A range of short informative talks have been developed by Tratos as part of its Academy learning programme to bring a clearer understanding to some important issues affecting the UK cable industry today. The five talks, available for download from Tratos’ YouTube channellook at a number of key cable industry topics and discussion points – all subjects around which Tratos believes there is an array of misleading information. By asking those in the 'driving seat' for their answers, Tratos aims to bring clarity to its employees, customers and other cable industry stakeholders. The five minute talks feature Peter Smeeth General Secretary of the BCA and Approved Cables Initiative, Dr Jeremy Hodge CEO of BASEC and Neil Ancell, Non-Executive Director of Tratos UK.
Cabling technology expert Tratos has supplied tidal energy R&D Company Scotrenewables with a bespoke cable solution for its SR2000 2MW tidal turbine testing programme at the European Marine Energy Centre, Orkney. A follow up to trials on its previous prototype, the SR250 250kW, three years ago, the cable system integrates existing power and communications technologies into a combined, robust solution for challenging tidal environments. Craig Ormsby, Business Development Manager at Tratos said: “We are pleased to supply this innovative cabling solution to Scotrenewables. Tidal power has enormous potential for future power and electricity generation in the UK and across the World and it is rewarding to be involved in such an innovative project.”
Following the British public’s decision to vote to leave the European Union, global cable manufacturer Tratos has reaffirmed its commitment to UK manufacturing. Tratos’ £10minvestment plans, which will create 40 new jobs, remain on course at its Knowsley factory in Merseyside. Tratos, a company with a Pro Euro stance, had an unusual perspective on the UK Referendum – with one foot in mainland Europe – Italy – and the other in the UK, where some of its manufacturing bases are located. Maurizio Bragagni, CEO of Tratos Ltd said: “This is a momentous day for the UK and Europe. The European Union map will be very different moving forward and we look forward to the challenges this may present. As a 50 year old family business, Tratos was an early adopter of a pan-European and now global view of the market place for our cable. The company remains fully committed to cable manufacturing in the UK, for us it is business as usual.”
Tratos has become the newest member to sign the Europacable Industry Charter, joining an elite group of European and worldwide cable manufacturers that have pledged to uphold ethical, sustainablehigh quality cable development and manufacturing. Europacable represents wire and cable manufacturers in Europe. Members include the world’s largest producers as well as highly specialised smallmedium sized businesses from across Europe. Ennio Bragagni Capaccini, vice president of Tratos Group, said after signing the Charter: “We are proud to add our name to the Industry Charter. Its principles mirror our own and we are fully committed to delivering continuous improvement in our business where we can.” Launched in November 2015, the Charter sets out shared industry principles and objectives. It aims for signatories to play a proactive role in monitoring and evaluating emerging issues and finding innovative solutions that produce cables that exceed minimum requirements.
“It took Greenland Three Years to complete its Two Year Exit from Europe Greenland has a population smaller than that of Croydon and has one issue – fish.” Lord O’Donnell
There has been much talk about the volumes of red tape involved in being part of Europe. The UK has been dealing with it for more than four decades and, under all that tape, found something worth the effort.
In the face of all of that enforced uniformity the UK has managed to take the best out of the allegiance - and remain true to itself. Sterling remains while the UK immersed itself in an open market. A vote to go will trigger an avalanche of administration that will make the day-to-day tape-taming pale into insignificance and the chances of the UK emerging within the prescribed two-year exit window are unrealistic at best.
Neil Ancell, non-executive director of Tratos UK, has been appointed vice president of the British Cables Association (BCA), the trade association for British manufacturers of insulated cables, wires and associated products.
Mr Ancell will take on this newly created post as the BCA plays an influential role in not just promoting the interest of UK cables and associated companies throughout the world, but also campaigns through the Approved Cables Initiative to improve the overall quality of cable on sale in the UK today. Mr Ancell’s cabling career spans 49 years, joining Tratos UK in 2008 following the company’s purchase of North West Cables. Tratos is an Italian-owned electrical, electronic and fibre optic cable manufacturer with its head office in London and UK manufacturing facilities in the north-west of England. The company has been a member of the BCA for seven years.
Tratos has once again received the "Company to Watch" award from CERVED, the leading information and statistics source in Italy and one of Europe’s major rating agencies. The award recognises organisations which stand out within their sector for their economic and financial performance. Winners are also judged on their commitment and dedication to the rules and ethics of business. CERVED supports companies that promote innovation and investment, using research and development to benefit and grow their own business and their market sector as a whole. Just over two years ago Tratos received an Award from the UKTI for its substantial investment in the redevelopment of its manufacturing facilities in Knowsley, Merseyside.
Ing Elisabetta Bragagni Capaccini has been appointed Health & Safety Director at global cable manufacturer Tratos. Her appointment comes alongside the company raising H&S responsibilities to board level. A fully qualified electrical engineer, Ing Elisabetta Bragagni Capaccini is granddaughter of the company’s founder, Egidio Capaccini, and steps up from her role as the company’s health and safety officer at its Knowsley factory in Merseyside. Working alongside UK health and safety consultants, ELAS, Ing Elisabetta Bragagni Capaccini, 33, will oversee the implementation of a rigorous programme of continuous improvement at Knowsley to reach ever higher safety standards that will be mirrored in its factories in Italy.
