For: www.wireville.com
"Heard On The Street" Column
Issue: December 2006
By: Frank Bisbee
T’is the season to be jolly.
The Holidays are here. The stockings are hung from the mantle with care, in
hopes that St. Nick will soon be there. However, we have some good news and
some bad news. Here’s the BAD NEWS first.
Financial Forecast 2007 based
on some November numbers as reported by Associated Press.
For the first time in
almost four years, the nation’s manufacturing sector has shrunk, and its fall is firing warning flares for the job
market, economists said on Friday.
In a widely watched report,
The Institute for Supply Management, a trade group based in
Manufacturing had been
growing since June 2003. Industries such
as wood, furniture, appliances, fabricated metal and transportation equipment
all slipped last month, hit by a housing market slump and bloated automobile
inventories.
The index was one of two
worrisome economic reports Friday. The
Commerce Department said construction activity in October plummeted by the
largest amount since 2001, and home building fell for the seventh month in a
row, the longest decline on record.
Both reports raised concerns
that the economy may be in for a hard landing, and stocks and the dollar fell.
Now here’s the GOOD NEWS.
The traditional late year
slowdown in communications and cabling projects seems to be substantially lower
than anticipated. We spoke with cabling and electrical contractors around the
To stay on top of the new
market developments, subscribe to the trade publications for the latest news
that you can use. Read them from cover to cover. You will get a great education
and it’s free.
Next year, there will be lots
of depressing news in the broadcasts. However, if you run a “tight ship”, your
cabling business will be growing. The communication networks are the nervous
systems of our buildings and our businesses.
But that’s just my opinion,
Frank Bisbee
WE HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL AT
BICSI (ORLANDO
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
frank@wireville.com
A Bright Idea Lives on at Christmas
First, a disclaimer:
A persistent legend credits
Ralph Morris as the inventor of electric Christmas lights. The story goes that
Morris, in a panic at seeing his son push a candle over on a Christmas tree,
singed his own hair and nearly set the tree on fire rushing to the rescue.
Legend has it that Morris then came up with the idea of pulling the lights from
an old telephone switchboard and wiring them on a tree, thereby
"inventing" the electric Christmas tree lights. This incident is
true, but it happened in 1908 -- more than a quarter century after a close
associate of
What really happened:
It all began in 1882, just
three years after the incandescent bulb was invented. Edward Johnson, Edison’s
friend and partner in the Edison Illumination Company in New York City,
hand-wired 80 red, white and blue bulbs and wound them around a rotating
evergreen tree in his home. The
“Last evening I walked
over beyond
Despite the report in the
Not long afterwards members of high society began hosting Christmas Tree
parties. These were grand events since a typical lighted tree of the early
1900s cost upwards of $300 (more than $2,000 in today’s dollars), including the
generator and wireman´s services.
Smaller and less expensive
battery-operated lighting strings decorated the trees of those adventurous
enough to do the wiring. An article in Popular Electricity Magazine described the wiring
process and provided instructions on ordering the necessary wire, sockets and
light bulbs. General Electric even offered miniature light bulbs for rent in
some cities as an alternative to an outright purchase of the expensive lamps.
However, such trees were still out of range for the average American family of
the era.
General Electric first made
electric tree lighting more affordable in 1903 when the company offered a
pre-assembled lighting outfit for the first time. Still expensive at $12, many
department stores in the larger, electrified cities would rent outfits for the season
for $1.50. Called a "festoon,” the outfit consisted of eight green
pre-wired porcelain sockets, eight
More About Electric Christmas Tree Lights
The person responsible for
popularizing Christmas tree lighting is Albert Sadacca. In 1917, when the
continuing practice of lighting trees with candles caused a tragic fire in
Sadacca´s family had a
novelty business selling wicker cages with imitation birds that lit up. Albert
suggested that this parents begin making electric lights for Christmas trees.
It was a good idea, but only one hundred strings of electric Christmas tree
lights sold in the first year. Business increased dramatically, however, when
Albert proposed painting the bulbs red, green, and other colors instead of
using plain glass.
Albert eventually started
NOMA Electric Company with his brothers Henri and Leon. Their multi-million
dollar business was the largest Christmas lighting company in the world prior
to 1965.
Public distribution of
electricity was not common in the early 20th century. People living outside of
major cities who wanted one of these illuminated trees had to supply their own
electric power, usually from household generators. Electric socket outfits had
not been invented, and this meant that all of the tree lights had to be wired
by hand. Wiremen were generally hired to complete the tedious task of wiring
the lights necessary to illuminate a room-sized tree.
In the beginning of the
century, American homes were wired for lighting circuits only, with only a
single light bulb socket in each room. Any additional electrical devices had to
be powered from the ceiling outlet; wall outlets did not exist. The earliest
Christmas lighting outfits used screw-in current taps from the ceiling. As
electricity became more popular, outlets for wall lighting were added which
made adding electric lights the Christmas tree easier.
In fact, the familiar bladed
wall plug used today developed from a device originally used to facilitate the
interconnection of Christmas light strings. Some prototypes of this device were
used as early as 1917. It was patented as the “Tachon” connector in 1924. The
1924 Tachon started out as a screw-in type of connector with a safety cover,
but soon evolved into the two parallel blade type.
More Historical Facts
Many of the earliest
Christmas lights burned so hot that they were about as dangerous as the candles
they were advertised to replace.
Many of the earliest figural
light bulbs representing fruit, flowers and holiday figures were blown in molds
that were also used to make small glass ornaments. These figural lights were
painted by toy makers.
Most figural Christmas lights
were made out of milk glass for a specific reason. The paint used on the lights
did not adhere well to glass, and as the lights were turned on and off, the
constant expansion and contraction of the glass helped the paint to flake off
even faster. It was discovered that milk glass looks better than clear glass
when the lights have flaking paint, so the industry quickly and almost
exclusively switched over to the use of the white milk glass by the late 1920s.
A common but incorrect belief
in the early days of electric Christmas lighting was that Christmas light bulbs
would burn longer in an upright position. Early decorators spent a lot of time
making sure that the lamps were positioned upright on the tree.
True outdoor Christmas lights
were not introduced to the public until 1927 -- almost 45 years after the first
electric tree lights were demonstrated. Some sets were sold as outside units
before 1927, but they were small, dangerous and extremely impractical for the
average family.
In 1927, General Electric
introduced outdoor lighting outfits that consisted of seven lamps wired in
parallel so that the failure of a single lamp would not affect the rest. The
earliest of these lights were round; by 1928, they had taken the familiar
swirled or flame shape. General Electric and various Edison Electric
distribution companies sponsored neighborhood "decorating with
color-light" contests in an effort to induce sales of the new outfits.
The bell-shaped lights
offered by General Electric in 1932 were originally designed as pint-sized
streetlights for a model train station manufactured by the Lionel Company. But
when it was discovered that they also resembled Christmas bells when hung
upside down, GE offered them in festive colors as Christmas lights. They
remained popular until the advent of World War II. (A working string of these
antique lights now commands $5000.)
The miniature lights we use
today are wired exactly the same way as our grandparents’ lights were – in
series. This means that if one goes out, they all should go out. What is
different about today´s lights is the fact that each little bulb has a shunt
device in it, which prevents the string from going dark due to the failure of
one or more lamps. The shunt device can only work if the lamp stays in its
socket.
NECA wishes you a bright holiday season and a happy,
healthy, prosperous and safe new year!
