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BISBEE’s BUZZ
In 2006, we said goodbye to a
well-respected and wonderful friend. Joe
Flynt (www.mohawk-cable.com
or www.belden.com )
will be fondly remembered.
BICSI got a new Captain to
steer the ship. We wish David Cranmer
success as he puts BICSI on the right course.
We also welcome back Dick Dunfee to the BICSI team. www.bicsi.org
Congratulations to Bruce
Nardone, who recently joined the Leviton team. Their new program sounds
exciting. Visit their booth at BICSI and
get the full story. (www.leviton.com)
The Connectivity Firm has
added Preformed Line Products to their already impressive line card of valuable
products. (www.preformed.com, www.theconnectivityfirm.com) Also, look for some new products at the SMP
Data booth at BICSI. (www.smpdata.com) with a
renewed focus on improved cabling products, pick up the new catalog from Hitachi. (http://www.hcm.hitachi.com/)
What’s ahead in 2007?
In order to appreciate what
is coming in the world of cabling infrastructure, we must look back at the year
behind us. We recently interviewed
Michael Shannahan, VP Communication Planning Corporation (www.communicationplanning.com)
and Brian Chancey President, Area Communications (www.areacom.com) about their significant
developments during 2006. Both of these
regional communications installation firms agreed on two areas.
First, they both felt the
squeeze on costs. Gas and copper were at
the top of the list. These problem areas
are not likely to go away. So how do we
find revenue opportunities to offset the profit squeeze?
Mike Shannahan told us that
Communication Planning Corporation had opened new revenue streams as a result
of several powerful articles in the Electrical Contractor Magazine. “The security arena is filled with new
opportunities for the cabling contractor.
Video surveillance is HOT.”
Shannahan added, “Our fiber optic training from Light Brigade (www.lightbrigade.com) gave us the
capability of tackling these new revenue generators.” Brian Chancey also said they had captured new
ideas from trade publications like Electrical Contractor Magazine (www.ecmag.com), Cabling Business Magazine (www.cablingbusiness.com), and
Cabling Installation and Maintenance Magazine (www.cable-install.com). We also placed a premium on training. “That’s why we support BICSI.”
Many leading trade
associations have powerful training programs.
Check out:
·
BICSI www.bicsi.org
·
NECA www.necanet.org
·
AFCOM www.afcom.org
·
ACUTA www.acuta.org
·
CABA www.caba.org
·
BOMA www.boma.org
·
NAIOP www.naiop.org
·
FOA www.foa.org
·
NAHB www.nahb.org
·
ABC www.abc.org
And many other specialized
associations. For my money, light brigade is the premier training
source for fiber optics in the communications world. There are many new challenges and revenue
opportunities ahead, and fiber optics looks like the “top dog”
If you are going to BICSI, be
prepared to work. Digging out the latest
and greatest is the challenge.
“limited combustible cable is
still being pushed! Why? This product isn’t just stupid, it’s
wrong.” Commented Art Padgett (CATZ –
Communications A to Z) Padgett suggested that the readers might wish to do a
Google search for “Toxic Teflon” and follow the link to:
Teflon
Teflon offgases toxic particulates at 446°F. At 680°F
Teflon pans release at least six toxic gases, including two
carcinogens, two global pollutants, ...
www.tuberose.com/Teflon.html - 45k - Cached
- Similar
pages - Note
this
After
a review of the toxic gas output from this key component to LCC cable, we
agree.
Cat
6 cables continue to gather market acceptance and 10Gig configurations are
gaining acceptance. These high
performance-cabling systems demand the best testing systems to ensure
performance and integrity. Fluke
Networks leads the pack by a large margin with their advanced DTX 1800
tester. Be sure to visit their booth at
BICSI. You will find many more powerful
cool tools for your business. www.flukenetworks.com
Also
at BICSI, check out the booths of:
·
Beast cabling
systems www.beastcablingsystems.com
·
Unique Fire Stop
Products www.uniquefirestop.com
·
Rhino (DYMO) http://global.dymo.com
·
ERICO www.erico.com
·
Minuteman www.minutemanups.com
·
Rexel www.rexel.com
·
Graybar www.graybar.com
·
Anixter www.anixter.com
·
CSC www.csc.com
We look forward to sharing “ALL THE NEWS
YOU CAN USE” in 2007 with you.
But that’s just my opinion,
Frank Bisbee
"Heard On The Street" Monthly Column
www.wireville.com
4949 Sunbeam Rd, Suite 16
Jacksonville, FL 32257
(904) 645-9077 office
(904) 645-9058 fax
(904) 237-0365 cell
frank@wireville.com
10 Gig Screened Cable Demand Is High
Cabling
manufacturer Hitachi HCM says that it has noticed a "strong" upward
trend in the adoption of 10 Gig screened (F/UTP) copper cabling systems,
particularly in markets where UTP has traditionally been the most popular
option.