A further £10m investment has been earmarked for Italian-owned Tratos Ltd’s UK base in Merseyside, creating 40 new jobs. The structural expansion work at the Knowsley plant, completed late last year, has expanded the factory four-fold and brought 150,000 sq ft of new industrial and office space into use. The quality of the development was recognised by the Knowsley Business and Regeneration Awards in November last year where Tratos was awarded Commercial Development of the Year.
Cable manufacturer Tratos, which produces cable in Italy and the UK, has won a framework contract worth up to three million euros to supply railway signalling and power cables for Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI). The company’s hard-surface, high resistance, ultra-flexible cabling is built to withstand abrasion and high stress-levels, so is ideally suited for rail applications. The combination of a European manufacturing base’s standards, high performance and the cable’s generous bending radius for easier installation won particular favour over imports from the Far East and the company will supply the special 3kv cable over the next five years.
Approved Cables Initiative (ACI) believes the practice of testing golden samples and ignoring the value of third party approval and independent testing risks flooding the market with substandard cable. The ACI understands that not only are some manufacturers producing golden samples* to meet specifications and standards and in some instances to obtain a third party test report, but this summer, a cable manufacturer secured an order by supplying golden samples from another legitimate cable producer.
An academy to further develop the skills of the Knowsley employees of cable manufacturer Tratos will deliver the first of its training modules this year. The idea for the academy prompted an in-depth survey of the Merseyside workforce, an exercise which revealed significant optimism about the future for the plant and Tratos’ ambitions for the company as a whole. It also helped assess current skills and knowledge and included views of senior management and the sales team as well as the Knowsley workforce. Described as an education approach, the academy’s structure will allow modules to be delivered anywhere across the company’s all around the world and will be open to long-standing colleagues as well as new employees.
World-leaders from the telecommunications industry gathered at the Tiber Valley in Pieve Santo Stefano for a landmark event, hosted by Tratos. One of the most anticipated events in the industry’s calendar, the focus was on the development of broadband and ultra, and ambitious goals to serve the European Digital Agenda. Tratos demonstrated its commitment to retaining its place as a European leader in the production of cables and fibre optics, research and the continuous development of new technical solutions. The venue was, as every year, the company’s birthplace in one of the most beautiful parts of Italy. The company has grown to more than 400 employees, fostering trade relations with 52 countries around the world and developing manufacturing sites in Italy and England. This year's conference, titled "Cabling metro and FTTH networks", was divided into two parts: a strategic view, where leading members of the National Telecommunication Operators presented their insights in the field of broadband networks and ultra, and a second that had a technical focus and included analysis of field-proven solutions.
A new series of optical fibre cable has been designed by Tratos Ltd specifically to increase domestic broadband speed and reliability. It’s faster and easier to install too. Its last-mile network fibre optics hold the potential for significantly faster response to the demand for development of broadband connectivity. The Anglo Italian cable company predicts it will be a key facilitators for this, one of the most rapidly developing sectors in the next few years. With its FTTH (Fibre to the Home) range, Tratos has developed a super-simple solution for different installation systems. These cables can be used inside buildings to connect individual flats. Run from the bottom to the top of the building, one or more of the cables in the bundle can branch off at any point and connect in end users’ homes. The new wiring, for single and multiple-dwellings, also incorporates a complete indoor fibre solution. Part of the challenge for FTTH is the diverse range of environments presented by the diversity of buildings’ infrastructure. In existing structures FTTH wiring is very often installed as the third network infrastructure in a building where, in the past, twisted pair copper and coax cabling would have been installed.
Anglo/Italian cabling company Tratos will facilitate power for the Rugby World Cup at Twickenham, applying its subsea cabling technology to combat the challenges of the stadium’s high water table. The company, which manufactures in the UK and Italy, and has offices around the world, was approached earlier this year by project consultants ME Ltd, because of the particularly difficult nature of the environment. Cable would have to maintain its integrity despite constant immersion; and time would be critical. The Rugby World Cup started this month (September) and the stadium couldn’t afford the risk of power outage. That left an eight-week turnaround for Tratos.
Tratos Cavi has sponsored ‘Premio Capaccini’ for the 16th year running, awarding the best high school and secondary school students in the vicinity of its headquarters in Pieve Santo Stefano, Tuscany, Italy with cash prizes. Following WWII, Egidio Capaccini left the physically and economically devastated Southern Tuscany for Argentina where he was employed in a factory making cables, eventually becoming manager of the factory. In the early 1960s Egidio returned to Italy, using his experience to establish Tratos Cavi. Employees were drawn from the remnants of the textile industry that had once flourished in Southern Tuscany as their experience proved useful when it came to covering the cables with textile, as was the practise at that time.
Tratos Cavi Spa has been awarded the multi million pound contract to supply the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam with low and high voltage cable. The new EEPCO (Ethiopa Electric and Power Corporation) dam, which is due to be completed in 2017, is located on the Nile River in North Western Ethiopia and will be the largest in Africa with the capacity to hold up to 66 billion cubic metres of water and generate15,100 Giga WH per year. It will feature two powerhouses at the foot of the dam, one either side of the river, housing ten and five Turbine Units each. Tratos was awarded this prestigious contract by Salini Costruttori Spa as a result of the quality of its cable which has to work under high ambient temperatures, its ability to meet the customer’s tight schedule and because of Tratos’ positive environmental record.