The National Electrical
Contractors Association is the voice of the $100 billion industry responsible
for bringing lighting, power, and communications to buildings and communities
across the
HCM Announce UL Verification of 10-Gigabit Ethernet UTP Cable
Hitachi Cable Manchester
(HCM), a leader in the manufacture of copper and fiber optic communications
cables, announces the Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. verification of HCM’s Supra
10GTM cable. The cable,
tested to Draft 5 of TIA/EIA 568-B.2-10 (Category 6A), is the world’s first
fully verified Category 6A cable. Though
other manufacturers have acquired the easier to achieve channel performance
verification, which includes jacks, patch panels and patch cables, only HCM has
been able to make a fully component compliant Category 6A cable.
Kevin Boisvert, Research and
Development Manager for HCM, described the development process for the Supra
10GTM as
challenging. “Testing to 500 MHz while
surpassing the alien crosstalk requirements was not an easy task. However, with HCM’s experience in developing
and designing unique, high-performance category cables in shielded, hybrid and
bundled cable configurations, I was confident we’d be able to engineer a cable
that would meet and exceed the requirements of the standard.”
Supra 10GTM is now
available through HCM approved distributors.
For information on where to obtain the new Supra 10GTM,
contact HCM at 800-772-0116 or visit their website at http://www.hcm.hitachi.com/.
For more information about UL
Verification, please visit www.ul.com.
US
LEC Appoints Tansukh V. Ganatra Interim CEO
US LEC Corp. (Nasdaq: CLEC - News) announced today that
Tansukh V. Ganatra, US LEC Corp.'s Co- founder, past CEO and a member of the
Board of Directors, has been named interim CEO to replace Aaron Cowell, who
will leave US LEC effective December 4th, 2006. Mr. Cowell's departure was
expected with an anticipated year-end US LEC/PAETEC merger closing. The merger
is now expected to close in the first quarter of 2007. US LEC's Board of
Directors has chosen Mr. Ganatra to assume his past role as CEO, on an interim
basis, as the Company moves quickly toward completing the planned merger with
PAETEC Corp. Since the merger announcement in August 2006, Mr. Ganatra has been
actively involved in the design, evaluation, scheduled implementation, and
financial impact of the combined US LEC/PAETEC integration plans.
US LEC's Chairman and
Co-founder, Richard T. Aab, stated, "We believe that given the new
company's S-4 filing on November 13, 2006, Mr. Ganatra's knowledge of this
process and operating expertise will enable the companies to begin implementing
those plans in a highly efficient manner as US LEC moves to close the merger in
the first quarter 2007."
In commenting on the
announcement, Aab continued, "Mr. Ganatra and Mr. Chesonis, PAETEC Corp.'s
and the soon-to-be-merged entity's Chairman and CEO, have a working
relationship and friendship that spans over 20 years. Mr. Chesonis is very
supportive of Mr. Ganatra serving as interim CEO of US LEC. Mr. Chesonis told
me that he looked forward to working with his old friend to complete the
planned merger and integration process." Mr. Ganatra will be a board
member of the new PAETEC Holding Corp. Mr. Aab further stated, "Aaron
Cowell has been an integral part of US LEC's senior management team since the
company's beginning. His leadership made significant contributions through some
very challenging times in our industry's recent past and helped grow US LEC to
become a leading telecommunications carrier. We wish him well in his future
endeavors."
Mr. Ganatra (62) co-founded
and became a Director of US LEC in 1996 and was the company's President and
Chief Operating Officer from 1996-1999, when he became Chief Executive Officer.
He retired as CEO in December 2001 and is a member of US LEC's Board of
Directors. www.uslec.com.
ERICO Expands Its Caddy Screw-On Conduit Support Offering
Caddy Screw-On
Conduit Supports from ERICO Inc. securely attach EMT conduit or MC/AC cable to
wood and metal studs. A new CS16 conduit support expands the series to handle
up to 1-inch conduit or cable.
The supports
comply with NEC 358.30(a) and CEC rule 12-1404 which require conduit support
within 36-inches of an electrical box.
They are also
gangable and handle one-half-inch through one-inch EMT conduit and MC/AC cable.
The supports have an alignment tab that positively locates the fastener on the
stud.
The alignment tab
also serves to keep the conduit in line with the box knockout and support
brackets. Use of the conduit supports eliminates offset bending of conduit.
“The ERICO CADDY
product line is perhaps the greatest time saving “get it done right:”
devices in all of the cabling challenges that we deal with.” According
to Mike Rice, Lead technician/ Cabling Project Manager for Communication
Planning Corporation.
ERICO - www.erico.com
ACUTA
Finds Members Confident About High-Tech Funding Obstacles
College and university communications departments
have ambitious plans to implement leading-edge technologies, and are optimistic
that they will be able to overcome budget constraints, according to a new
survey by ACUTA, the Association for Communications Technology Professionals in
Higher Education.
ACUTA surveyed more than 100 attendees at its Fall
Seminars in
The survey found that nearly every school was
seriously evaluating technologies such as Voice over IP (VoIP), wireless and
cellular, Gigabit Ethernet, and advanced security. Sixty-seven percent – two
out of three schools surveyed – are planning to implement one of those new
technologies within the next 12 months.
What is standing in their way, the survey found, is
the necessary funding required to put those technologies to work on campus.
Forty-seven percent of the communications technology professionals say their
entire schools are on tight budgets, and another 25 percent say they face
severely limited departmental budgets.
However, a remarkable 93 percent of respondents
optimistically say they expect to overcome those challenges in order to achieve
their technology objectives. Their methods include some form of special funding
mechanism, favored by 38 percent; technology fees for students, favored by 25
percent; a promotional campaign aimed at upper management, the choice of 23
percent; and cutbacks in other areas, 14 percent.
It is the technology professionals and their IT and
telecommunications departments that are leading the drive to bring the newest
technologies to campus, the survey found. At 39 percent of schools, the
departments are pushing for those technologies as a means of filling specific,
existing needs. Another 38 percent are pushing for them in preparation for
anticipated needs. In another 17 percent of cases, the technology push is
coming from the schools’ upper-level administration.
“Communications technology professionals clearly
face a balancing act when it comes to finding the resources for new
technologies,” said Jeri Semer, executive director of ACUTA. “Our survey
results reinforce how important it is for them to network with each other to
share ideas and solutions to their common challenges.”
Other interesting survey findings include:
* 78 percent of schools currently charge
technology fees, either as a separate item or
as part of their dorm fee.
* 33 percent of
respondents report their departmental budget has increased steadily over the past three years. Another 29
percent have seen no increases in three years,
and an unlucky 21 percent face smaller budgets than three years ago.
* The most common
benefits cited for the new technologies are improved connectivity, network convergence, and more end user features.
Corning Cable Systems And Charles
Industries Introduce OptiTect™ Sealed LCP Enclosure In Custom-Designed Pedestal
Corning Cable Systems, part
of Corning Incorporated’s (NYSE:GLW) Telecommunications segment, and Charles
Industries, Ltd., announce the availability of Corning’s OptiTect™
Premier Sealed Local Convergence Point (LCP) Enclosure in a custom-designed
pedestal from Charles Industries.
The product is the result
of a strategic relationship between
The OptiTect Premier Sealed
LCP Enclosure is a prestubbed, preconnectorized enclosure that provides the
best protection from environmental conditions. It is designed to enable
centralized splitting architectures to distribute up to 144 fibers in a sealed
environment. It is now available in a Charles Industries pedestal that was
specifically designed to house the sealed enclosure.