Hitachi Cable
Manchester sees it as a market-driven response to the limitations of UTP
cabling in 10Gb/s applications.
The inclusion of
strict alien crosstalk parameters in the 10Gb/s standards posed major issues
for UTP systems. Although most major cabling manufacturers were able to meet
the 10GBASE-T performance requirements and limit alien crosstalk in a UTP
configuration, the resulting designs relied on increased cable diameters and
restrictive installation practices.
These UTP
limitations significantly raised the profile of Screened 10Gb/s products, which
by virtue of their design, defeat alien crosstalk without major design or
installation changes. www.hcm.hitachi.com
"20-Year-Old Concept of Measuring a Building’s IQ
Comes Full Circle,"
Seminar to be given at the
BICSI Winter Conference Orlando, FL
January 2007 by James Carlini.
What "intelligent amenities" should a building have? What building is
right for a tenant comparing connectivity, reliability, automation and other
elements? Marketing a building or campus becomes totally different once you
ask, "How smart a building do you need?" instead of "How much
space do you want to lease?"
Learn
from James Carlini, who pioneered the whole concept in 1985 and how his test
was used to compare downtown buildings and perform infrastructure assessments
in places like Century
City. With his insights,
he became the Mayor’s Consultant in planning the Chicago 911 Center, which is
rated #1 in the country by the Homeland Security Agency. What impact does
measuring building intelligence have today?
There
are more real estate organizations becoming aware of this concept as
competition heats up to attract the right tenant base. Economic development is becoming critical
with many municipalities as well. They
need to attract and maintain new businesses.
The
old real estate adage of “Location, Location, Location” has to be updated to
“Location, Location ,Connectivity” as more municipalities find out that
Economic Development equals Broadband Connectivity. And, Broadband Connectivity equals good jobs.
http://www.bicsi.org/Events/Conferences/Winter/2007/Schedule.aspx
General Cable Announces Brian J. Robinson As Chief Financial Officer
General Cable Corporation
(NYSE:BGC - News) announced that Brian J.
Robinson has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
and Treasurer of the Company effective January 1, 2007. Robinson will report to
Gregory B. Kenny, President and Chief Executive Officer of General Cable. He
replaces Christopher F. Virgulak, who previously announced his decision to
leave the Company at the end of 2006. Virgulak will continue in an advisory
role for up to six weeks to ensure an orderly transition of the Company's
financial leadership.
"As a leader with an
extraordinary reputation for integrity, teamwork and high professional
standards, Brian is well deserving of this recognition," said Gregory B.
Kenny, President and Chief Executive Officer of General Cable. "Brian has
led our Corporate Financial Accounting and Reporting Team and has been
instrumental in driving improved controls and best practices in our global
finance organization. He has also played an instrumental role in our Company's
major financing transactions, which have significantly strengthened the
Company's balance sheet, lowered our borrowing costs and improved our operating
flexibility."
Robinson became the
Controller for General Cable in 2000 and assumed the additional responsibility
of Senior Vice President and Treasurer in March 2006. He began his career at
Deloitte & Touche LLP in 1991, and in 1997 moved from Cincinnati,
Ohio to London,
England, where
he served as Audit Manager focused on accounting services for global companies.
In 1999, Robinson joined General Cable as Assistant Controller.
Robinson holds a Bachelor of
Science degree in Accounting from the University of Dayton
and received his CPA certification in 1993.
Kenny continued, "For
over 20 years, Chris Virgulak has been a key contributor to the overall
strength of the Company and a great business partner to me. He leaves General
Cable having built a highly capable global finance organization and, for that,
I thank him on behalf of all our associates and our shareholders, and I wish
him all the best in the future."
"I have had many
opportunities to contribute and grow professionally at General Cable and I
leave knowing that the Company has a deeper finance organization, a stronger
balance sheet, and is well positioned for the future," said Christopher F.
Virgulak. "I am certain Brian is the right person to lead General Cable's
financial team, and partner with Greg and other members of the Company's
Leadership Team to continue on their quest to profitably grow the Company on a
global basis."
With $3.5 billion of
annualized revenues and 7,700 employees, General Cable is a global leader in
the development, design, manufacture, marketing and distribution of copper,
aluminum and fiber optic wire and cable products for the energy, industrial,
and communications markets. Visit our website at www.generalcable.com.