MW FIRESAFE SYSTEMis a universal pre wired fire alarm and detection installation to BS5839:2002, suitable for addressable systems. Since 1995, Modular Wiring Systems Ltd (MWS), have been at the forefront of plug ‘n’ play low voltage (LV) electrical distribution installations. Now, with the introduction of the MW FIRESAFE SYSTEM, MWS moves into the field of plug and play fire alarm and detection installations. This has been made possible thanks to the vast cable experience that has been brought into the company, since the acquisition of by the cable manufacturers Tratos Ltd who have been in the cable industry since 1966.
With copper worth more than two and half times its cost in 2009, the theft of copper cables has soared alongside the price. Organised gangs – sometimes using stolen BT vans to disguise their actions – are stealing the cable to strip out the copper and sell. In the process they are disabling crucial communications, including the emergency 999 services, railway signalling and even air-traffic control systems. Thieves stealing or damaging railway cables cost Network Rail £3.5m compensation for train operators in the North East and Yorkshire alone in the financial year 2008/9 - up by £1.7m on the previous year.
We were delighted to welcome Consul Nunzia Bertali of the Liverpool Italian Honorary Consulate on Thursday 27th October to our factory in Knowsley, Merseyside in our 30th year of operation in the UK. Tratos’ Export Director Dr Maurizio Bragagni provided the Consul with a tour of the premises which have recently benefitted from a £1 million investment to ensure its long term survival as one of the last remaining cable manufacturers in the country. We are pleased that the Italian government shows an interest and supports the activity of our companies abroad.
Cable manufacturer Tratos Cavi has produced a colour booklet celebrating the beautiful Valtiberina valley in Tuscany where it has operated its manufacturing facility for over 40 years. The 32 page ‘Discover Valtiberina’ guide explains the geology, flora and fauna of this picturesque valley, along with the human history dating back to the Palaeolithic period through the Bronze Age, Etruscan and Romans, Renaissance and right up to the present day. It examines the impact man has had in the region, including the building of the Montedoglio dam, as well as the many towns and villages, the most notable of which is the ancient town of Pieve Santo Stefano. The valley is home to a number of industries, the largest of which is Tratos, which has two manufacturing plants employing 300 people, with a turnover well in excess of 150 million Euros.
Held in the centre of the fastest growing markets, the Middle East Electricity (MEE) in Dubai is one of the most important electrical exhibitions bringing suppliers and consumers together. This year’s edition saw, 1043 exhibitors form 56 countries, exhibiting products covering all aspects of the electrical field from power generation, power distribution, power control, lighting, lighting controls, and renewable energies. Tratos - Modular Wiring Systems Ltd was one of the exhibitors showing its innovative modular power distribution system and cable products to the inquisitive attendees. Modular Wiring Systems Ltd has been a subsidiary of Tratos Ltd since 2008 and has since benefited from the vast cable experience that Tratos has been able to bring to the merger.
Tratos is pleased to announce the launch of an innovative new MV Overhead Bare Conductor made with annealed aluminium extruded around a supporting steel core. The conductor has been developed in conjunction with Italy’s largest power company Enel SpA, Cesi Ricerca SpA as a cost-effective alternative to standard Overhead Conductors. With the cost of copper and aluminium base metals having risen dramatically during the past decade and set to continue, traditional Overhead Conductors are becoming increasingly expensive and are also prone to theft. The new MV Overhead Bare Conductor developed by Tratos and its partners does not use copper, bringing the cost down. In fact the new Overhead Conductor has wide ranging cost benefits as not only does it come at a lower price point, but in line operational and end of life dismantling costs are reduced.
Modular Wiring Systems, the subsidiary of Tratos Ltd, has opened its first overseas office, in Dubai’s Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza). The new Modular Wiring Systems office in Jafza is fully staffed with personnel trained and experienced in Modular Wiring Systems’ product portfolio and services, allowing the company to target countries across the UAE and beyond. The same exacting level of professional service provided in the UK, from assisting in design through to system supply and after sales support, can now be offered across the Middle East.
Tratos has been awarded a contract to supply Iraq's state-owned Midland Refineries Company (MRC) with cables for installation at the Daura Refinery in Baghdad. A range of power cables, high temperature cables and fire resistant cables have been supplied to MRC, a new customer for Tratos, as part of the modernisation process of the Refinery. The Daura refinery, located in the south of Baghdad, was constructed in 1953 and started operations in 1955. It daily produces 3 million litres of gasoline, 1.5 million litres of kerosene and 2 million litres of gas oil, along with other products going to local power plants and industrial use.
Modular Wiring Systems has designed, manufactured and supplied modular power and lighting distribution systems for Kings Cross Station in London, a Grade 1 listed building. Working with English Heritage to protect the station building whilst also transforming it into a world class transport hub, Modular Wiring Systems has designed the distribution systems to run underfloor throughout the station, with the exception of the platforms. Where this is not possible, cables will be run through small 80mm holes in the walls. Such restrictions require exceptional system flexibility, which was found in Modular Wiring Systems’ products and design process.
Tratos contributes to the distance support program of AVSI, a non-profit, non-governmental organisation. This offers an actual possibility to overcome situations of extreme need and to enhance personal talents. Distance support contributes to improve the daily life of children and adolescents, without uprooting them from their family, social and cultural contexts. For more information or to contribute to the activity of AVSI please visit the web site www.avsi.org
On a regular basis we get asked for CE certification on our cables. Not one of our cables is CE certified. In fact, no cable is CE certified. To go one step further, not a single product anywhere in the world in CE certified! Surprised? Well you shouldn’t be as CE certification doesn’t exist. CE marking exists, but CE certification doesn’t. Despite what you might think, I’m not being pedantic here. There is an important point to be made and one the European Commission has been actively addressing over recent months. Although CE marking has been in place for over 15 years, many people in the electrical industry don’t understand what it stands for, either assuming it is a label indicating the product to which it applies has been made for the European market, or thinking it is a form of certification relating to the quality of the product. It is neither of these things.