The feeder and
distribution cables of the enclosure are sealed and tested in
factory-controlled conditions, so no new personnel training or tools are
required to ensure fast, simple and reliable installation and re-entry. It is designed to hold to up to five 1x32 splitter
modules with preterminated SC UPC or SC APC adapters. The enclosure is
prestubbed and preconnectorized with a feeder cable and 144-, 96-, or 72-fiber
distribution cable.
Cable Systems Evolant®
Solutions. Through its Evolant Solutions for FTTx Networks, Corning Cable
Systems offers specialized portfolios of innovative products and services that
enable customers to cost-effectively deploy fiber in the last mile.
Evolant Solutions for FTTx
Networks encompasses state-of-the-art products that reduce the cost of deployment and increase the networks efficiency
and reliability.
For additional information
on Corning Cable Systems products and services, contact a customer service
representative at 1-800-743-2675, toll free in the United States, or (+1)
828-901-5000, international, or visit the Web site at www.corning.com/cablesystems.
Bidding an IBS Job; How to do it right
By Deborah L. O’Mara
Every modern building needs lighting control; security; fire detection; heating, ventilation and
air-conditioning (HVAC); data networks; communications; supervision; power and
backup; and more. With all this going on, it makes sense to tie them together
in a logical manner. The result of a properly planned and executed integrated
system is an efficient, safe, and secure building that operates to its full
potential while saving energy—thanks to automation.
Because these systems can
save energy, integrated facilities are also emerging strongly on the heels of
the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating
System. LEED, administered by the U.S. Green Building Council, is a benchmark
for the design, construction, and operation of high-performance green
buildings. Because LEED parameters give building owners and operators the tools
they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings’
performance and energy savings, commissioning is part of the process. For
example, it’s not enough to install occupancy sensors or HVAC management or
lighting controls. At the root of commissioning is the fact that to earn LEED
credits, the plan/specification has to detail exactly how much energy will be
saved for each device.
It’s time for IBS to become
part and parcel with every new and upgraded facility. The benefit to the owner
or property manager is in operation.
“When you integrate, you
reduce the cost of operating the facility,” said Anil Ahuja, P.E., LEED, RCDD
and senior vice president, CCJM Engineers Ltd. in
“An integrated building
system is the demand of the market, the demand of the time,” he said.
“Communications will generally be the backbone of an IBS.”
Ahuja said integration can
save some 5 to 10 percent on total annual energy operation costs for a
facility.
“If the contractor is savvy
and smart, he can save a lot of money for himself and the owner by using the
same voice/data interoperability communication for other mechanical/electrical
controls.”
In IBS, the technology,
software and interfaces that tie it all together are now ready for adoption.
The software has moved from proprietary to parameters that mostly work on
BACnet—a data communication protocol for building automation and control
networks developed under the auspices of the American Society of Heating,
Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)—or Echelon’s LonWorks
control networking platforms. These are the two primary networks electrical
contractors will encounter.
IBS must be custom-tailored
to the application, but they may include scenarios such as using occupancy
sensors to detect movement and activate or extinguish lights, motion detectors
to trigger an alarm and record images through closed-circuit television
surveillance, and even fire detection. Though required to be under its own
control under life safety parameters, fire detection systems will interface
with locking devices, doors and even elevators.
But, how do you spec it? You
become an expert or you work with well-known and respected specialists in their
appropriate disciplines. Many electrical contractors will have separate
divisions to handle the work, but those who don’t can find industry partners to
assist.
Get ready
Start with the actual plans
or specification documents, and you need to know, of course, whether it is a
design/build or a design/bid/request for proposal (also referred to as a hard
bid). Design/build gives you the ability to select equipment specific to the
facility. Design/bid may not have the same flexibility as design/build, but it
may offer the ability to substitute products or “value engineer” the
specification, so the contractor can select products based on the performance
or end-use application.
If security is an overriding
concern and the core of the automated system, a thorough analysis of the
protected premises and a risk assessment are in order. If you don’t know how to
do a risk assessment—what it generally does is outline what is at risk, why and
how to protect it—then you might consider hiring an outside consultant who can
tackle that task. Look for security consultants who are certified protection
professionals (CPP).
Chances are, it will be a
design/build project, because more electrical contractors are not only
installing, but they are selecting the equipment and tying it to the network,
HVAC and other controls. According to the “2006 Profile of the Electrical
Contractor,” an independent study conducted by Renaissance Research &
Consulting, New York, 43 percent of electrical contractors’ revenue was derived
from design/build or design/assist work, and these numbers continue to rise
(see excerpts of the study in Electrical
Contractor, July 2006, page 36, or the full report at
www.ecmag.com/research).
The second question to ask:
is it a specification that follows MASTERSPEC 2004 MasterFormat or the 1995
version?
Peruse the plan
“Start with a visit to the
table of contents of the specification to determine where the work is and what
design specification system is being followed or adopted for the plan,” said
Tom Montgomery, PE and principal, Spectrum Engineers Inc.,
The General Services
Administration (GSA) has adopted MasterFormat 2004 and requires design
consultants to use MasterFormat 1995 or 2004. As part of a current interim
adoption period, GSA has been allowing either version for use on GSA projects
at the design consultant’s choosing.
Recently released,
MasterFormat 2004 is representative of the present and future of integrated
systems solution contracting. Because technology in electrical contracting and
related construction disciplines has grown, it became necessary to reorganize
and increase the number of divisions and, also, set up separate ones for
integrated automation, electrical, communications, electronic safety and security,
fire suppression, plumbing, and HVAC. These are located in a new subgroup of
divisions called Facility Services.
The new divisions covering
the electrical and fire protection systems include the following:
·
Fire suppression
(Division 21)
·
Electrical (Division
26)
·
Communications
(Division 27)
·
Integrated
Automation (Division 25)
·
Electronic Safety
and Security (Division 28)
·
Transportation
(Division 33—includes traffic signals)
·
Power Generation
(Division 46)
Once you know what guidelines
or specifications are being followed, you can refer to the representative
document, which gives detailed information on requirements and helps put
devices to plan. From here, you should be able to compile the number of devices
and other hardware and software as you assemble a complete parts list. Reserve
the right to value engineer and substitute parts or products as long as it
still meets the application.
Also critical, according to
Montgomery, is to know what local codes, national codes and TIA or BISCI
communications standards may come into play.
Planning an IBS requires a
thorough analysis of the parameters and open lines of communication between
contractor, owner and end-user, so the specification will meet the intended
needs of the facility. EC
O’MARA is
the president of DLO Communications in
Williams Named Incoming Vice President-Elect For NAED's Eastern Region
The National Association of
Electrical Distributors (NAED) has named Richard Williams, president and chief
operating officer for Dominion Electric Supply Co., Inc.,
"It’s all about striving
toward your potential,” Williams said. “We all have to keep learning and
growing, both as individuals and companies. I believe, as leaders, we have a
deep responsibility to serve and help others reach their goals. NAED, in the
past handful of years, has done a tremendous job transforming itself and
thereby adding a great amount of value to its members and to the industry. I am
excited about the opportunity as regional vice president to work with NAED and
its members at large to stay focused on the commitment to helping those around
us reach their potential."
Williams, who has been in the
industry for 19 years, will direct NAED’s Eastern Region in 2008-2009. His
company is active in the association, participating in many areas, including
training, meetings, and NAED’s Performance Analysis Report (PAR).
