INDUSTRY NEWS
Eaton partners with RMD to enhance customer support network in Scotland
Eaton has appointed RMD – an independent specialist in data centre and server room infrastructure – as a service partner for Scotland . The partnership allows the power management company to ensure that its customers in Scotland can benefit from quick access to local installation and maintenance services from Eaton trained engineers in order to optimise the uptime of their installation and guarantee business continuity .
‘ We have seen an increase in demand within the UPS market in Scotland and are excited to partner with RMD to extend our reach in the area . With the support of a local service partner , Eaton is now ideally positioned to provide customers with flexible power management solutions that meet their long and short term needs ,’ said Steve Spicer , UK service business manager , Eaton .
As an Eaton Authorised Service , Partner RMD provides on site services to Eaton ’ s customers . Its engineers have an in-depth knowledge of Eaton ’ s solutions and have been trained to quickly and efficiently solve any hardware issues using Eaton ’ s proven and comprehensive support methodology . This guarantees that all customers can receive high quality support , as if delivered by Eaton . In addition , RMD can offer a complete Eaton solution incorporating all product ranges from power to rack , and is able to handle the installation and ongoing maintenance in order to provide customers with a complete Eaton power solution .
‘ As an Eaton Authorised Service Partner , not only are we able to provide a quick response to any customer issues , but also the reassurance that comes with Eaton being one of the top UPS manufacturers in the UK ,’ said Gavin Maxwell , managing director , RMD . ‘ RMD has been an Eaton reseller for over 20 years , and now we are proud to be the first company in Scotland to be given the privilege of doing service work on Eaton equipment .’
BICSI hosts successful UK and Ireland conference
BICSI recently concluded its 2016 BICSI United Kingdom & Ireland District Conference . The event took place at The Barbican Conference Centre in London , United Kingdom , where nearly 200 delegates took in education , exhibits and networking .
Several technical sessions took place over the course of the day . A clear focus was placed on the Internet of Things ( IoT ), and additional topics included ‘ The 4 Steps of the Complete Copper Certification Process ’ and ‘ Reducing Uncertainty in Fibre Loss Measurements ’. In addition to presentations , there was strong support for BICSI from conference exhibitors who set up booths to speak with delegates about the latest products and services available to them . The response received from all parties involved was resoundingly positive , and many are looking forward to the next event in the area .
‘ The UK and Ireland District Conference was a success ,’ said BICSI president Brian Ensign . ‘ It is exciting to see such a great turnout at all of BICSI ’ s events around the world . BICSI will continue to plan these conferences and gatherings to reach our entire global audience .’
BSRIA study highlights rise of convergence and the impact of digitisation
A recently published BSRIA market intelligence study shows that a hot topic in the cabling industry is convergence and the impact of digitalisation . With the launch of its ‘ Digital Ceiling ’ Cisco has , with its many partners , boosted the level of interest in convergence , and cabling suppliers and channel players are expecting to see an increase in demand for cabling and , in particular , for higher specification cabling .
The study found that the worldwide structured cabling market declined by three per cent measured in US $ in 2015 , while the increase in copper cables sold by volume was very low indicating – some competitive pressure in the market . A small increase in sales of copper cables is expected in 2016 .
Overall ‘ not much ’ growth is expected from sales of cabling for data points . The main area of future growth is expected to be in the cabling of wireless access points and other services also called distributed building services such as CCTV , access points , access control , AV , whiteboards , digital signage , lighting and BACS / HVAC controls .
Most of the large converged intelligent buildings are new build or major refurbishments in verticals like retail / shopping centres , high end offices , universities , hospitals , airports , sport stadiums , governmental buildings , hotels and luxury departments . Lone Hansen , WMI manager – IT Cable Group , BSRIA , said , ‘ The impact of convergence on the structured cabling market will continue to be limited as the growth in WAPS and DBS is coming from a small base . The main factor that could boost the market is the performance of solutions for the retrofit market . Most of the buildings in the UK and western world date from before 1990 and only 15-20 per cent have been built since 1990 . An estimated 20 – 25 per cent of non-residential buildings in the Western world have a sophisticated enterprise management system . Most buildings have a LAN network although the standard and quality will vary and the option of adding new products and services to existing networks are limited .
‘ The uptake of IP products has increased , particularly for BACS , CCTV and access controls . However , many of these solutions are installed as stand alone solutions and not converged . This is partly due to the silos in the construction industry which each area generally tender separately , which leads to a lack of holistic thinking .’
6