Modular Wiring Systems has designed, manufactured and supplied modular power and lighting distribution systems for England’s most environmentally friendly council building ever commissioned. Birmingham City Council’s new Woodcock Street offices in Aston are the Council’s largest single investment in a new staff workplace in over a Century and boast seven sustainability features, including rainwater harvesting and a brown roof for wildlife. It will be home to 2200 fixed desks over five storeys, plus areas for non fixed desks for a further 500 staff. Modular Wiring Systems has designed, manufactured off site and supplied multi functional power and lighting distribution systems with standard Point to Point and switching and DALI control for the new offices.
Unfortunately we are experiencing issues in the ordinary activiesdue to the heavy snow in our area, this is beyond our control and we hope the issue is resolved as soon as possible.
Temporary truck ban is in force in all provinces of the Tuscan applies to over 7,5 ton gross load trucks 1st February 2012
(AGI) Rome - In the center north, the snow fell for over 20 hours on 1000 km of highways, as confirmed by Autostrade per l'Italia. According to Civil Defense, a storm that generated over the Atlantic continues to impact large areas of the Italian center north. Snow is falling, sometimes very intensely, over the highway system in Lombardy, Emilia Romagna, Tuscany and Umbria. Since yesterday at midnight and until needed, a temporary TIR ban is in force in all provinces of the Tuscan, Marche and Umbria regions. The ban applies to over 7,5 ton gross load trucks. In the Emilia Romagna provinces the ban has been activated at 2:00 AM this morning. read more on www.agi.it (sourse AGI)
Established in 1994, Modular Wiring Systems provides a complete design, manufacture and supply service for high and low level modular sub-circuit distribution systemsprefabricated off-site. Modular Wiring Systems is a subsidiary of electrical cable manufacturer Tratos Ltd. Essentially utilizing the circuit lines of a traditional distribution system, a modular wiring system is actually designed and prefabricated off-site in a plug and play format. When delivered to site, the system requires minimal hard wiring - every part of the system is connected using the provided installation drawings and product codes, making it extremely quick and simple to install. The systems are available as radial and ring mains up to 32amps.
Tratos Cavi Spa, has invested £1 million in its Tratos Ltd. manufacturing facility in Knowsley, Merseyside to ensure its long term survival as one of the last remaining cable manufacturers in the country. The investment has primarily been made in equipment, including a new £450,000 drum twister and two extrusion lines purchased from the receivers of B3 Cables in Ireland, which have been completely refurbished. The extrusion lines are 150mm PVC/PE extrusion line for insulation of power cable conductors or sheathing cable up to 30mm diameter and a multi-purpose line for sheathing cables up to 60mm diameter with PE or PVC plastics; the latter has been purchased with Skaltek pay-off and take-ups.
2011 for many manufacturers across Europe was a bad year. In fact, it was bad year following on the back of a period of bad, financially unstable years with an unclear future ahead. Not so for European cable manufacturer Tratos, which began to reap the benefits of its investment in its European manufacturing facilities in 2011 and is looking forward to the coming years with enthusiasm. Albano Bragagni, President of Tratos for over 35 years, has clearly been an influential figure in the history of the company and its success, but he is not the type of man to sit back and reflect on past glories: “In manufacturing you have to continually strive for improvement in every aspect of your work. With low cost competition from the Far East and uncertain economic times, this has never been truer.
10.02.2012 – APM Terminals Crane & Engineering Services, TMEIC Corporation, Banner Engineering Europe, Gaussin, Phoenix Products and Moffatt & Nichol have become the latest companies to join the Port Equipment Manufacturers Association (PEMA). A wholly-owned subsidiary of global terminal operator APM Terminals, APM Terminals Crane & Engineering Services (CES) is a major provider of consultancy services in port and terminal equipment design. Among its crane supply services, the company offers technical support for tendering and purchase processes, crane specifications, project management, design review, quality assurance, commissioning supervision, inspections, assessment and training.
Tratos Cavi is pleased to be the host for thePort Equipment Manufacturers Association (PEMA) Autumn 2011 Meeting at the company’s global headquarters in Bagno di Romagna, Tuscany, Italy, to be held 13-14th October 2011. PEMA’s mission is to provide a forum and public voice for the global port equipment and technology sectors, reflecting their critical role in enabling safe, secure, sustainable and productive ports and thereby supporting world maritime trade. Its regular Meetings provide members with the opportunity to exchange of views on global trends in port equipment and technology design, manufacture, operation and maintenance.
Tratos Ltd exhibited a range of its products designed specifically for the railway industry at SPE Offshore Europe 2011 Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition (6-8th September) in Aberdeen where its subsea umbilical cables will take centre stage. SPE Offshore Europe attracts thousands of professionals in the upstream industry – including engineers, technical specialists, industry leaders and experts – providing them with the opportunity to engage suppliers face-to-face. Tratos, whose primary market is the oil and gas industry, showed its extensive range of hydraulic, electro-hydraulic and electrical umbilical cabling for subsea oil and gas extraction and Oil&Gas BS6883 cables.