Prior to joining Dominion in
1987, Williams worked in public accounting. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in
accounting from the
As a NAED regional vice
president-elect, Williams will be responsible for attending and helping direct
the region’s conferences and council meetings. He will also be participating in
NAED’s Membership and Strategic Focus Committees. He will assume more and more
of the region’s leadership as he progresses toward the role of vice president.
As vice president, Williams will preside at all Eastern Regional Council
meetings and serve on the NAED Board of Directors.
The Eastern Region is
currently directed by Sandra Rosecrans, president of City Electric Company,
Inc.,
Changing How We Think of Change
The National Electrical
Contractors Association’s big annual get together continues to expand beyond
our association’s convention and the NECA Show. Thus, NECA 2006
The need to address change,
not only to cope with it but also master it, is what brought the electrical
contracting industry into being and continues to define our profession. But
taking charge of change is about a whole lot more than acquiring technical
expertise.
Consider integrated building
systems (IBS), for example. IBS was the focal point of a special conference in
IBS refers to such
applications as network cabling; sound; security monitoring; security, fire and
life safety; access control; and wireless networking through integrated systems
that allow one computer to monitor and control an entire structure’s operation.
The overwhelming majority of NECA-member contractors are involved in this
market, and a survey of all electrical contractors in the
As IBS work becomes more of a
mainstay than a niche, many contractors are being forced to change the way they
do business. An increasing amount of this type of work is being done on a
design/build process, and that is facilitated by innovations in system
interoperability, which enable one contractor to install and maintain products
from different manufacturers so that they all work together and fulfill the
building owner’s particular needs. But the necessary changes aren’t limited to
how jobs are bid and how the technical requirements are met; they extend all
the way to how jobs are manned and when.
For one thing, as customers
increasingly embrace the concept of one contractor coordinating the entire
low-voltage electrical infrastructure, providing exemplary customer service
becomes all important, especially if the contractor hopes to provide ongoing
services (moves, adds and changes). Customers want to know they can rely on the
quality, professionalism and integrity of every member of the contracting
company.
IBS customers also demand job
site flexibility. They often want to be able to have work done on their
facilities after hours and to have contractors available to work in multiple
locations, and the like. These are all items I discussed at the NECA convention
last month and in my talk to our labor partners in the International
Brotherhood of Electrical Workers at their own convention.
As I told these diverse sets
of conventioneers, technology has not just created the new materials and
devices we install. Technology has not only created the data networks we build.
It has also created the way we bid and contract for jobs from customers over
those networks. It has created the need for highly trained and skilled
electrical workers and for less-skilled support workers. Its a world that
requires ready teams of service and maintenance workers around the clock.
Technology has created a new
economy and a new kind of customer. These are the most important changes that
must be addressed.
Milner Irvin
President, NECA
Reprinted with full permission of
Electrical Contractor Magazine November Issue 2006
By Jim Hayes
You would think that after
being in a business for more than 25 years, you would have seen it all. But
recently, I was introduced to the actual installation and splicing processes
for ribbon fiber optic cable. While I had seen plenty of the cable over the
years, I had never had the opportunity to work with it myself. Corning Cable
Systems was training one of the trainers we work with and invited me to join
the session.
Ribbon cable is widely used
in outside plant telephone networks and submarine cables but, until recently,
had rarely been seen in campus or premises applications. Ribbon cable is highly
regarded for long-distance applications because it has several advantages over
normal loose tube outside plant cable due to its unique construction.
In ribbon cables, the fibers
really look like multicolored ribbons (see photo). The actual ribbons usually
contain 12 fibers, although designs with 24 fibers are available. In the
beginning, ribbons were made by placing fibers on double-stick plastic tape,
but now they are more closely packed and held with adhesives. Consider the
small size of a 12-fiber ribbon: 12 coated fibers, each 250 microns or
10-thousandths of an inch in diameter, create a ribbon only 120-thousandths of
an inch—approximately ¹/8 of an inch—wide. Ribbons can be stacked up in a
cable, so a ¹/8-inch square matrix of 12 ribbons equals 144 fibers. Cable
designs with slotted cores can handle multiple ribbon fiber matrices and cables
with up to approximately 2,000 fibers have been used.
Ribbon cable allows the
largest number of fibers to be incorporated in the smallest diameter cable.
This allows the use of smaller conduit or innerduct for a single cable or
allows more cables to be placed in the same size duct. The smaller size also
means lighter weight, especially if the cable is armored to prevent rodent
penetration. The smaller size and weight allows longer cable runs to be pulled,
reducing the number of splices necessary. Finally, ribbon cable is spliced by
the ribbon, not the individual fiber, so splicing goes much faster.
All this means that ribbon
cable is more cost-effective in longer outside plant runs, but ribbon cable is
now finding a market in premises cabling. The most common application is for
preterminated fiber assemblies, where racks of terminations are created from
modules of 12 jacks of the connector style required by the customer. Each
module has a multifiber connector that connects to a preterminated ribbon cable
that runs between racks. Since the cabling is plug-and-play, the installer
carefully pulls the cables, installs the racks, plugs it together and verifies
the connections.
Preterminated premises
cabling systems have obvious benefits in rapid installation and in creating
large fiber count backbones in small spaces. Ribbon connectors are much smaller
than a dozen traditional connectors, making the ends of the cable less bulky
and easier to pull or place. Not having to terminate each connector can speed
installation and using ribbon terminations saves space in the rack.
However, ribbon cable does
require special tools and splicing equipment. Obviously, you have to open the
cable by cutting the outer jacket and armor, if included, to expose the
ribbons. Next the cable must be cleaned of any water-blocking gel or powder.
Then each ribbon must be separated and handled individually.
Ribbon cable is never
directly terminated; it is always spliced, either to another cable or to a
breakout cable that has been factory-made with a bare ribbon on one end to
splice to the cable being installed and connectors on the other end, made to
the customer’s specification.
Special tools have been
developed for ribbon cable splicing. Fiber strippers are designed to strip all
the fibers in the ribbon at once. To reduce the stress on the ribbon, some
strippers have heaters to soften the coatings for easy removal. Ribbon fiber
cleavers can cleave 12 fibers as quickly as an individual fiber, with equal
precision. Manufacturers offer custom cleavers that have fiber holders that
transfer the fibers directly to the splicer. Fusion splicing machines align and
fuse 12 fibers in practically the same amount of time as a single fiber. Splice
protectors cover the entire ribbon. Since stripping, cleaving and splicing take
about the same time as a single fiber, you can see how efficient and
cost-effective ribbon cable installation can be.
The downside of installing ribbon cable, of course, is all these tools are expensive, especially the fusion splicer. The good news is that manufacturers such as Corning Cable Systems rent them, a much more viable alternative to owning for most contractors.EC
HAYES is a
VDV writer and trainer and the president of The Fiber Optic Association. Find
him at www.jimhayes.com.
Reprinted with full permission of
Electrical Contractor Magazine November issue 2006
Flexibility, Adaptability, Creativity, Technology Needed at Schools Today
Is your school system still teaching the classic three
“R”s of rote, repetition and routine?
Most school districts still
aren’t teaching skills needed for the Information Age. These people don’t seem
to understand that we’re way beyond the Industrial Age. For the most part, they
are teaching the classical three “R”s. I’m not talking about reading, writing
and arithmetic. I’m talking about rote, repetition, and routine.
