Industry is regalvanising itself

While the engine of the construction industry may be idling at the moment, development in ancillary sectors is ongoing. An example of this is a landmark JV between DEWA, ADWEA and Ducab to manufacture high-voltage cable systems.

The new company, called Ducab-HV, will operate from a 22 000 square metre facility in Jebel Ali, scheduled for completion in late 2010. Ducab-HV will be able to supply the region with 30 000 tons a year of 66 kV to 400 kV high-voltage cable.

“As the population in the region continues to grow, so too does the demand for electricity. We believe the only way to meet this growing demand is with a strategically-located facility using state-of-the-art equipment,” said Ducab chairman Ahmed Al Sheikh at the official launch of the joint venture.

This JV is significant for the entire region in that, firstly, it reduces reliance on imported product and, secondly, it helps combat the scourge of sub-standard cable. British Approvals Service for Cables (BASEC) chief executive Dr Jeremy Hodge reveals that sub-standard cable is still finding its way into the UAE and onto major construction sites, as this is such an open market.

What the average building services engineer can watch out for in this regard are cable markings. “If a marking complies with what it should be, it may well be okay. The cables we have seen that are really dangerous have incorrect markings, and the manufacturer’s name is often missing altogether.” Typical problems in terms of cable quality include low copper content and the incorrect materials being used, such as PVC for a low-smoke application.

“The worst example we have picked up recently in the UAE was a bit of fire alarm cable, which is a safety-critical function. In this case, the cores were made out of aluminium and not copper, and hence could not supply as much current. The earth connection was seriously undersised, and probably would not have tripped a residual current device if it had to.

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“The insulation material around the conductors was PVC as opposed to a special silicone material able to withstand the high temperature of a fire. The outside jacket was PVC instead of being a low-smoke jacket,” comments Dr Hodge.

Essentially this was a “completely fake” cable picked up randomly from the open market. “We do quite a bit of ‘mystery shopping.’ We have not got a very concerted programme going in the UAE as of yet, but this is definitely an area we want to concentrate on.

“In the UK we have picked up quite a few major problems with cables, and it is getting worse. The proportion of problems we pick up at the sort of product-recall level has shot up from 40% to 80%. Either we are getting very good at spotting the dodgy cable, or there is an awful lot of it out there. And I suspect we will find a similar situation over here.”

The upside of the downturn, as it were, is that quality, value addition and customer service are coming to the fore. One can no longer afford to pay lip service to these concepts, as these areas are now necessary and vital for growth and development.

Cable might seem to be a lowly component of the entire building product, but the implications in terms of health and safety and overall energy efficiency are hugely significant. This landmark JV is a welcome sign that the UAE is galvanising itself to take advantage of the new global business environment.

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