Did you know that on the International Space Station (ISS) there are over eight miles of wires connecting the electrical power system alone? Now think how many connectors there are up there – it’s astronomical! Puns aside, we’re talking hundreds of thousands in total; the story is similar for non-solar systems a little closer to home. Here Amy Wells, marketing and business development manager of connector specialist Electroustic, discusses why connector suppliers and cable harnessing companies make the best of friends. The life of a cable harnesser is a fairly labour intensive one. When crafting wire looms for automated production lines, harnessers will use thousands upon thousands of connectors. The assembly process itself involves stripping the wires and attaching each connector in turn, ensuring a proper fit.
Imagine a production line with 30-40 machines. Envision the different machines, sensors and other devices that require wiring. The amount of harnesses can number into the hundreds. Some will need data, power and control lines and all will need an impressive number of connectors.
Industrial connectors come in all shapes and sizes depending on the types of cables, environment and the nature of the application they’re used in. Some of the ones used in harsh industrial environments have to be water, dust or vibration resistant for instance.
It is unsurprising cable harnessing companies make up a large percentage of our customer base because they are the ones adding the connectors we supply onto the end of their looms. This could be anything from Mil-Spec connectors to terminal blocks depending on the customer’s specifications.
When cable harnessers initially take on a job, they have a shopping list’s worth of connectors they need to purchase. Luckily, we specialise in shopping lists.
Electroustic has been supplying industrial connectors and leads for over 50 years, even before man first walked on the moon. We have a lot of experience in this field that we can offer cable harnessers to make their lives a little easier. We also have technical specialists on hand who love talking intricacies.
Any good connector specialist should also be dedicated to getting the best results for the best price. As a franchised distributor of Amphenol, Hirschmann, Lumberg Automation and Bulgin we can offer a range of quality products for the same job. Well, they do say variety is the spice of life, right? Analysing different options allows us to create the best solution for the job at hand, while minimising the risk of stock shortage.
Connector lead times from manufacturer to supplier can be lengthy, running from anywhere between four to sixteen weeks. To combat this potential issue, a good distributor will always hold a substantial amount of stock on the shelf. When a customer calls up with an enquiry, we’re able to advise them not only on the most suitable choice of connector, but also when they’d need to order by to have the products in time should their requirement not be in stock.
Owing to the veritable feast of connectors in the world, the relationship between a cable harnesser and connector supplier is very important. It’s imperative for most harnessers to have the option to buy in bulk, but also in ones and twos.
In both these cases, cable harnessing companies need to have smart purchasing departments who can get the best prices on products.
Buying in bulk is often the best means of doing this; cable harnessers will have a number of customers who require the same connector. Shopping around might be advisable when buying a single unit, but when purchasing multiple items consolidating suppliers means fewer invoices to process and more reliable delivery times.
Therefore having a supplier who offers a number of brands, keeps good stock levels and can offer volume pricing is key for any cable harnessing company; as is being in the position to sell single units when you’re not kitting out a space station.
At the end of the day, a supplier with good product knowledge and understanding of applications may be able to offer a more cost and time effective connectivity solution.