All of these add up to
regimentation, which is what was needed to assimilate people into the
Industrial Age workforce. At that time, those skills were needed on the
assembly line, which required repetitive actions. Public schools got a
workforce ready for jobs in mass production facilities (or – being more
politically accurate – factories).
In 2005, I ended a column with:
While cute curricula with
whimsical goals, folksy ideals and subtle promotion of political objectives
might sound good in the coffee room, teachers should be pushed out into the
real world and be replaced by those who have worked in it.
If nothing else, students
would get a much broader insight into what they will need in the future and
teachers would get the education they are missing.
What is the shelf life of
education today? How long does a high school diploma serve you (or a college
degree or M.B.A. for that matter)?
Many jobs today require
continual education and being able to create new methodologies from scratch.
Some require the skills to structure and develop a framework of policies and
procedures where nothing currently exists. Still, many students are only
trained to come in and handle routine, repetitive procedures.
FACT-Based Education
What is needed today is
FACT-based education. FACT stands for flexibility, adaptability, creativity and
technology. These are the skill sets needed for today’s and tomorrow’s jobs.
Today, good jobs in any
industry require a multi-faceted person who can think quickly, adapt to new
situations and learning issues and use some capabilities of technology as well
as automated applications that facilitate performing tasks within the industry.
All industries have been
swept into various forms of automated applications for travel, brokerage
functions, financial and medical as well as the more traditional manufacturing
and factory automation systems.
Simply getting a high school
diploma or a GED is not education. What do you really qualify for today with a
high school diploma? Not much. If you have less than that, forget it. Getting a
bachelor’s degree or at least some post-high school vocational skills is the
way to secure a job and some type of career path.
Welcome to Wal-Mart
With more international
competition for jobs and technological consolidation, students need to gain the
right skills and training more than ever to secure jobs in their areas.
With the cheap digital and
satellite communications we have today, call centers can be placed anywhere in
the world. If a country has a good, English-speaking workforce, all the jobs
that people used to do in the
If the new skills aren’t
mastered, the job market looks dismal. While there are a lot of lower-paying
jobs in the retail and service industries, they don’t really pay a living wage.
Even those jobs are getting
shuffled around because of technology. A colleague pointed out that McDonald’s
has consolidated order takers for some restaurants into a call center in
General management skills
that have been overlooked at many universities include writing well and being
able to speak in front of people. As these are key executive skills, why are
they not emphasizing them?
You don’t want to work for
Wal-Mart? Can you get up and speak in front of an audience? Can you put
together a PowerPoint presentation by yourself? Can you write well enough to
produce a full-blown report or an in-depth analysis? Will you only read off a
paper for a speech or delegate a report to someone else to write?
These sound more like the
skills of a Wal-Mart greeter rather than an effective company manager. For
those of you who send out e-mails with lots of typos, do you know what type of
impression that makes to internal and external people?
Casual Doesn’t Mean Homeless
Many people have also said
that sloppiness has crept into the workplace with dress codes that have been
too laid back. The feeling is that companies and other organizations are now
paying the price for this relaxation.
I see a trend at several
places trying to reverse that negative tendency by requiring business dress
during business hours. An owner of a business remarked that he doesn’t want
people to come to work dressed for play. He wants them to come dressed to do
business.
Does that sound too
conservative to some of you? Learn to dress as if you’re taking the corporate
jet to a meeting. Don’t come to work dressed to wash and gas it up. This is
only becoming more and more important as many jobs are up for grabs in not just
the domestic marketplace but the global marketplace as well.
When the education system is
already lacking and leaving you under-prepared for the real world and real
business situations, showing up dressed like you’re going to mow the lawn only
puts you at an even further disadvantage.
Carlinism: If you can’t learn new skills
or how to dress, you might as well practice the Wal-Mart welcome.
James Carlini will be the
keynote speaker at “Justice: Media, Wi-Fi & You,” which is now rescheduled
to Nov. 30 at the Milwaukee School of Engineering. Carlini will also present
how he pioneered measuring building intelligence at the annual BICSI winter
conference in
James Carlini is an adjunct
professor at
Click here for Carlini’s full
biography.
Copyright 2006 Jim Carlini
Ortronics/Legrand Expands Product Management Team
Ortronics/Legrand, a global
leader in high performance fiber, copper and wireless structured cabling
solutions, is pleased to announce the addition of two new product managers to
the current product management team. Rudy Montgelas joins the team as senior
product manager, fiber products, reporting to Michael Hines, director of
product management for fiber and wireless. Al Fixl joins the team as product
manager, copper products, reporting to Gregg Lafontaine, director of product
management for copper.
In their new roles, both
Montgelas and Fixl will have full responsibility for their respective product
lines, including product strategy, new product development, and managing the
product lines to achieve planned growth and profitability. "The expansion
of our product management team will allow us to continue to grow our core
businesses while we increase our focus on medium and long-term growth
opportunities," states Mark Panico, president of Ortronics/Legrand.
Montgelas' work experience
includes his most recent position as director/product group manager of fiber
and cable management products for Hubbell Premise Wiring. Prior to Hubbell, he
was business development manager for Ensign-Bickford Optics Company. Montgelas
holds a Bachelor's Degree in Engineering from
Fixl's work experience
includes product management positions at MEMC, KLA-Tencor, and Schlumberger
Technologies. He holds Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Electrical Engineering
from
New Technology Thwarts Terrorism
By Deborah L. O’Mara
The Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) has released some $399 million for critical infrastructure
protection. Technology often jump-starts in the government market, as the rest
of the industry takes stock of innovation, waiting for the eventual migration
to private sectors and other industries.
These grants are being
distributed to ports, transit and intercity bus systems to strengthen the
nation’s ability to prevent, protect against, respond to and recover from
terrorist attacks, major disasters and other emergencies.
All this activity is sure to
bring new breakthroughs at a rapid pace, moving quickly to encompass high- to
low-risk applications. Indicators of this phenomenon can be seen in most markets.
One comparison is the drop in price of microprocessors, surveillance
technology, night imaging systems (many from the government sector) and even
plasma screens and viewing monitors.
New technologies to detect
chemicals and liquid explosives provide a snapshot of market innovation.
Following the last liquid explosive terrorist attempt, the
The EntryScan portal from GE
Security,
Here’s how it works:
Passengers step into the portal and puffs of air are released as EntryScan
analyzes for traces of explosives in seconds. These units are portable, making
it feasible for nearly instant deployment. An EntryScan4 is lower in height and
footprint.
Portable, mobile solutions
bring security to areas never thought possible. They cost less and require less
labor to install, and that’s critical for integrated systems contractors.
Isonics Corp.,
Remember when biometric
access control was deployed only at high-security and sensitive facilities?
That’s changed too, and now these units, many of which originated from
government beta test sites, are making their way to more campuses and
businesses.
Convergence meets convenience
Ingersoll Rand (IR) Security
Technologies,
“The primary reason we
brought in this device was convenience for students,” said Carolyn McDaniel,
assistant director of Student Affairs Business Operations. “The students said
they don’t want to bring their card. The
The IR reader has a flat
platen with five metal posts embedded in it. When registering, the user places
his or her hand on the platen with each finger touching a corresponding post.
The reader takes three measurements and saves the average to the student’s
account.
Convenience is an important
factor with biometrics, said Bashar Masad, marketing manager, IR Security
Technologies. “If you wire keypads, you can sell biometrics, and it’s a great
way to replace a lock and ‘sell up’ to your customers,” he said.