Hitachi America Appoints Industry Veterans To The Embedded Business Group Marketing Team
Hitachi America,
Ltd., a subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE:HIT - News) announced that Steven King
has been named vice president of marketing and sales and deputy general
manager, and Collin Bruce as director of marketing for the Hitachi America,
Ltd., Embedded Business Group.
Mr. King will be responsible for all
marketing and sales efforts for the Embedded Business Group in North America, including sales, business development,
analyst and public relations, and promotion of Entier products. The Embedded
Business Group announced Entier, its application-optimized RDBMS for embedded
devices, in September 2006. Mr. King was formerly the executive account manager
with this division. Prior to joining Hitachi,
King spent three years developing sales infrastructure and methodology with
early-stage and established companies such as Green Hills and Huthwaite. Prior
to that assignment, King spent eight years with Wind River Systems. He holds
degrees in computer science and business from the University of Oregon.
"Steven brings to this position a
true passion for embedded devices as well as a wealth of experience in both the
design and engineering of these systems," said Hiroshi Nakamura, vice
president and general manager of the Hitachi America Embedded Business Group.
"His knowledge of the market and ability to envision new devices will help
not only Hitachi
but our partners and customers as well."
Mr. Bruce, in his new role as director of
marketing, will be responsible for all marketing programs for Entier. He joins Hitachi from Solid
Information Technology where he was director of strategic alliances and
business development. With more than 25 years of experience in the industry, he
has also held executive marketing positions at companies such as Chordiant,
Amdahl, SCO, and Memorex. He holds a degree in math and applied physics from Brunel University
in London.
"Collin brings a great deal of
experience to the table," said Mr. King. "With his broad industry
experience and most recent embedded experience, we expect to rapidly ramp up
our partnerships and design wins." www.hitachi.com.
Steady Growth Expected For North American Home
Automation Markets
Increasing
awareness and robust new construction activity have helped propel the growth of
the home automation market.
A recent study from Frost & Sullivan found that it earned revenues of
US$1.2 billion in 2005 and the research firm estimates this number will reach
US$2.4 billion by 2012.
"The ever increasing awareness among homeowners about the benefits offered
by the home automation market has driven the growth of this market," says
Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst David Lee.
"This increase in awareness is mainly due to the entertainment aspect. The
manufacturers, to some extent, have been able to educate the homeowners and
make an offering as a package along with the entertainment."
The lack of proper training for installers affects the sales of home automation
systems. Proper installation is essential for a system to function effectively.
Hence, training for installers about the products becomes imperative.
"A properly installed system can further improve the potential of the home
automation market," explains Lee.
"Word of mouth publicity about the benefits of the system can certainly
help in driving the sales. This can effectively occur only when the system
performs efficiently which is dependent on its installation.
"Therefore, this challenge needs to be addressed immediately in order to
further increase the market potential of home automation systems."
Industry associations and conglomerations must arrange for necessary resources
to train the system integrators, contractors and installers, he added.
Although manufacturers do train individual dealers, training under one roof
would definitely benefit the home automation system sales, Lee said.
Earthquake Exposes Worldwide Telecommunications Vulnerabilities
Wednesday's earthquake and aftershocks jolted Asia for hours but the telecommunication disruptions may
reverberate for weeks. When transpacific fiber optic cables were damaged,
Internet and phone call volume plummeted by half and Web browsing slowed to a
crawl.
According to the Pacific Telecommunications Council (PTC), the disaster
highlights the vulnerability of international telecommunications in a global
economy that has grown dependent on real-time communications.
It also raises the stakes for US$500 million in planned investments in new
transpacific undersea cables.
"Natural disasters can expose weaknesses in global communications,"
said Ken Zita, who served as a telecommunications advisor to the U.S.
Government following the Asian tsunami. Zita, conference chairman of PTC'07: Beyond
Telecom, will host telecommunications executives from over 60 countries at
PTC'07 next month where emergency communications and disaster management will
be highlighted.
"Despite the latest network management technologies, traffic concentration
remain susceptible to strong natural hazards."
David Lassner, President and Chairman of the Board of Governors for PTC and CIO
at the University
of Hawaii, added that
global telecommunications cannot be underestimated.
"Everything from billions of dollars in international trade to personal
communication with family is silently carried by our industry … When we go
dead, the world goes dead."
Speed is Good: Consumers Shouldn’t Accept Second-Rate Network Solutions
Carlini’s Comments, MidwestBusiness.com’s oldest
column, runs every Wednesday. Its mission is to offer the common man’s
view on business and technology issues while questioning the leadership and
visions of “pseudo” experts.
