer discussed last quarter. This transition was successfully completed and we have resumed shipping the next generation FTTP triplexer. We have greater visibility into carriers' FTTP deployments in North America and we expect this growth to continue for the remainder of the year and beyond. We are the dominant leader in components for FTTP networks in North America. We are committed to retaining our leadership through maintaining long term relationships with our key customers."

Mr. Lotan continued, "Our second quarter revenues were at the upper end of our expectations. The introduction of new products is an important catalyst for our future growth. During the quarter, we introduced our OptiSwitch(TM) 9000 product line and enhanced our Cross Connect product line with a 288-port chassis. Our OS9000 enables carriers to offer their business customers advanced Metro Ethernet services for triple-play voice, video and data networks. We also introduced the 288-port chassis in our Cross Connect product line. The 288-port Cross Connect provides any-to-any port, physical layer switching that enables carriers, IT managers and lab engineers to dynamically reconfigure their network infrastructure. Based on our confidence in our current product offerings and channels, we are aggressively increasing our worldwide sales organization."

Third Quarter Outlook

MRV estimates that revenues for the third quarter of 2005 will be in the range of $62 million to $66 million. Net loss per share is forecasted to be in the range of $0.04 to $0.05 per share.

MRV will host a conference call to discuss its second quarter of 2005 financial results on Wednesday, July 27, 2005 at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time (1:30 p.m. Pacific Time). The conference call dial-in number is (617) 801-9702, access code 48530284. A financial presentation designed to guide participants through the call will also be available. MRV will offer its live audio broadcast of the conference call, along with the financial presentation, on the MRV Investor website at http://ir.mrv.com. For replay information, please visit the MRV Investor website at http://ir.mrv.com. www.mrv.com and www.luminentoic.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this release that are "forward-looking statements" are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. For example, our statements regarding our expected revenues and net loss for the third quarter of 2005 that ends on September 30, 2005 are forward-looking statements. Actual results could differ materially because of the following factors, among others, which may cause revenues and income (loss) to fall short of anticipated levels: vigorous competition relating to our entry into new markets or from our existing markets, market acceptance of new products, continued acceptance of existing products and continued success in selling the products of other companies, product price discounts, the timing and amount of significant orders from customers, delays in product development and related product release schedules; obsolete inventory or product returns; warranty and other claims on products; technological shifts; the availability of competitive products at prices below MRV's prices; the continued ability to protect MRV's intellectual property rights; changes in product mix; maturing product life cycles; product sale terms and conditions; currency fluctuations; implementation of operating cost structures that align with revenue growth; the financial condition of MRV's customers and vendors; adverse results in litigation; the impact of legislative actions, higher insurance costs and potential new accounting pronouncements; the effects of terrorist activity and armed conflict such as disruptions in general economic activity and changes in MRV's operations and security arrangements; the effects of travel restrictions and quarantines associated with major health problems, such as the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, on general economic activity; and continued softness in corporate information technology spending or other changes in general economic conditions that affect demand for MRV's products.

For further information regarding risks and uncertainties associated with MRV's business, please refer to the "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Results of Operations and Financial Condition" and "Risk Factors" sections of MRV's SEC filings, including, but not limited to, its annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, copies of which may be obtained by contacting MRV's investor relations department or at MRV's investor relations website at http://ir.mrv.com.

All information in this release is as of July 27, 2005. MRV undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statement to conform the statement to actual results or changes in MRV's expectations.

/Web site: http://www.luminentoic.com Web site: http://ir.mrv.com

New Residential Qualification Tester Virtually Eliminates Callbacks and Workmanship Disputes

Fluke Networks today announced the availability of the new CableIQtm Residential Qualifier, the first cable qualification tester designed specifically to meet the unique needs of residential installers and systems integrators. CableIQ Residential Qualifier provides installers an economical way to document that systems are defect-free and compliant with the residential TIA-570B standard for quality. Its qualification test will confirm that any cabling installation will support voice, VoIP 10/100/1000 Ethernet, and CATV. Qualification testing with CableIQ allows installers to reduce callbacks, eliminate workmanship disputes, and foster a high-quality, reliable reputation.

"When we test and document the cable, we know that any return for service will be a billable callback," said Richard Johnson, installation manager, The Greater Alarm Co. "With each non-billable callback that we can avoid, we save an average of $200, savings that go straight to our bottom line."