Electric and fibre optic cable manufacturer Tratos has launched a new BS 8436:2011 low voltage cable for installation in partition walls and behind plaster. The new cable is a cost-effective alternative to traditional conduit wiring and small sizes of armoured cable. A multi-core wiring cable with an aluminium screen directly under the outer sheath, the new 300/500V Tratos cable was put through its paces during a Nail Penetration Test. The purpose of the test is to determine whether the metallic screen will carry the fault current required for a protective device to operate within a given time if the cable is penetrated by a nail or similar fixing. The requirement of the standard is that when six samples of the completed cable are tested, there shall be no failure of any sample at the selected test current. The new Tratos cable passed with flying colours.
Tratos organised a free conference on Fibre to the Home (FTTH) on 8th September 2011 at its main headquarters in Pieve Santo Stefano, Arezzo, Italy. The full day conference, which has been organised in conjunction with Tyco Electronics, features a range of topics and guest speakers, including Andrew Oliviero of OFS examining the latest developments in bend-insensitive fibres for FTTx applications and Jan Vandenbroek of Tyco Electronics looking at where we are now with FTTH and what the future holds. Other guest speakers come from Open Access Telecom Italia, TiLAB Telecom Italia and Fastweb S.p.A. The conference will be opened by Tratos Cavi President Albano Bragagni.
Tratos are delighted to announce their participation at: Offshore Europe 2011 - 6th-8th September 2011 -Stand 3E151 - Aberdeen - UK
Tratos will be exhibiting at this year’s SPE Offshore Europe 2011 Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition (6-8th September) in Aberdeen where its subsea umbilical cables will take centre stage. SPE Offshore Europe attracts thousands of professionals in the upstream industry – including engineers, technical specialists, industry leaders and experts – providing them with the opportunity to engage suppliers face-to-face. Tratos, whose primary market is the oil and gas industry, is looking to impress such visitors to the show with its extensive range of hydraulic, electro-hydraulic and electrical umbilical cabling for subsea oil and gas extraction and Oil&Gas BS6883 cables.
Both internally and externally, the activity of the Tratos Cavi SpA is based on observance of the principles set out in this Code, the cornerstone of the Tratos Cavi SpA’s organizational model and system of internal control, in the belief that ethical business conduct is also a condition for a firm’s success. Accordingly, Tratos Cavi SpA has adhered - and encourages all the companies in the Group to adhere - to the United Nations Global Compact on. human rights, labour standards, protection of the environment and the fight against corruption; it ensures the complete fulfilment of this institutional undertaking by carrying out initiatives in the environmental and social fields.
The certification is for the management and control of environmental systems at Tratos’ sites throughout Italy and follows the recent announcement of the same award for Tratos’ UK site. The various sites provide design, manufacture and supply of flexible cables and cords, instrumentation and control cables and power cables, as well as insulation and sheathing materials used on these cables.
Tratos will be running a free conference onFibre to the Home (FTTH) on 8th September at its main headquarters in Arezzo, Italy. The full day conference, which has been organised in conjunction with Tyco Electronics, features a range of topics and guest speakers, including Andrew Oliviero of OFS examining the latest developments in bend-insensitive fibres for FTTx applications and Jan Vandenbroek of Tyco Electronics looking at where we are now with FTTH and what the future holds. Other guest speakers come from Open AccessTelecom Italia, TiLAB Telecom Italia and Fastweb S.p.A. The conference will be opened by Tratos Cavi President Albano Bragagni.
Television presenter Dom Littlewood is to raise the stakes in the ACI’s battle to beat defective cable when the extent of the problem is to be highlighted to viewers of BBC One’s Fake Britain programme on Thursday 26th May at 09.15. Producers for the programme were keen to bring the issue of defective cables to the attention of the public in its new series. The Fake Britain programme included footage filmed last year as part of the BBC’s investigation and highlights one of the key problems associated with defective cables - the reduction of copper in cables and the dangerous results such practices can present. As part of the feature viewers were able to see testing of fire performance cable, which is used in essential fire alarm wiring in schools, hospitals and other public buildings, and how cables with reduced copper levels fail current British Standards. During the feature investigators are also taken to a storage warehouse to show how much defective cable has already been seized as part of the ACI’s (Approved Cable Initiative) investigations.
Modular Wiring Systems, a subsidiary of electrical cable manufacturer Tratos Ltd, has designed, manufactured and supplied modular power and lighting distribution systems for the award winning Ropemaker Place office development in London.
British Land's Ropemaker Place is a 603,000 square foot 20 storey office building primarily designed for professional and financial services occupiers. The development has won a clutch of awards, including a prestigious British Construction Industry award in the Major Project category for its high quality design, innovative construction and super energy credentials.
ITER representatives, together with ENEA and EU-DA staff, visiting the recently completed 800 jacketing line at Criotec. On 11-12 May, ITER representatives visited the cable manufacture and jacketing facilities in Italy that are under contract with the European Domestic Agency to provide part of the completed conductors for ITER's toroidal and poloidal field magnet systems. The European contribution to the conductors of the ITER magnet systems represents approximately 20 percent of the entire amount of the Toroidal Field (TF) conductor lengths and 12 percent of the Poloidal Field (PF) lengths.
Tratos Ltd exhibited a range of its products designed specifically for the railway industry at Railtex 2011, 14-16th June at Earls Court, London including its market leading Tratos Rolling Stockhigh temperature cables.
