Sometimes It Takes a Specialist

How HELUKABEL develops customised solutions for special requirements

How HELUKABEL develops customised solutions for special requirements

The "Special Cables" department at HELUKABEL develops and implements the right solution for every application, no matter how unusual or challenging the task at hand.

Our stock portfolio of cables, wires and accessories comprises more than 33,000 items - and yet, among all these products, it still happens that a customer cannot find the right solution for a specific application. Fortunately, this is not a problem: HELUKABEL’s "Special Cables" department has experienced in-house experts who can develop and implement the right solution for every application, no matter how unusual and challenging the task at hand.

What exactly is a special cable? "Basically, this term encompasses all products that are not in our catalogue," explains Reiner Breckle, Head of Special Cables at HELUKABEL. "These can be quite simple variations of standard products, such as a different colouring or a core cross-section that is not part of our range. But it is most exciting when we have to solve complex technical challenges for very specific applications."

When Reiner Breckle and his team receive a customer request for a special cable, either directly or via a sales representative, they first review it thoroughly. "It is important for us to understand the specific conditions at the user's premises," explains Breckle. "What temperatures and loads is the cable exposed to, is it laid firmly, or does it move, what media does it come into contact with?" The special cables experts clarify these and many other questions in close consultation with customers.

At airports around the world, special cables from HELUKABEL ensure a reliable ground supply for aircraft. (©CAVOTEC S.A.)
At airports around the world, special cables from HELUKABEL ensure a reliable ground supply for aircraft. (©CAVOTEC S.A.)

State-of-the-art Production and Testing Facilities

With this jacking machine, underground cables - for power supply, for example - can be laid underground without the need to dig trenches. A specially manufactured hybrid cable from HELUKABEL makes this possible. (©Herrenknecht)
With this jacking machine, underground cables - for power supply, for example - can be laid underground without the need to dig trenches. A specially manufactured hybrid cable from HELUKABEL makes this possible. (©Herrenknecht)

In its production plants, HELUKABEL has all the technical capabilities required for the manufacturing of sophisticated and complex special solutions. The cables are first sent to the company's own test laboratory and then evaluated under real operating conditions. "Often, disturbance factors occur in practice that were not foreseeable beforehand," outlines Breckle. "In these cases, we make changes until our solution perfectly meets all requirements. Our goal is to provide consistent products of the highest quality.

But even after a special cable has been successfully put into operation, the work for the department is still not over. Often, the application in question evolves over time, which in turn creates the need for adjustments to the cables. "For many customers, we are therefore not just a supplier, but a long-term partner who is involved in many decisions." The know-how and experience accumulated over more than 40 years makes HELUKABEL a reliable partner and the right choice for customers.

The Optimal Solution for Every Application

The results of special cable projects range from small and inconspicuous to huge and spectacular: "Our special cables can be found, for example, in turntable ladders of fire engines, in sewer robots, tunnel boring machines, on oil platforms or in wind power and biogas plants," reports Breckle. The requirements that the cables must fulfil vary as much as their respective applications. "That's what makes our job so exciting and diverse," the department head sums up. "At the end of the day, there's almost nothing we can't do - and of course our customers benefit from that, as we offer them the right solution for every application."

HELUPOWER REFLECT glows in the dark and thus supports rescue forces in their work – another successful project executed by HELUKABEL's special cables department. (©Ralf Kreuels)
HELUPOWER REFLECT glows in the dark and thus supports rescue forces in their work – another successful project executed by HELUKABEL's special cables department. (©Ralf Kreuels)
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