In addition to reducing callbacks, CableIQ delivers value to the bottom line by replacing the need for multiple tools. It allows installers of all levels to test, document, and ID-tag all the most common residential cabling media, including data, phone, VoIP, CATV, security, and audio cabling. Innovative features like data cable bandwidth testing, CATV coax qualification and signal strength testing, voice cable wiremapping and ID-tagging through bridge-taps, security wire continuity toning, and speaker installation testing all work to increase installer productivity, and eliminate callbacks for troubleshooting.

"CableIQ Residential Qualifier is the first tester to address the emerging needs of residential installers to document cabling installations. At about $1100, it provides residential installers an economical solution to prove that cabling installations are defect free, and prevent callbacks to the job. Installers can quickly recover their investment in just about five avoided callbacks," says Adam Welch, verification tools marketing manager, Fluke Networks.

CableIQ also offers powerful troubleshooting features that help installers quickly pinpoint and resolve problems. Intelligent wiremap graphically maps the cable's wiring configuration and shows the distance to opens and shorts to isolate faults. In addition, CableIQ's features "multi-map," which offers a breakthrough way to isolate faults on an entire bridged voice cabling system, all from the main unit. CableIQ's IntelliTonetm digital signaling technology works to precisely locate cables on both passive and active networks in even the most chaotic work environment. The tester generates both digital and analog tones for use with Fluke Networks' IntelliTone Probe.

Qualification is a new category of testers designed specifically for residential installers. Qualification testers, like CableIQ Residential Qualifier, qualify cabling systems to support network speeds and applications desired by home owners, as specified in the residential TIA-570B standard. This differs from certification testers, like Fluke Networks' DTX CableAnalyzer, which guarantees cabling installations comply with TIA-568B commercial-level performance standards (e.g. Cat 5e/6/other), and analyzes performance parameters like NEXT, RL, ELFEXT, etc.

For an online demonstration of the CableIQ Residential Qualifier, click here.

Product availability

The CableIQ Residential Qualifier is available for immediate delivery from Fluke Networks' sales partners worldwide. www.flukenetworks.com

General Cable 2Q Profit More Than Doubles on Sales to Energy, Communications Markets

General Cable Corp., a maker of copper, aluminum and fiber optic wire and cable products, reported its second-quarter profit more than doubled, driven by strong demand for cable from the energy and communications markets and higher selling prices.

General Cable, which also sells its cable to industrial markets, reported earnings of $10.3 million, or 23 cents per share, compared with $3.7 million, or 9 cents per share, in the prior-year period.

Sales rose to $608.6 million, up 9 percent after adjusting year-ago sales for an increase in the price of copper and aluminum, and up 18 percent on a reported basis.

Wall Street's consensus for the quarter was 25 cents per share, the average estimate of four analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial, on estimated revenue of $591.6 million.

Energy cable sales rose 9 percent, driven by strong demand in North America for transmission cables. Sales of industrial and specialty cable rose 5 percent, driven by global demand and favorable foreign exchange rates. Sales of communications cables increased 15 percent.

Looking ahead, General Cable forecast third-quarter earnings between 20 cents to 24 cents per share, with sales growth of roughly 3 to 5 percent over year-ago sales, adjusted for metals prices.

Analysts' current average estimate is 25 cents for the current quarter.

Copper prices have jumped from the second quarter average of $1.53 per pound, to a historic high of about $1.70 per pound, the company said. In response, General Cable said it has announced price increases to its non-contractual customers, and said it may implement more increases to offset inflation. www.generalcable.com

Belden CDT Continues Growth in Revenue and Earnings in Second Quarter

Belden CDT Inc. (NYSE: BDC - News) announced results of its second quarter ended June 30, 2005. Revenue for the quarter was $337.7 million, operating profit was $18.7 million, or 5.5 percent of sales, and income from continuing operations was $10.5 million, or $0.21 per diluted share. This result included $6.5 million in pretax expenses related to merger integration activities and the planned retirement (previously announced) of the Company's Chief Executive Officer. These charges amounted to $0.08 per diluted share.

On July 15, 2004, the Company, formerly called Cable Design Technologies Corporation (CDT), merged with Belden Inc. (Belden) and changed its name to Belden CDT Inc. For accounting purposes, the Company treated the merger as an acquisition by Belden. Results of the legacy CDT operations are included in 2004 results from July 16 onwards. Prior-year results in this release (other than pro forma results) reflect the results of Belden only.