TOC Europe 2014, at Excel, London, has once again proven to be another successful event for Tratos.
Due to Tratos having a large manufacturing base in the UK and offices in the heart of London a strong presence was guaranteed at the event and of course being one of the leading cable manufacturers at the exhibition.
Always a popular stand at previous events this year saw an unprecedented amount of visitors, our Tratosflex range of products along with the opportunity for clients both existing and prospective to meet our Technical and Sales teams, all with vast knowledge and experience of the industry, once again made Tratos one of the most talked about stands at the exhibition.
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On the 5th November 2014, Tratos attended and hosted a stand at the Share Fair in Aberdeen. The event, hosted by Oil & Gas UK; the leading representative organization for the UK offshore oil and gas industry – an organisation of which Tratos is a member – had a total of 1400 registered delegates this year. With the success of the exhibition in Aberdeen, Tratos has been able to once again advertise our strong position within the UK oil and gas market and proved to attract a high level of interest for the company’s stand, thereby increasing contacts and company awareness. With one of our offices based in Aberdeen, the locality of the event helped to promote our position within the oil and gas industry in the UK.
Tratos has launched the innovative and cost-effective Tratos Microcable solution for Open Settlement Protocol (OSP) applications in the Broadband market. Tratos Microcable contains a high-fibre density yet is exceptionally compact and lightweight, thus maximising the fibre count available in a small cable diameter. It is produced in stranded loose tube design and is available in fibre counts from 144 up to 192, with outer diameters ranging between 4.0 and 7.5mm; in fact, the 7.5mm Tratos Microcable incorporating 192 fibres is actually the smallest such cable in the world today.Even with the maximum number of fibres incorporated, Tratos Microcable remains flexible (it has a minimum bending radius of 15 x outer diameter without tension) and lightweight enough for air-blown installation in very small ducts or sub ducts using Tratos Microduct. Furthermore, Tratos Microcable requires fewer joints in installation, providing reduced resistance when being passed through the ducting. As a result, Tratos Microcable is ideal for installations where duct space is at a premium and has the added benefit of being easy to handle and install. It also provides a simple, neat and commercially viable solution to upgrade a network at a later date as fibre is simply deployed as and when needed. Tratos Microcable can be used in operating temperatures of -30°C / +60ºC. It has been designed and manufactured to IEC 60794.
Tratos has recently completed the construction of the largest Faraday cage test site in Europe, at the company’s headquarters in Pieve Santo Stefano, Italy. Measuring 24m x 16m and standing at 14m high, the new Faraday cage enables Tratos to effectively administer AC resonant tests on site, allowing testing of up to 220 kV of nominal voltage cables, of up to 20 km in length. AC resonant testing is now the standard method of testing higher voltage cables. However, it is vital that AC resonant tests are carried out in a controlled environment, and this is exactly what the new Faraday cage provides. The facility incorporates a new innovative locking system to ensure perfect shielding from any sort of external interference. Inside is state of the art instrumentation and equipment for testing and an adjustable high voltage reactor which, together with the exciter and the regulator, comprise the heart of the system.
Tratos have recently opened a new Faraday cage, based at one of our manufacturing sites in the area of Pieve Santo Stefano, Italy. The largest Faraday cage in Europe. The opening ceremony was a successful event with over 100 visitors from all around the world. We were delighted to receive our clients including Enel, Terna and members of Tratos approval systems such as IMQ and Dr Jeremy Hodge, chief executive of BASEC. Additionally pleased we were by the presence of the local authorities. The Faraday cage is an investment of approximately € 6 million and is the latest one of a long series that the company has made in the last decade and that will continue in the future. This major project strengths and certifies the quality of HV cables as the Faraday Cage enables effectively to administer AC resonant tests on site, allowing testing of up to 220 kV of nominal voltage cables, of up to 20 km in length.
Tratos is renowned in the industry for manufacturing cables of exceptional quality and design. However, what some might not be aware of is our full Engineering, Procurement, Construction (EPC) service with comprehensive after sales support provision. This ‘added value’ service is available to all our customers worldwide. As an EPC company, we are able to carry out the detailed engineering design of a project, procure all the equipment and materials necessary, and then construct the application to deliver a functioning asset to clients, with a full after-sales support service following its completion. This service has been developed over the past few years and has already seen great success in the field.
The 4th Basra international oil & gas conference & exhibition 2013, in Iraq, has been another successful event for Tratos Ltd. Our stand included the special Tratos JBA cable range which we have specifically designed for the difficoult application of the offshore industry. Tratos had a strong presence at the event as one of the few leaders cable manufacturers exhibiting.
The 3rd Edition of Basra International Oil & Gas Conference & Exhibition, the largest oil & gas show in Iraq opened its gate to 18,000 visitors from over 35 countries in 2012, proving itself as an effective international exhibition. The event turned out to be the largest event in Iraq’s oil & gas sector this year as it was in last year. As well as international and local industry professionals, officials from state companies and ministries (Ministry of Oil, State Company for Oil Projects, South Oil Company, South Gas Company, Iraq Drilling Company and Missan Oil Company) joined this important summit.