CHICAGO – Wake up and smell the fiber. Craving
speed and creating the best is very American and we are not behaving like
Americans, writes James Carlini.
The American
people should be outraged at getting a second-rate solution for something as
critical as its network infrastructure. It goes against what average consumers
demand in almost every other product and service arena.
Speed is the
common measurement that cuts across many products and services as the general
metric for assessing whether or not a product is good, bad or world-class.
Speed is Good
Altering Gordon
Gekko’s “greed is good” line from the movie “Wall Street,” “speed is good”.
People want speed in everyday processes and should be demanding efficiency
rather than bureaucracy in the regulation of the network.
Who wants a
slower car? Who wants to spend more time on a commuter train going to and from
work? Who wants to wait in a grocery checkout lane or in this season’s
favorite: the post office? Who wants to wait 10 to 15 seconds for downloading a
file if they can get it instantaneously?
What about things
you can’t have today?
What about
downloading a first-run movie in 10 seconds to watch on its opening day? Is
that too slow? Make that less than a second. What do most people do when going
to a far-away vacation destination? Take a train, a plane with two intermediate
stops or a non-stop plane?
People take the
fastest route. They want to get to their destination as fast as possible. Most
people wouldn’t want to spend time waiting or traveling at a slower rate. The
same should hold true for their network infrastructure.
Go on any trading
floor and tell the traders their line will be 250 milliseconds slower than the
person next to them for the session and see if you walk away alive. Go to those
same traders and say you’re installing a faster network connection for them and
they will be 250 milliseconds faster than anyone else on the floor.
Technology should
take the “wait” out of everything. That’s what people want in everyday life.
While there are many reasons we could list, all you have to do is look around
you and see what people are doing.
Going Against
Universal Truths
A long time ago,
I came up with four universal network truths for viable organizations. This was
long before DSL, the “triple play” and Wi-Fi. Some things are always true and
are accepted as the basic framework for any type of viable network:
- 1.
Networks never get slower. When was the last time you heard someone say they are
downgrading connectivity?
- 2.
Networks never get smaller. You are always adding to networks by adding users
through acquisitions, new applications, etc.
- 3.
Networks never stay the same. Organizations are always adding on or changing
network configurations due to acquisitions, mergers, downsizing and other
organizational fluctuations.
- 4.
Networks never work all the time. All networks can fail. You may have 99.999 percent
uptime – even 99.9995 percent or maybe even 99.9999 percent – but no one
has 100 percent. No one.
While these
universal laws of networks are still relevant, we still have many people who
are clueless about them. Once you understand them, you realize you’re going to
have to spend some money to have the best network infrastructure and you’re not
going to tolerate anything that’s inferior.
Second best is
not acceptable. It shouldn’t be sold in the U.S. as “the next generation of
network solutions”. Americans want the best. Trying to sell us something else
doesn’t work. Eventually, those companies are found out and paid back by
consumers voting with their pocket books.
Need an example?
Just check the stock prices of Ford, GM and Toyota. What do you drive?
If there was real
competition within the network infrastructure area, we would be using the Toyota fiber network or
some other quality network with data, video and voice screaming down on gigabit
speeds.
Why Are We
Accepting Second Best?
Today, we should
be looking at rolling out fiber to the premise (FTTP) or a wireless
equivalent that can provide gigabit capability. Anything in the planning stages
at this point should be looking at gigabit if not multi-gigabit speeds.
California has had a broadband initiative of “1
gigabit or bust by 2010”. There, everyone is supposed to have 1 gigabit access
by 2010. This is a very good objective. Hopefully, that state will attain that
goal in the time frame they have designated.
Just like “best
practices” are a moving target, goals for bandwidth speeds are also a moving
target that have to be carefully understood. What target speed should be the
national goal? Is California’s
1 gigabit the speed goal? This decision is critical because it would put some
pressure on the traditional phone company (AT&T) to get its act together.
Current solutions
by AT&T – Project Lightspeed or U-verse – fall dismally short of putting America back on
top. The top speed offered is 6 Mbps and the future speeds are touted at 25
Mbps to 30 Mbps. There are intelligent industrial campuses that are looking at
implementing 40 Gbps speeds today. Project Lightspeed looks more like “Project
Speedlite”.
With other
countries looking at gigabit speeds and universal coverage, our traditional
phone companies have tried to put the bureaucratic brakes on innovation and
global competition to milk another couple years of profits on copper-based
infrastructure that should all be replaced today.
What was cutting
edge in American network infrastructure is now cutting corners to squeeze
another couple years of profits instead of making the investment to leapfrog
everyone. You haven’t sold me.