Highlights of the second quarter of 2005 include the following:

* Revenue of $337.7 million increased 9.2 percent sequentially and 8.3 percent year over year from pro forma combined revenue of $311.9 million in the second quarter of 2004.
* Operating earnings were 5.5 percent of revenue as reported. Excluding special charges, operating earnings were 7.5 percent of sales.
* The Company completed the previously announced closing of three manufacturing facilities, a milestone in its progress toward the goal of $35 million of annual net cost savings from merger synergies.
* Real estate sales generated $23.1 million in cash and an after-tax gain of $8.8 million in discontinued operations.
* The Company repurchased 713,300 shares of its common stock at an average price of $20.54 per share. The Board of Directors authorized on May 21, 2005, a share repurchase program of up to $125 million.

Year to Date Results
For the six months ended June 30, 2005, revenue was $646.8 million. Operating earnings for the period were $34.9 million, and income from continuing operations was $19.1 million, or $0.38 per diluted share. These results included $8.6 million in pretax expenses related to merger integration and executive succession, which together amounted to $0.10 per diluted share.
Management Comment
"We are executing our post-merger cost reduction plans very effectively and we are achieving our targets," said C. Baker Cunningham, President and Chief Executive Officer. "The closure of three plants in connection with the merger is now complete, and in fact, two of the three plants have now been sold, as has our former communications cable plant in Phoenix, AZ. We have made significant progress in consolidating and rationalizing our manufacturing capacity, and we are generally experiencing efficient utilization of capacity, especially in North America. Europe has now been moderately and increasingly profitable four quarters in a row, largely as a result of our integration efforts."

Electronics Segment
External customer revenue of the Electronics segment for the quarter ended June 30, 2005 was $197.6 million, and total sales including sales to affiliates were $221.5 million. Operating profit of the segment was $27.0 million, or 12.2 percent of total revenues. Included in this result were merger-related costs of $0.8 million. Without these charges, operating income of the segment for the quarter was 12.6 percent of sales. Total revenue and operating income of this segment in the second quarter of 2004 were $147.5 million and $14.2 million, respectively.

Segment revenue increased year over year because of the merger, price increases implemented in North America and Europe last year and again this year, and changes in currency exchange rates. Volume for the segment, absent the merger, was only slightly higher year over year, as increasing sales of products with video, sound and security applications and industrial applications in North America were mostly offset by lower volumes in Europe due to discontinuation of certain lower-margin products and to a difficult comparison as the prior-year period included shipments for the Athens Olympic Games.

"The strongest revenue growth in the Electronics segment occurred in video, sound and security cable products," said Mr. Cunningham, "followed by industrial cable. We continue to enjoy strong demand for security products related to increased focus by businesses and individuals on video surveillance and access control. Our industrial products showed good strength primarily in Canada."

Year to date, external customer revenue of the Electronics segment was $382.5 million, and total revenue including sales to affiliates was $432.6 million. Operating profit of the segment year-to-date was $47.6 million including $2.3 million of merger-related costs. In the six months ended June 30, 2004, revenue of the segment was $285.4 in total and operating earnings were $26.6 million.

Networking Segment
Revenue from external customers of the Networking segment for the quarter ended June 30, 2005 was $140.1 million, and total revenue, including sales to affiliates, was $144.2 million. Operating profit for the segment was $8.7 million, or 6.0 percent of total revenue. Excluding merger-related costs of $0.4 million, operating profit of the Networking segment was $9.1 million or 6.3 percent of sales for the quarter. Total revenues and operating profit in the second quarter of 2004 were respectively $61.1 million and $4.0 million for this segment. The year-over-year increase in segment revenue was due to the impact of the merger, to improved pricing, and to currency translation effects.

"We are continuing to gain acceptance for our Belden IBDN brand and to get new project business, including additional sales of our top-of-the-line Belden IBDN System 10-GX," said Mr. Cunningham. "We are experiencing strong volume in our Mohawk brand, which is our open-architecture data cable brand, and Nordx, the leading brand in Canada. In Europe, volume was a little better than we expected in data networking cable, and the launch of the Belden IBDN brand is progressing. We had stronger than expected recovery in European telecom cable sales compared with the depressed level of the first quarter," he said.

Year to date, external customer revenue of the Networking segment was $264.3 million and total revenue, including affiliate sales, was $270.1 million. Operating profit of the segment year-to-date was $15.6 million including $0.7 million of merger-related costs. For the first six months of 2004, total revenue of the Networking segment was $118.7 million and operating profit was $8.2 million.

