Innovative solution to cable theft in S Africa

Amid concern over cable theft in various South African industries, clamping and fastening company Band-It’s Ultra-Lok tool has been improved to assist in mitigating cable theft.

Initially designed for a hose assembly where a preformed hose clamp is fed into the tool to apply tension, Band-It distributing company Banding & Identification Solutions Africa local sales representative Matthew Campbell says the Ultra-Lok tool modernises the process of cable bundling, resulting in the cables being secured on cable trays with tamperproof clamps that are difficult to remove.

“The product gives our customers peace of mind that cable theft is no longer a viable proposition because Ultra-Lok clamps the cables securely,” he adds.

Campbell explains that using the Ultra-Lok allows for each cable to be separated individually and for the cable to be attached to the tray.

This significantly reduces entry points for a tin snip or cutter to cut a cable, as it is fastened to the rack.

Improved Design

The battery-powered body of the Ultra-Lok eliminates the need for generators in areas where there is no electricity or access to electricity.

For the new application, Band-It US- and UK-based engineers completely removed the chuck that would be used for drilling.

However, the drive that turns the chuck is still located on the hand drill.

As opposed to the drill driving the chuck, which, in turn, drives the drill bit, the drill drives a threaded bar on the inside of the casing as it would turn a normal chuck and a drill.

On the threaded bar, a gripper block moves vertically through the bar. When the drill is in reverse, the threaded bar starts to turn and drags the gripper block back down the length of the nosepiece, which acts as the gripper.

Band-It European sales manager Paul Clark stresses that it is critical for Band-It to obtain market intelligence from its global markets.

“We engage actively with our distributors such as Banding & Identification Solutions Africa. “We then build a business case for the innovation in question, which includes investigating its applicability in diverse markets such as China. In this manner, we remain much more in tune with our customers throughout the world.”

Campbell concludes that this level of customisation is achieved because the end-user is consulted, as opposed to simply supplying a product from a catalogue.

“This makes us more of an engineering solutions provider than a traditional original- equipment manufacturer.”