Carlinism: Don’t sell me a painted-up stagecoach and
tell me it’s NASCAR.
James Carlini will present how he
pioneered measuring building intelligence at the annual BICSI
winter conference in Orlando on Jan. 22, 2007. Also, check out his blog at CarlinisComments.com.
James Carlini
is an adjunct professor at Northwestern University. He is also
president of Carlini & Associates. Carlini can be
reached at james.carlini@sbcglobal.net or
773-370-1888.
Click here for
Carlini’s full biography.
Dataline and Telco Surge Protection: the Why’s And
How’s In Commercial Environments
Are you
in a commercial or campus environment? By that we mean a multi-building or even single
building facility. A typical campus installation could be like the following
example - two facilities consisting of buildings approximately 50 feet from
each other and connected by two 100-pair along with many UTP cables. As is common, these cables carry both voice
and data. The telco switch along with the computer network closet is located in
one building while dozens of telephones and PC’s are installed in the other. You may also be facing the demands of
installing and servicing some of the latest technologies in the networking
world such as CAT 6 and wireless Power over Ethernet (PoE) environments.
What can
happen in this type of environment? Time
and time again, the same story is heard "During a thunderstorm the remote
building might lose communications with the main building. We would trace the problem to some hardware
failures and the vendor would repair the damage by replacing expensive
hardware. We have suffered downtime and
costs over and over again.” Does this
sound familiar? Stories like this come from everywhere such as the network manager
in Atlanta whose file server blows up every time lightning strikes nearby; or,
the IT manager in Kansas that reported multiple computer port failures during
storms; or, the computer and telecommunications manager at a state university
in Oklahoma who lost mother boards and communication ports during a major
lightning strike. These reports are similar to those of the school district in South Carolina that had
its phone and public address system incapacitated during a lightning storm. One last story comes from a chain of
MacDonald’s in Florida
who had their POS registers taken out repeatedly and actually had to give away
food to hungry customers.
If this
sounds to you like these people are not having much fun during storms, you’re
right. The commercial environment, particularly a multi-building site, is the
single most vulnerable type of facility during a lightning storm. But lightning is not the only evil force lurking out there. There are also utility power faults where power is shorted to ground. Also, there are the more mundane culprits
such as normal utility switching operations, or even the effects of large
electrical loads inside the buildings themselves.
Lightning
is an easy culprit to understand. Lightning can happen anywhere in the US. The Southeast and the Midwest are more known
for their frequent storms but the fact is that no portion of the United States
is immune from lightning’s deadly effects. Lightning is known to rise in
current from zero to 20,000 to 200,000 amperes in 50 to 200 nanoseconds. This
is a tremendous amount of energy in a very short period of time. The expanding
magnetic field from a cloud-to-cloud discharge can easily induce voltages in
data lines in excess of the capacity of line driver chips and other logic
circuits.
Campus
Setting
Let’s talk for a moment about a multi-building campus
environment. The campus setting makes
the effects of lightning worse. There are three different ways a remote
building might get electrical power, and remember all of the computer and phone
equipment, as well as the data cable or telephone line, in these facilities is
tied to utility power. First, it is
possible for one building to receive power from the other. Another possibility
is that both buildings receive power from the electrical utility and both have
their own service entrance. The third possibility, like the second, is that
both have their own service entrances but utility power comes from two
different utility sources. In other words, one building is fed from one
utility substation and the other from a different substation.
The point
to be made about this has to do with ground. Grounding, is a very misunderstood
concept, but for our purposes let’s think of ground the way a PC, router, or
PBX has to deal with ground. All communication has a signal or logic level that
can be measured with respect to ground or between wire pairs. The PC or other
equipment doing the communicating only understands the signal with respect to
this ground. If ground starts to move with respect to data, then that reference
may be lost. If the shift is large enough, then the device, which is connected
to both power ground and data will be damaged or destroyed. The term for this is "electrical
overstress." In a campus
environment, the ground reference of various buildings is constantly moving
with respect to other buildings. When lightning strikes, this shift will usually damage or destroy equipment.
When Lightning Strikes The Campus Or Commercial Building Environment
Let's
assume for a moment that we have two buildings that are separated by 75 feet
and that one building is struck by lightning.
In just a few hundred nanoseconds tens of thousands of amps will be
flowing in the grounding system of the remote building. For an instant, this
current flow will raise the ground reference of the remote building several
thousand or even hundreds of thousands of volts with respect to the first building. At that instant,
a computer or phone switch looking down that cable will see the cable move
those thousands of volts with respect to its power ground. Of course this huge
ground potential difference will cause surge currents to flow in anything connected
between the buildings. So if the electrical overstress of the ground rise does
not kill the ports, there is always the surge current that can burn up chips,
motherboards and anything else along the path.