Outlook
"We are maintaining our revenue outlook for the year 2005, which is a 5 to 10 percent increase over 2004 pro forma combined volume. This guidance anticipates modest revenue increases sequentially in the third quarter and again in the fourth quarter of 2005," Mr. Cunningham said.

"We still have some work ahead of us this year to complete the achievement of the expected $35 million in merger synergies. For example, we have manufacturing systems changes in progress, and there is some further implementation work required to get the full benefit of the manufacturing moves we have made," he continued. "Nevertheless, we have completed in the second quarter the three plant closings that contribute a significant proportion of the merger synergy savings. Mainly for this reason, we expect to achieve sequential improvement in operating margins in each of the next two quarters. We expect that our operating margins for each of the next two quarters will be 9 to 9.5 percent of sales. In most of our business units we are implementing early third-quarter price increases that will help us offset rising material costs and keep our operating margins on this improving track during the second half of the year," Mr. Cunningham concluded.

Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this release other than historical facts are "forward- looking statements" made in reliance upon the safe harbor of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on forecasts and projections about the industries served by the Company and about general economic conditions. They reflect management's beliefs and expectations. They are not guarantees of future performance and they involve risk and uncertainty. The Company's actual results may differ significantly from these expectations. Some of the factors that may cause actual results to differ from the Company's expectations include, general economic conditions, the cost of raw materials including copper and plastics and the degree to which the Company will be able to compensate for rising costs through the pricing of its products, demand for the Company's products, the Company's ability to completely achieve the expected merger synergies, the actions of customers, distributors and competitors, and other factors. The Company announced on May 17, 2005, that its President and Chief Executive Officer plans to retire when a successor has been identified by the Board of Directors. The timing of the executive transition is unknown. For a more complete discussion of risk factors, please see Belden CDT's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004, filed with the SEC on March 31, 2005. Belden CDT Inc. assumes no responsibility to update any forward- looking statements as a result of new information or future developments. www.belden.com

Anixter International Inc. Reports Second Quarter Net Income Increase of 45 Percent on 15 Percent Sales Increase

Anixter International Inc. (NYSE: AXE - News), the world's leading distributor of communication products, electrical and electronic wire & cable and a leading distributor of fasteners and other small parts ("C" Class inventory components) to Original Equipment Manufacturers ("OEMs"), today reported results for the quarter ended July 1, 2005.

Second Quarter Highlights
-- Sales of $936.1 million in the quarter, including a $18.7 million increase in sales resulting from the June 22, 2004 acquisition of the assets and operations of Distribution Dynamics Inc. ("DDI"), rose 15 percent compared to sales of $813.1 million in the year ago quarter.
-- Operating profits increased 37 percent to $46.2 million as compared to $33.7 million in the year ago quarter.
-- Net income increased 45 percent to $24.4 million versus $16.8 million in the year ago quarter.
-- Diluted earnings per share rose 39 percent to 61 cents versus 44 cents in the year ago quarter

Robert Grubbs, President and CEO, said, "In the most recent quarter, we again saw good, broad-based organic growth. An increase in larger project volume and strong growth in the OEM Supply market were significant contributors. The solid organic growth we experienced in the current quarter generated a significant increase in earnings over the prior year, which again put us in the position of reporting improved operating margins. The trends underlying our organic growth appear to remain intact. Assuming these trends continue, then with the acquisition of Infast we should be well positioned for continued growth."

Second Quarter Results
For the three-month period ended July 1, 2005, sales of $936.1 million produced net income of $24.4 million, or 61 cents per diluted share. Included in the current year's second quarter results were sales of $18.7 million from DDI, which was acquired on June 22, 2004. Second quarter net income and diluted earnings per share contain an after-tax charge of $0.7 million, or 2 cents per diluted share, for the write-off of unamortized debt issuance costs on the 7 % Liquid Yield Option Notes that were retired on June 28, 2005, prior to their maturity. Also, the current quarter tax expense was favorably impacted by $1.4 million, or 3 cents per diluted share, as a result of a favorable tax ruling in Europe.
In the prior year period, sales of $813.1 million generated net income of $16.8 million, or 44 cents per diluted share, including an after-tax charge of $0.4 million, or 1 cent per diluted share, for the early retirement of debt.

Operating income in the second quarter increased 37