Portable, multifunction
security is the way to go for many deployment environments. Reading cards and
credentials in a mobile environment allows you to do more with technology, said
Neil Fallon, commercial sales director, Datastrip, Exton, Pa. Datastrip’s
built-in-pixel, digital still camera allows users to enroll individuals at
remote sites and provide photo-based identity matching of criminal suspects and
evidence at crime scenes. Fallon said the small-footprint, portable DSVII
weighs a little over two pounds and offers the power of being able to capture
images, store them on the Datastrip terminal or wirelessly transmit video for
storage and processing at a central control.
“It’s like a small handheld
computer, and the camera provides audit trail parameters. It can be used in all
types of applications where it is too difficult to get a wired infrastructure,”
Fallon said.
Wondering what it all means? The big picture is that security has become a necessity from top to bottom in our society, and certainly, there’s a niche for the electrical contractor. EC
O’MARA is
the president of DLO Communications in
Reprinted with full permission of
Electrical Contractor Magazine November issue 2006
Something big quietly
happened about a month ago here at your industry magazine. ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR launched a newly designed, completely
revamped Web site. In production and planning for almost a year, www.ECmag.com
will be a better link to current information and industry news with increased
functionality.
For frequent visitors, we
have expanded our content and will be featuring more than we had room for on
our previous site. Web exclusives will be updated regularly.
Coming soon will be a new
quick poll where you can weigh in on a variety of industry topics and some fun
ones as well. Also upcoming will be a handy streaming commodity prices scroll,
which will help you better estimate the job costs and invest in futures. Need
to find a specific article or product? You will soon be able to use our
better-than-ever search function, which will get you right where you need to
be.
While reading this month’s
issue, you’ll find references to the new Web site, directing you there to
gather more information. Because the printed magazine has limited space, we’ll
be able to bring you additional content and information on the Internet,
offering you, our readers, a more complete package of resources.
Still, on its own, this
November issue contains some intriguing stories, especially relating to the
electrical contractor’s role in integrated building systems. Rumblings around
the industry really seem to indicate that the EC is no longer limited to
installing conduit, that you have put together a complete product and service
offering to better compete.
Several stories will be of
interest, especially, to the IBS contractor (or to those who are upcoming IBS
contractors!). Just like with our new Web site, the Internet is a source for
information to get you where you need to be. Turn to Jeff Griffin’s “Whole
Building Design: Let the Internet Be Your Guide,” page 140. You can also learn
about the role of an IBS-style contractor and become more versed in security
installations with Susan Casey’s “Niche Marketing: Residential Access Control,”
page 114. Finally, it’s important to know how to price an IBS job. Find what
you need in “Bidding an IBS Job,” by Deborah O’Mara, page 102.
Enjoy your time reading this issue and exploring www.ECmag.com. Bear in mind that we are still working out some of the Web site’s technical kinks—we appreciate your patience! Feedback is welcome, just e-mail your comments to webmaster@necanet.org. EC
—Andrea Klee,
Editor
Reprinted with full permission of
Electrical Contractor Magazine November Issue 2006
Indiana University Honors Interactive Intelligence With Entrepreneurial Award For Innovation
Interactive Intelligence Inc.
(Nasdaq: ININ), a global developer of business communications software, has
received the Indiana University Entrepreneurial Award of Distinction (IUEAD) in
the category of Innovation.
The Innovation Award
identifies companies that have pioneered new systems, products, or best
practices to adapt to the ever-changing business climate, according to Donald
F. Kuratko, executive director of the
“Interactive Intelligence
clearly met our criteria for the Innovation Award with its ground-breaking
IP-based unified communications software, which was first released nearly a
decade ago to address the costly integration requirements introduced by the
large legacy telephony vendors,” Kuratko said. “At the time considered
bleeding-edge, today the company’s all-in-one, bundled suite approach is in use
by major companies all over the world, and as a pioneer of this technology,
Interactive Intelligence continues to be a front-runner, with more than 2,500
global customers, impressive year-over-year growth, and a ‘first-to-market’
approach that gives it a competitive advantage over much larger vendors.”
The Interactive
Intelligence software, first released in 1997, was developed as a unified
communications software suite that’s scalable and standards-based, offering single-platform
architecture designed to eliminate the cost and complexity introduced by
individual point products. The software
is ideal for contact centers and enterprises of all sizes looking to decrease
costs, increase productivity, and improve customer service through more
effective interaction management.
Interactive
Intelligence was founded in 1994 in
The 2nd annual
IUEAD Awards were presented Oct. 19 at the Indiana Roof Ballroom in
The IUEAD Awards are
sponsored by the
About Interactive Intelligence
Interactive Intelligence Inc. (Nasdaq:
ININ) is a global provider of business communications
software and services for contact center automation and enterprise IP
telephony. Interactive Intelligence was founded in 1994 and has more
than 2,500 customers worldwide. Recent awards include the 2006 Network World
200, CRM Magazine’s 2006 Rising Star Excellence Award, Network Computing
Magazine’s 2006 Well-Connected Award, and Software Magazine’s 2006 Top 500
Global Software and Services Companies. Interactive Intelligence employs more
than 400 people and is headquartered in
Cabling Business Magazine Web Glossary a Big Draw
The Cabling Business Magazine
web site is drawing quite a following with regards to its web glossary - the
really only complete telecomm glossary on the web. "Readers are finding
the glossary so helpful with research and it helps clear up some confusing
terms," says managing editor Margaret Patterson. "We feel this is
such a great service for our subscribers that they can now get the information
even faster than before."
For more information about
the glossary - go to www.cablingbusiness.com
and check it out for yourself!
HAI's Omni And Lumina Controllers Now Offer Z-Wave Support
Home Automation, Inc. (HAI),
a leading manufacturer of home control products since 1985, announced that its
award winning Omni and Lumina controllers support Z-Wave technology today at
the Electronic House Expo held in
Z-Wave is a wireless network
protocol used in a wide variety of home automation devices made by numerous
manufacturers. In addition to supporting standard Z-Wave lighting devices, HAI
has worked in partnership with Leviton to support the advanced features of
Leviton's ViziaRF series of lighting control devices, including lighting scenes
and two way communications.
When used with an HAI Omni or
Lumina home control system, Z-Wave devices are ideal for Multi-Dwelling Unit
(MDU) applications. For single family homes and larger applications, HAI
recommends the UPB technology used in HAI Lighting Control (HLC) products. HAI
Omni and Lumina home control systems allow the use of multiple technologies in
a single installation, maximizing both flexibility and choice of devices.
"HAI recognizes the
importance of supporting various technologies so both consumers and installers
can enjoy a range of choices when deciding what products to integrate with an
HAI Omni or Lumina controller," explains HAI President and CEO, Jay
McLellan. "All of our controllers
now support a variety of lighting control products such as Lutron RadioRa, X-10,
Leviton DHC and ViziaRF, Lightolier Compose, ALC Hardwire Lighting, CentraLite,
and of course our own line of HLC products based on the UPB platform."
Next SCTE Live Learning™ Event To Scope Out Ip Multimedia Subsystem (IMS)
The Society of Cable
Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) will present “An Overview of IP Multimedia
Subsystem (IMS)” as the subject of its next SCTE Live Learning™ event, which is
set for Wednesday, Dec. 20 at 2 p.m. Eastern time.