The British government, UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) and the British Consulate-General in Milan announced the winners of the seventh edition of the UK-Italy Business Awards on the 23rd January 2014. Tratos received the Industrial Investment Award. The award was presented by Christopher Prentice CMG, HM Ambassador to Ing. Albano Bragagni (President Of Tratos Ltd) and Dr. Maurizio Bragagni (CEO of Tratos Ltd). The event was held at Palazzo Mezzanotte, home of Borsa Italiana, part of the London Stock Exchange Group. Present were; Massimo Tononi (Chairman of Borsa Italiana), Raffaele Jerusalmi (CEO of Borsa Italiana), Michael Fallon (UK Minister of State for Business and Innovation and Minister of State for Energy), Flavio Zanonato (Italian Minister for Economic Development), Christopher Prentice CMG (HM Ambassador to Italy), and Vic Annells (HM Consul General and Director General of UKTI Italy).
Tratos’ recent Exhibition and Conference held in London was very well attended and proved to be an excellent forum for people to meet, network and discuss the issues surrounding electrical cables and associated products such as joints, junction boxes and glands. The event was aimed at consultants, engineers, specifiers, procurement personnel, electrical contractors, M&E consultants and construction professionals working in utilities, rail and mass transit, oil, gas and renewables, ports and solar phv. Specific sessions also took place on Carbon Hybrid Overhead Conductors for energy transmission; high performance fire, water and shock resistant cables for oil, gas and mass transit applications; 66 kV cables for Subsea Array applications; alongside a main conference paper on the CPR (Construction Products Regulation).
Modular Wiring Systems has won the order to supply pre fabricated power and lighting distribution systems for multiple floors of The Chessegrater. Soon to be one of London’s most iconic landmarks.
The skyscraper, due for completion in mid-2014, is designed by Richard Rogers and informally known as The Cheesegrater because of its distinctive wedge shape. 122 Leadenhall Street is an address on Leadenhall Street in London where the 225 m (737 ft) tall Leadenhall Building is currently under construction.
We report a interview of the Financial Times to the CEO of Tratos Uk Maurizio Bragagni.
"Fourteen years ago Maurizio Bragagni arrived in London unable to speak a word of English. An employee in his family’s telecoms cable business, Tratos, he had spent his entire life up until then in northern Italy. Today he is chief executive of the UK arm of the company, Europe’s only independent cable manufacturer still making its product on the continent, and he punctuates his conversation with archetypes of the British vernacular such as “brilliant” and “pragmatic”. Mr Bagagni’s uncle, Albano, is president of the parent company, Tratos Cavi, but Mr Bragagni’s responsibilities now extend to overseeing all the group’s companies outside Italy. Although his wife and four children live close to the global headquarters of Tratos in the picturesque hills of Tuscany, Mr Bragagni spends a substantial amount of time in London, both managing his business and completing an EMBA – an MBA for working executives – at Cass Business School...
Being shortlisted for the Finance Director Awards 2014, which celebrates the achievements of leading individuals and businesses within the Chester, Liverpool City, North Wales & Warrington regions, could not be more befitting for Tratos’ Group Finance Director Kevin Martin. Born and bred in Merseyside, Kevin has worked in the region for over 30 years helping businesses and not-for-profit organisations thrive through good financial management. At Tratos, Kevin has been instrumental in helping deliver the company’s expansion plans in the North of England and worldwide. Here he talks about how Tratos’ culture of team work and sound financial performance is helping secure and create jobs in the region. “A good Finance Director is always able to discuss solutions, rather than present problems. At Tratos, as a result of excellent team work, this is exactly what we do”, says Kevin.
Tratos Cavi Spa continues to strengthen its presence in the industry as one of the major European manufacturers of Electrical, Electronic and Fibre Optic cables. The success of the company is testament to uncountable hours of hard work and incredible dedication. But no success story happens overnight. So where does the Tratos story start? Who better to tell us than Dr Ennio Bragagni Capaccini, Vice President, who remembers the story of his late Grandfather, Egidio Capaccini, and how he came to be the founder of Tratos Cavi spa. “It is said that every end marks a new beginning. For my Grandfather, Egidio Capaccini, that time came at the culmination of the Second World War. His home town in Southern Tuscany had been almost completely destroyed by the Germans and, with little or no work available, he packed his bags and travelled to Argentina to find employment. After taking work in a new company as a General Worker for a year, fate stepped in and Egidio was offered a job in a factory making cables. With his passion and natural aptitude for business, he swiftly rose up the ranks to become the General Manager, as well as a shareholder in the company.
Tratos is a specialist supplier of mining and tunnelling equipment that is used at applications worldwide. The group is one of the most trusted suppliers of cables with long-standing relationships with major global mining groups. our industrial and mining cable has been manufactured and tested to meet or exceed industry standards such as AS/NZS, VDE, BS, UL, CSA, MSHA, and OSHA. Our products also meet approval of RoHS compliant. Mining cable is also weather resistant, but is specifically customized for the mining market; it is designed to resist sunlight, water, extreme temperature, chemical, oil and abrasion, while also performing reliably in tough drilling environments.
TOC Europe 2013, at Ahoy in Rotterdam, has been once again a successful event for Tratos. Our standC28 included the special Tratosflex cable range which we have specifically designed for the reelingindustry and for moving applications such as monospiral, multi-spiral reeling, festoons and spreaders. Tratos had a strong presence at the event as one of the few leaderscablemanufacturers exhibiting. Tratos is one of the leading European manufacturers of specialist cables, combining over 40years’ experience with cutting edge technology to create unique custom-made cable solutions. Especially, Tratosflex-ESDB is different from other reeling cables as Tratos engineers have modified the internalcabledesign, tightening the structure against the internal relative movement to accommodate highspeed applications. This prevents the common problem of twisting that affects cables reeling at high speed, thereby preventing extensive and costly damage to equipment. A medium voltage rubber insulated and sheathed drum reeling cable, Tratosflex-ESDB operates in temperatures from -20ºC to +60ºC.
