All too often, cable management is specified towards the end of a project, with little thought given to the impact it can have on a building environment as a whole. However, if carefully considered and installed properly, it could make all the difference, earning you repeat business. Emma Segelov, head of marketing at MK Electric, gives her top tips for specifying cable management products.
What does the environment need?
Cable management products are often essential in environments such as hospitals, schools, and offices. However, each project will require a different approach in the specification of these products.
For example, in light of the constantly evolving modern workplace, it can be difficult to select the correct cable management products. With offices now containing more technology than ever, with electrical devices such as PCs, printers, phones, tablets and monitors, and the future inclusion of virtual reality, greater cable capacity is usually required – and for this reason, determining requirements like bend radii before beginning an installation is paramount.
Once these parameters have been taken into consideration, a much clearer understanding of what solutions are required will appear, and products such as multi-compartment wall trunking or mini-trunking and conduits for local distribution will likely prove the ideal solution.
How much?
Obtaining as much profit as possible is every business’ core objective. However, this can lead to the specification of the cheapest products to bring down the cost of a project. This has serious potential to negatively affect all parties, as cheaper cable management products can often contain a lower quality or less flexible solution, making them harder to install and less hard-wearing.
Therefore, an electrician should look beyond the initial price of the product and recommend cable management solutions which will stand the test of time and provide savings in the long run. Cable management products that have been specifically designed for ease of installation can dramatically improve turnaround time, enabling electricians to offer a speedy and efficient installation, whilst offering longevity to the building owner.
MK Electric’s Prestige 3D, for example, contains advantages such as pre-drilled trunking bases, that eliminate the need to measure and drill fixing holes, and open top/bottom back boxes which allow unhindered, tool-free cable entry through divider knockouts. Trunking hinge lids, meanwhile, enable cables to be supported by the trunking cover.
Does it look right?
Historically, cable management products have often been more about substance than style, but this is often out of step with customer expectations. With this in mind, manufacturers have improved the look of their products to help complement the style of a range of interiors – whilst addressing the practical requirements of the space too. This proves especially vital in the case of perimeter systems which can make a huge impact on the décor.
MK Electric’s Prestige 3D family of three compartment trunking offers a flexible and high-quality cable management solution. Supporting cat 5e, 6, 6a and 7 compliance, it includes numerous well engineered design features including flat angle and tee curved divider walls that allow data cables to lay in with no loss of capacity and a patented Data Sweep which maintains cable capacity while eliminating the need for bulky corner covers.
Innovative and easy to install, the Prestige 3D family comes with features such as pre-drilled trunking bases and open top/bottom back boxes, whilst offering hinged lids to enable cable support during installation.
For more information please visit www.mkelectric.co.uk.