Internet Multimedia Subsystem
(IMS) has become the platform of choice for the rollout of next-generation
IP-based multimedia communications services. IMS originated in the wireless
market and is on cable’s technology horizon in the form of PacketCable™ 2.0.
This SCTE Live Learning™ session will provide a technical discussion regarding
the basic functions and requirements driving the IMS architecture. The session
also will review IMS’s core components and their roles, key interface highlights,
and examine how it has evolved to meet the specific needs of cable.
SCTE Live Learning™—sponsored
by Cisco Systems, Fujitsu, Motorola, and Scientific Atlanta, A Cisco Company—is
a series of live, interactive, web-based seminars offered the third Wednesday
of every month (except June). The events are free for SCTE members and $29 per
seminar for nonmembers. Registration is required and “seats” are limited.
Archived recordings are available to SCTE members only, and at no cost.
The presenter for the Dec. 20
event will be Jonathan Rosenberg, Cisco Fellow, Cisco Systems. Registration is
available in the Education section of the SCTE website, www.scte.org.
NAHB Expects More Than 100,000 Attendees At Annual International Builders’s Show
2007 Show Will be Largest Ever
More than 100,000 housing
professionals are expected to descend on
How large? If you can imagine
walking through every square foot of the landmark
"The International
Builders' Show continues to grow because it is the event of the year for
builders who want to stay on the cutting edge," said NAHB President David
Pressly, a home builder from Statesville, N.C. "With 450 new exhibitors,
an impressive lineup of speakers and some truly amazing show homes, we expect
this year's show to be the best yet and certainly not one to miss."
The exhibit floor will
feature suppliers spanning more than 300 categories ranging across every aspect
of the residential and light commercial construction fields. Building
professionals looking for an edge on the latest in home building technologies
can also visit nextBUILD,[tm] the newly renamed technology component of IBS,
which will showcase more than 200 exhibitors. Builders and their affiliates
will also be able to choose from more than 290 educational sessions and have the
opportunity to earn credit toward a professional designation by attending
pre-show educational seminars. For the first time ever, IBS will also feature
two showcase homes--one new and one remodeled.
With attendance numbers
rivaling a city the size of
The 2007 International
Builders' Show is not open to the general public. Building industry
professionals and their affiliates throughout the housing trades are welcome to
register by visiting the show's newly redesigned Web site at www.BuildersShow.com.
Discounted online
registration ends Jan. 5, 2007. Attendees will be able to register on site at
the show beginning on Sunday, Feb. 4. Visitors can also see what the show has
to offer at www.BuildersShow.com/VTS,
a virtual showcase for exhibitors and their products. IBS exhibit floor hours
are listed below.
2007 INTERNATIONAL BUILDERS'
SHOW
EXHIBIT FLOOR HOURS
Wednesday, February 7, 9:30
a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Thursday, February 8, 9:30
a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Friday, February 9, 9:30 a.m.
- 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, February 10, 9:00
a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
[EDITOR'S NOTE: Complimentary
registration is available to credentialed members of the working press. Visit http://www.buildersshow.com/press
for more information or to register.]
HCM Announce UL Verification of 10-Gigabit Ethernet UTP Cable
Hitachi Cable Manchester
(HCM), a leader in the manufacture of copper and fiber optic communications
cables, announces the Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. verification of HCM’s Supra
10GTM cable. The cable,
tested to Draft 5 of TIA/EIA 568-B.2-10 (Category 6A), is the world’s first
fully verified Category 6A cable. Though
other manufacturers have acquired the easier to achieve channel performance
verification, which includes jacks, patch panels and patch cables, only HCM has
been able to make a fully component compliant Category 6A cable.
Kevin Boisvert, Research and
Development Manager for HCM, described the development process for the Supra
10GTM as challenging.
“Testing to 500 MHz while surpassing the alien crosstalk requirements
was not an easy task. However, with
HCM’s experience in developing and designing unique, high-performance category
cables in shielded, hybrid and bundled cable configurations, I was confident
we’d be able to engineer a cable that would meet and exceed the requirements of
the standard.”
Supra 10GTM is now
available through HCM approved distributors.
For information on where to obtain the new Supra 10GTM,
contact HCM at 800-772-0116 or visit their website at http://www.hcm.hitachi.com/.
UPS Systems: Who Really Needs One
By Darlene Bremer
Simply put, an
uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is a device that provides battery backup
when the electrical power falls to unacceptable voltage levels. There are
currently three types of UPS systems available that provide different levels of
protection, depending on the needs of the application. An offline, or standby,
UPS unit provides backup power to equipment but no power conditioning. A line
interactive UPS is similar to offline technology but provides the user with
voltage regulation. A true online double conversion UPS system offers the
highest level of protection.
“This technology offers
steady power output, backup power and power conditioning,” said Suzette Albert,
product manager for Sola/Hevi-Duty, a part of the EGS Electrical Group,
While many people associate
the need for backup power with lightning or other externally generated
phenomena, 70 to 80 percent of events are actually generated within a facility.
The typical small UPS system will provide backup power for only a few minutes
during these events, providing sufficient time to power down the connected
equipment, ensuring it loads in an orderly manner. Larger systems may offer
enough battery power, however, to last for several hours.
“A real UPS system has no
drop-off time and maintains constant power availability,” said Gus Nasrallah,
senior product manager, power solutions for Leviton Manufacturing Co. Inc.,
Little Neck, N.Y.
UPS systems are used to
protect all types of computer systems, from a single home computer to vast
corporate networks, data servers and data centers, telecommunication systems,
hospitals and biomedical environments.
“An installed UPS system is
appropriate for any application where power supplies and power quality need to
be protected for the security and safety of people, property or data,” Albert
said.
The importance of UPS systems
and the need for power quality and conditioning has grown as computer
applications and telecommunications and automation systems have evolved.
“In today’s around-the-clock
business environment, downtime just isn’t an option,” observed Chris Loeffler,
product manager for Eaton Powerware,
“For example, when
Caterpillar’s Solar Turbine division lost its UPS system, it subsequently lost
$4 million of revenue in just one day,” Nasrallah said.
The use of UPS systems to
guarantee backup power is particularly important in the semiconductor industry,
according to John Goosseff, three-phase marketing manager for MGE UPS Systems,
Trends and advancements
The most current trend,
according to Mark Szalkus, sales application engineering manager for GE Power
Quality, is the demand by owners across industries for increased energy
efficiency.
“Owners want to reduce energy
consumption as much as possible, including the energy used by their UPS
systems,” he explained. In the conversion process from AC to DC and back to AC
power, UPS systems can lose as much as 9 percent efficiency. “Customers are
looking at that power conversion loss as an additional cost and want it
reduced.”
Toward that end, the industry
is researching ways to develop transformerless UPS systems to increase
efficiency during the power conversion process and to develop new ways to store
energy and eliminate batteries. In the meantime, maintenance-free batteries for
UPS systems are in the marketplace. These dry cell, lead acid batteries,
according to Nasrallah, don’t emit carbon, so they don’t require ventilation.
“This feature is a critical factor in data centers or other applications that
must remain cool.”
Another trend in UPS
technology is toward more redundant and modular solutions that allow better
maintainability of equipment without power interruption or risk of load loss,
according to Goosseff. Modular UPS systems eliminate single points of failure
through decentralized static bypass switches and controls that are distributed
within each unit, rather than installed centrally, as they historically have
been. Modular design includes built-in redundancies that provide extra
assurance that if one UPS module in the system fails, the load will
automatically be picked up by the other modules.
