Cable accessories company Tank Industries says the telecommunications industry is picking up, owing to the uptake of fibre-optic cables in domestic and new build commercial installations.

Tank Industries GM Clive Maasch attributes this uptake to companies’ rolling out fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) technologies, which “have bolstered the telecommunications cable market in South Africa”.

He adds that there is a national and global demand for fibre-optic cables and accessories, which is driven by the demand for digital content on smartphones, computers and other smart devices.

“The demand for connectivity and higher data transfer speeds in the cable network has opened many opportunities for us on the telecommunications front.”

To promote Tank Industries’ products and network to telecommunication service providers, the company will attend the FTTH Council Africa conference, which will be held from October 3 to 5 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre and brings together over 600 industry experts in the fibre-optic industry.

Further, the company is in the process of developing a new range of FTTH enclosures at its facility in Steenberg, Cape Town.

The new range of overhead, underground and wall mount enclosures will include improvements in design, performance and price.

“These enclosures are expected to go to market in the first quarter of 2018,” Maasch points out.

“We are able to customise and tailor-make our range of telecommunication cable accessory products to suit our customers’ needs for specific applications or requirements.”

He adds that the company continues to innovate in the knowledge that the fibre- optic revolution, in terms of replacing the old copper network with fibre-optic networks, the Internet of Things and digital communications, are the drivers of the future.

Broadening Footprint Prospects
Tank Industries also provides connectivity products and services for electrical power markets. The primary market focus being utilities, industry and renewable-energy projects.

However, the renewable-energy market has been impacted, owing to the delay in renewable-energy projects being awarded in South Africa.

This has also impacted on Tank Industries’ business negatively, as the company supplies electrical cable accessories for wind and solar farms.

Meanwhile, Tank Industries has been pursuing sub-Saharan African markets and used the African Utility Week expo, held in May, in Cape Town, as a platform to network with other African cable companies, munici- palities and utilities.

Further, Tank Industries represents electronics company TE Connectivity and plans to launch its new Raychem range of 11 kV to 33 kV heat shrink products, which include triple extruded technology for medium-voltage cable accessories, in September.

These products have fewer components than conventional ranges, which means reduced cost of installation and less chance of installation errors.

Maasch points out that the company will hold seminars in the major centres, such as Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg, in conjunction with TE Connectivity to introduce this technology into the market.

He does not expect an uptake in renewable-energy cable accessories any time soon and concludes that, because most of Tank Industries’ business is tender-based, it can take a long time for contracts to realise. Therefore, until renewable-energy business picks up in South Africa, Tank Industries will continue to expand into other African markets.