As we described earlier, there are
several ways that commercial buildings and campus environments can get
power. Most commonly, power directly
from the same utility substation some distance away and is fed to the buildings
through their own separate service entrances. During lightning events, this
additional power ground length creates even more substantial ground differences
between buildings. The third case, where power is fed from different utility
sources, is the worst case of all. Now we have more distance between grounds
and the buildings will almost never be at exactly the same ground
potential. In any of these cases, ground
shifts between buildings will constantly cause the data line level to appear to
move with respect to ground. This can cause high error rates and retries in its
mildest form and outright damage in its worst form.
Lightning is not the only
phenomena to cause these problems. Anything that shifts one building with
respect to another can cause similar if not more severe problems. If buildings
are fed from two utility sources, then utility switching can cause enough of a
ground shift to blow up ports. But even a large motor, like an air conditioning
system, can cause a shift that can be damaging or disruptive. Of course, any
construction or earth moving that might cut through utility lines causing a
short could cause a similar effect. Even downed power lines from high
winds can have a damaging effect. The
simple fact is that the communication port is extremely vulnerable to the
effects of the outside world, especially in a campus setting.
At this point it may seem reasonable to look for some type of protective device
that would equalize this shift from the data to the power ground. There are any
number of devices called dataline protectors on the market for this purpose.
Most of them are designed to do two things. First, they divert surge energy to
ground. Second, they are installed where the cable enters the building. Let's
look at these two design considerations and see if they solve the problem.
Many of the data line protectors were developed by
manufacturers who began as power line protector suppliers. Most of us
understand how a power line surge protector works. When the voltage on one
line goes high, the surge suppressor diverts the surge energy from the line to
ground. Most of the data line protectors on the market work at the building
entrance by diverting surge energy to ground.
It may
have already occurred to you that if a protection device is pumping current
into the ground system as far away as the building entrance that we will create
much the same scenario that ~-as just described as happening between two
buildings. One part of the grounding system will be shifted or raised with
respect to the other. In fact, service entrance protectors do just that. When
hundreds of amps of diverted current flow through the ground conductor, a
communications port at the other end of the line will see the line suddenly
raised with respect to its ground reference. If this difference is large
enough, the chip will be destroyed.
The Cylix Solution
The Cylix Corporation has the
answer to this dilemma. The protector is mounted directly on the device to be
protected. Now if the data line moves with respect to the chassis of the
protected device, the protector will fire and equalize any differential,
thereby protecting the port. Cylix dataline surge protectors clamp all lines to
ground when any of the lines go high. In other words, all of the lines are
balanced with respect to one another. This action ensures that no large voltage
will ever be presented across the port, unlike those that work like power line
protectors. An additional feature of the
Cylix protectors are that they also block any voltage rises from coming from
earth ground. (It should be noted that in the case of a
campus setting, a dataline protector must be on both ends of the data or
telephone cable. Inside each building, all devices connected to the cable should be similarly
protected.)
The Cylix Corporation is the
leading developer and manufacturer of dataline surge suppression devices. Cylix devices are found worldwide protecting
almost any device that sends data over copper.
Founded in 1987, the company’s corporate headquarters are located in Westlake Village, CA. Cylix has 7 standard product lines that
protect both data and telecom protection applications. Additionally, Cylix designs, develops, and
markets custom solutions to meet specific requirements of customers.
Asef Baddar Joins The Leviton Voice & Data Team
Principal Application
Engineer / Applications Engineer Supervisor
Leviton Voice & Data, a
division of Leviton Manufacturing Company, Inc., is pleased to announce that
Asef Baddar will lead its Applications Engineering Department as Principal
Application Engineer / Applications Engineer Supervisor.
Already a strong part of the
division, Leviton’s Applications Engineering Department is committed to
customer support excellence. Asef will lead the AE team as it focuses on the
continued improvement of customer facing deliverables such as phone support,
customer complaint resolution, web content, training, technical publications,
and general technical customer support services.
Asef brings thirteen years of
structured cabling experience from General Cabling Company where he was a
senior Applications Engineer. He is well respected in the industry for his
knowledge and for being a problem solver. Leviton is proud to add Asef to its
long list of industry experts. www.leviton.com
Electrical Distributor Employee Compensation Grows Sharply with Economy, NAED Survey Reports
A period of strong, sustained sales
growth has led to sharp increases in electrical distributor employee
compensation between 2003 and 2005, according to the 2006 Employee Compensation
Report from the National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED).