“Such redundancies are being
demanded by customers for the added protection and to support the load,”
Goosseff said.
In addition to modularity,
scalability is becoming an increasingly important trend in the market and
allows facilities to upgrade their systems in accordance to changes in load
demands.
A growing trend in data
centers is the demand for UPS systems that have a smaller footprint and that
can reduce energy costs while delivering a scalable and flexible power
protection solution.
“New blade server designs
enable data centers to reconfigure their power system to meet the increasing
demands required by their growth,” said Loeffler. Some blade servers meet these
needs by offering the ability to expand UPS implementation up to 60 kW in a
single enclosure by simply plugging additional parallel UPS modules into the
existing system.
Market opportunities
The UPS system market in the
“The growing pervasiveness
throughout the country of more sensitive electronics and electronic equipment
that is more easily damaged by power outages, spikes and other power anomalies
is one factor driving the growth of the UPS market,” he said.
Demand for UPS systems is
also growing as facilities upgrade or replace existing systems to keep current
with changes and advancements in technologies and efficiency, according to
Albert. “The proliferation of sensitive electronics, from home computers to
offices and factories, is contributing to market growth and making UPS systems
a necessary commodity item.”
Actually, electrical
contractors benefit from any growth in the UPS market since their expertise is
required for the installation of any new or replacement systems.
“All UPS systems, even the
smallest ones, require input power that needs to be wired by a licensed
electrical contractor. And larger UPS systems typically require even more
support from electrical contractors,” Loeffler said. In addition, a large
percentage of UPS systems are being purchased through electrical contractors,
giving those companies additional revenue from the product sale.
More specific opportunities
in the UPS market can be found by electrical contractors in the data center
segment. The prevalence of data centers in the country is growing, and they
require more protected power to run the new blade servers.
“The increased power
requirements of blade servers and the added investment in information technology
(IT) equipment being made by data centers are opening the doors for electrical
contractors to install UPS systems and expand these facilities,” Goosseff said.
The growth of data centers
can partially be attributed to new construction, as companies consolidate their
smaller locations into large, centralized facilities to reduce the overall
operating expenses of their IT departments, according to Loeffler. In addition,
conformance to privacy legislation, such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and
the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), require
additional computing and storage capacity.
“With upper management
constantly pressuring their organizations to meet legal and operational
pressures, the UPS opportunities in this market will continue to grow and
prosper,” he said.
How to succeed
In order to take advantage of
the increasingly growing UPS market, electrical contractors need to understand
how to provide integrated solutions that include all aspects of the technology,
such as batteries and building management systems. Basically, an electrical
contractor should provide a complete protective solution to the customer and
add value to its UPS installation.
“It’s important to understand
the technology to choose the proper system for the application,” Nasrallah
said. Factors to take into account include how much backup time is required by
the end-user and the correct load capacity. “Oversizing the system does not
help the end-user, nor does it provide increased protection,” he added.
Contractors also need to
understand that UPS systems do not solve all power quality and output problems.
Proper grounding must also be maintained and transient surges on the supply
side of the system must be eliminated for the UPS to function properly.
“It’s also imperative,”
Albert said, “to understand the customer’s business and what critical
operations need the most protection.”
Contractors that succeed in
the UPS market will work as partners with the end-user, the UPS OEM
manufacturer and the facility’s engineering consultant in the design process to
ensure that the customer is receiving the optimal system for the application
and the most value. “The contractor can be integral in designing the UPS
system’s infrastructure to optimize its energy efficiency and footprint,” said
Brad Thrash, UPS product manager for GE Power Quality.
The future for UPS systems
includes more intelligent systems with increased robustness, enhanced
scalability and higher power density, according to Loeffler. With more functionality
will come new platform design architectures to ensure the proper level of
protection at all times and optimized system operation.
Demand for clean, reliable
power will continue to drive UPS market growth, predicted Szalkus. “The
continued evolution in technology to meet customer requirements for energy
efficiency will lead to lower operating costs and improved energy storage.”
With growth rates predicted
to be 10 to 15 percent per year in
“The electrical contractor that trains its personnel and understands UPS system applications and technologies can become an extremely valuable source of knowledge and solutions for the end-user,” Nasrallah said. EC
BREMER, a
freelance writer based in Solomons, Md., contributes frequently to ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR. She can be
reached at 410.394.6966 or by e-mail at darbremer@comcast.net.
Reprinted with full permission of
Electrical Contractor Magazine November issue 2006
Whole Building Design; Let the Internet Be Your Guide
By Jeff Griffin
THE idea that it makes sense
for all components of a building to be compatible and to complement one another
is not new. But as buildings and the ways they are used become increasingly
sophisticated and complex, so does the task of planning, designing and
construction to ensure that all systems function together. Indeed, the whole of
a carefully planned, built and efficiently functioning modern building is
greater than the sum of its individual parts and systems.
“The concept of the whole
building process provides a platform for all parties involved in the design,
construction, operation and use of today’s facilities to approach and execute a
project in an integrated fashion,” said Dominique Fernandez, director of the
National Institute of Building Sciences’ Whole Building Design Guide. “The goal
is to create successful high-performance buildings. To achieve that goal, we
must apply the integrated design approach and the integrated team approach to
the project during the planning and programming phases of a project.”
Sound familiar?
For electrical contractors
experienced in design/build projects, the description of the whole building
concept may seem the same as that of the design/build approach to construction.
While many elements are
similar, Fernandez said design/build is a means of executing the larger concept
of the whole building process.
Architects and builders have
long sought to coordinate all aspects of designing and constructing buildings,
but the concept of the Whole Building Design Guide was not formalized until
1997, Fernandez said.
“The Whole Building Design
Guide (WBDG), is the only Web-based portal providing government and industry
practitioners with a one-stop access to up-to-date information on a wide range
of building-related guidance, criteria and technology from a whole building
perspective” she said. “It is a collaborative effort among federal agencies,
nonprofit organizations and educational institutions under the auspices of the
National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS), a not-for-profit,
nongovernmental organization that provides an authoritative national source of
knowledge advice for both the private and public sector of the economy with
respect to building sciences and technologies.”
The whole building approach
is more comprehensive than design/build, taking into consideration operation of
the structure, environmental factors and future requirements or modifications
that may be necessary to keep the structure functional at the highest possible
level of efficiency over its life cycle. It encompasses how the building and
its systems can be integrated with supporting systems on its site and in its
community, and how materials, systems and products of a building connect,
interact and affect one another. It also provides the strategies to achieve
high-performance, low energy, sustainable and secure buildings.
The WBDG Web site,
www.wbdg.org, is an excellent source of information. To summarize some of its
key points, there are two basic components to the whole building process. They
are the integrated design approach and an integrated team process.
The integrated design approach
The WBDG describes the
integrated design approach involving all stakeholders in a project—including
the owner, designers, technical planners, those constructing the structure and
operators of the building—working together to consider project objectives and
the building materials, systems and assemblies from many different
perspectives.
An excerpt from the WBDG
says, “This approach is a deviation from the typical planning and design
process of relying on the expertise of specialists who work in their respective
specialties somewhat isolated from each other.”
Design objectives that must
be considered in concert with one another include the following:
■ Building
accessibility
■ Aesthetics
of both exterior and interior
■ Cost
effectiveness
■ Functional
operation
■ Productivity
of occupants
■