Conducted bi-annually in conjunction with 40 other distribution trade
organizations, the survey provides detailed information on compensation and
benefits among both NAED-member companies and among distributors in a broad
range of industries. Survey results are based on data gathered in early 2006.
During the two years from 2003 to 2005, CEO compensation at electrical
distributors increased by 15 percent after being flat between 2001 and 2003,
the report said. Bonuses account for an average of 35 percent of CEO
compensation. Other top management received increases averaging 12 percent.
The largest beneficiary of the booming economy was the outside sales force,
whose compensation is tied to sales. Their compensation grew by an average of
25 percent. Operating employees’ compensation rose by 7 to 10 percent.
The report also offers good news in the area of health-insurance costs, where
the rate of cost increases slowed considerably. Costs of the typical insurance
plan rose by 10 percent from 2003 to 2005, compared to a 25-percent hike
between 2001 and 2003. The slower rate reflects a general leveling in
health-insurance costs along with shifting of some costs to the employee.
NAED’s Employee Compensation Survey offers comprehensive results in two
volumes:
- Vol. 1—Contains compensation
data specific to NAED members, including benchmarks in executive and
employee compensation, sales commission plans, outside sales policies,
benefit programs and more. This is presented in printed form.
- Vol. II—Compiles data on
thousands of distributors from 40 trade associations, reported by sales
volume and geographic area, presented in a CD-ROM format. This report
supplies the latest data on salaries and bonuses, as well as health,
retirement, vacation and other benefits.
The
2006 NAED Employee Compensation Report is available for $95 for survey
participants and $295 for non-participants. For more information or to purchase
a report, contact NAED Customer Service at (888) 791-2512 or
customerservice@naed.org.
Fact
Sheet:
2006 NAED Employee Compensation Report Highlights
Electrical
Distributor Trends – 2003 to 2005
Executive & Employee
Compensation
- CEO
compensation has increased by 15% from 2003 to 2005. Bonuses account for
35% of total CEO compensation. Increases average 12% for other top management.
- Outside
salespersons’ compensation rose by an average of 25%, largely reflecting
commissions on higher sales.
- Compensation
for operating employees grew by 7- 10%.
- The
vast majority (93%) of distributors fund some type of retirement program,
with the 401(k) being by far the most popular.
- The
employee turnover rate was 17% in 2005, up from 13% in 2003.
Controlling Health
Insurance Costs
- For
the first time in recent memory, health-insurance costs are not spiraling
out of control. Between 2003 and 2005, costs for the typical plan
increased by about 10%. This compares very favorably to the 25% increase
from 2001 to 2003. The slower rate reflects a general slowdown in the rate
of health-care cost escalation along with shifting of some costs to the employee.
- The
employer-paid percentage of premium, on average, dropped from about 80% in
2003, to 75% in 2005.
- Typically,
co-pays across a wide range of services increased by $5.
Impact of Scale of
Operations
- Larger
firms have a significant advantage in attracting highly qualified
employees in many management positions since the same dollar commitment
simply represents a much smaller percentage of total sales for the larger
firm.
- The
difference in compensation is especially pronounced in some of the key skill
positions where distributors are looking for both cost savings and
operational efficiencies, and in some instances the very largest firms
(over $100 million) are paying two times the total compensation as smaller
firms (under $20 million).
- These
differences in compensation levels for key positions may make it more
difficult for smaller firms to compete for the talent necessary to
maintain efficiencies in a rapidly changing environment.
The above results are
based on an NAED compensation survey conducted in April 2006 and reflects
compensation in place through December 31, 2005.
Contact Sonia Coleman at scoleman@naed.org to access
print resolution graphics.
To sign up for NAED's weekly newsletter, go to www.naed.org and click on
"News Room" and then "Subscribe Newsletters." Or click on
this link.
###
About NAED
NAED is the trade association for the $70+ billion
electrical distribution industry. Through networking, education, research and
benchmarking, NAED helps electrical distributors increase profitability and
improve the channel. NAED’s membership represents approximately 4,100 locations
internationally.
NAED Online Press Room: www.naed.org/naed/news_main.asp? showtype=naed
Web site: www.naed.org
Graybar Continues Trend of Double-Digit Growth Through
Third Quarter of 2006
Organic growth is fueled
by increases in electrical and telecom markets and
enhanced ERP
capabilities that provide greater business visibility
Graybar, one of the
nation's leading distributors of electrical and communications products and
related supply chain management and logistics services, reported $3.78 billion
in sales through the first three quarters of 2006, an increase of 18.9 percent
over the same period last year. The company also posted a 70.1 percent increase
in operating income over the first three quarters of 2005.
"Our strategy is one of
organic growth focused on our core business," said Robert A. Reynolds Jr.,
chairman, president and chief executive officer of Graybar. "Although
favorable economic conditions are contributing to our growth, it is our ability
to anticipate and respond to customer’s' needs that ultimately drives our
business. Our ERP system provides real-time access to valuable business data,
which helps us increase our productivity and improve our ability to react to
market conditions. Graybar's leading-edge information technology and
logistics capabilities are continuing to raise the bar on performance and value
for our customers."
According to Reynolds, it is
the company's ability to leverage its infrastructure combined with the
dedication of its employee-owners that is producing solid bottom-line
results. Graybar's net income of
$46.7 million for the first three quarters is more than triple last year's
performance for the same period.
This year, the company opened
several new locations and expanded its security product line, adding value for
current customers and providing solutions for new customers, such as security
dealers and installers. Graybar also secured five contract renewals with the
Department of Defense valued at more than $220 million.
Graybar looks forward to
continued business growth by meeting customer’s' needs with its extensive
product and service solutions, national capabilities and advanced technology.
###
About Graybar
Graybar,
a Fortune 500 corporation and one of the largest employee-owned companies in North America, is a leader in the distribution of high
quality electrical, telecommunications and networking products, and specializes
in related supply chain management and logistics services. Through its network of more than 250 North American
distribution facilities, it stocks and sells products from thousands of
manufacturers, serving as the vital link to hundreds of thousands of
customers. For more information, visit
http://graybar.com
BOMA International And U.S. Green Building Council Sign Memorandum Of Intent
Commercial Real Estate Industry to Benefit from BOMA and USGBC
Collaborations to Promote Environmentally Responsible Building Practices
The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA)
International and the U.S. Green
Building Council (USGBC) announced the signing of a Memorandum of
Intent (MOI) to work cooperatively to promote energy efficiency and
environmentally responsible building operations and maintenance practices to
the BOMA community of building owners, operators and property managers who
collectively represent 9 billion square feet of commercial real estate. The
announcement was made at the recent Greenbuild Conference and Expo held Nov.
15-17 in Denver.
Among the initiatives outlined in the MOI
are joint promotional activities including collaboration at BOMA's North
American Commercial Real Estate Congress® and The Office Building Show in New
York City in July 2007 and USGBC's Greenbuild Conference and Expo in Los
Angeles in October 2007, as well as joint educational offerings including
Web-based seminars on energy efficiency and green building practices. BOMA will
be working with USGBC as a Top-Tier partner, one of a very exclusive group of
organizations including the Urban Land Institute and the American Institute of Architects
that recognizes the tremendous need for moving real estate to a more
sustainable approach. As a Top-Tier Partner, BOMA will be working directly with
USGBC on program development for Greenbuild 2007 and beyond.
"This collaboration with USGBC reflects
the commercial real estate industry's continued and growing commitment to
promoting energy efficient and environmentally responsible buildings,"
said BOMA International Chairman and Chief Elected Officer Kurt R. Padavano,
RPA, CPM, FMA, SMA, and chief operating officer of Advance Realty Group of Bedminster, NJ.
"Working together to promote sustainable practices not only provides a
healthier and more productive workplace environment, but also creates a
tremendous potential for energy savings and reduced emissions."
"Collaboration
and sharing best practices are the keys to success," said Rick Fedrizzi,
president, CEO & founding chair, U.S. Green Building Council. "BOMA is
one of the most respected and influential organizations in the building industry,
and we are proud to be partnering with them to help further green building
practices in the commercial real estate sector."
#####
The Building Owners and Managers
Association (BOMA) International is an international federation of more than 90
local associations and affiliated organizations. BOMA's 16,500-plus members own
or manage more than 9 billion square feet of commercial properties in North America and throughout the world. The mission of
BOMA International is to enhance the human, intellectual and physical assets of
the commercial real estate industry through advocacy, education, research,
standards and information. Founded in 1907, BOMA International celebrates 100
years of commercial real estate in 2007. Learn more at www.boma.org.
The U.S. Green Building Council is the
nation's leading coalition of corporations, builders, universities, government
agencies and nonprofit organizations working together to promote buildings that
are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and
work. Since its founding in 1993, the Council has grown to over 7,200 member
companies and organizations; an 80-person professional staff; a broad portfolio
of LEED® programs and services; an extensive educational offering; the
industry's popular Greenbuild International Conference and Expo; and a network
of more than 60 local chapters, affiliates and organizing groups. For more
information visit: www.usgbc.org.
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