Tratos's FIRESAFE TW950e cables have been approved to London Underground Limited (LUL) standard 1-085 A3 and are now authorised for use in sub surface locations, including tunnels and underground stations. FIRESAFE TW950e is an enhanced fire resistant cable for systems needing to operate fully during a fire for longer periods than those normally required for single phase evacuation; these include fire detection, alarm and emergency voice communication systems. Commenting on this latest development, John Light, Director of Tratos Ltd., states: “achieving compliance with this LUL standard is a significant achievement as the tests are rigorous and stringent, as they should be for a potentially life-saving product. Organisations the world over recognise this LUL standard as a benchmark for fire safety.” In addition to sub surface locations, Firesafe is also suitable for use in high rise buildings that do not have sprinkler systems and have passed evacuation arrangements, or large premises where areas remote from the fire could remain occupied on the condition the fire does not damage cables serving the alarm system in those locations.
We have launched a new look for the Tratosflex website. We’ve been working on this for the past few months. We have not only changed the layout but also all the contents and the structure. So know you can look at the website from your mobile easily. Go to www.reelingcables.com
Electrical cable manufacturer Tratos Ltd. has been awarded a substantial grant from the Regional Growth Fund (RGF) to develop its manufacturing site in Knowsley, Merseyside. The grant, which is thelargest awarded in Merseyside from this scheme, will help ensure the long term survival of Tratos - one of the last remaining cable manufacturers in the country. Under the RGF, over £800 million has been made available to SMEs and over 2,700 SMEs nationally have received cash from the fund. Tratos is one of 18 companies to be awarded an RGF grant in the North West in Round 4 of bidders. The grant has been awarded to Tratos to invest and strengthen its business and protect and potentially create further jobs in the area – on of the most deprived local authorities in the UK.
Tratos are delighted to announce our partecipation at theTOC EUROPE 2014, 24/26 June at ExCel, London, UK and invite you to visit our stand D54.
After your long hard day at the exhibition we invite you to come relax, socialise and network with us and others on our stand on the 24th and 25th at 5.00pm when the party hour will start with italian appetizers and beer.
The TOC Container Supply Chain exhibition and conference is the global meeting place for ports, terminals, shipping lines, 3PLs & shippers and is a showcase for port and terminal technology and operations. Tratos has enjoyed considerable success in this market place with its Tratosflex specialist cable range, which includes monospiral and multi-spiral reeling, festoons and spreaders.
Tratosflex can supply power, control and signalling including fibre-optic cables operating on high speed applications up to 300 mt/min.
The 19th Premio Capaccini was awarded to six star students from the picturesque surrounding areas of the Tratos Cavi Headquarters in Tuscany. A celebration of outstanding achievement in middle and high school, the long-standing scheme awards students who achieved full marks in their examinations in the past academic year with a cash prize intended to encourage further academic achievement. Premio Capaccini was created in memory of the founder of Tratos Cavi - Egidio Capaccini. Albano Bragagni remarked: “It is an honour to congratulate these students for their excellent results. The Premio Capaccini was created to recognise the excellence of individuals and to support them on their personal journey of academic growth. This value is one that sits deeply within the company’s foundations.”
Konecranes has awarded cable manufacturer and supplier Tratos the contract to supply medium voltage rubber insulated and sheathed drum reeling cables for its Automated Stacking Cranes (ASC), to be used at the new Muelle Prat container terminal in Spain. Following the takeover of the Muelle Prat container terminal from the Barcelona Port Authority, Terminal Catalunya S.A (TERCAT) - a member of the Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH) Group – has started construction of a new 1,000-metre-long quay featuring 18 container stacking blocks with 36 one-over-five ASCs. The ASCs will be supplied by KoneCranes with Tratosflex cable, which has been specifically designed for high speed reeling. Tratosflex features a unique internal cable design, with the structure tightened against the internal relative movement. This prevents the cable from twisting and leading to possible breakage – extremely dangerous when reeling at speeds up to 300m/m. As a result of this sophisticated, reliable design, Konecranes now regularly specifies Tratosflex cable for its ASCs worldwide.
Tratos is pleased to announce its membership of EEF, the UK manufacturers’ organisation. EEF is dedicated to the future of manufacturing, helping manufacturing businesses evolve, innovate and compete in a fast-changing world. It provides a business services, government representation and industry intelligence, making it a valuable resource for members. EEF’s ethos, that a modern, competitive and innovative manufacturing industry is central to the UK’s economic future, is very much in line with Tratos’.
Tratos is pleased to announce that: "OFS, a leading edge designer, manufacturer and supplier of innovative fibre optic network solutions, today announced the introduction of AllWave® FLEX and AllWaveFLEX+ Bend-Optimized Single-Mode Fibre with a 200 micron coating for use in cables with higher fibre counts and in microcables where cable diameters must be minimized. The fibre’s bend-optimized design enables tight, low loss bends without risking fibre strength and long-term reliability. These fibres occupy 46 percent less area than conventional 250 micron coated fibre, enabling smaller diameter cables with a greater number of fibres per tube. 200 micron AllWave FLEX Fibre supports higher density and lower diameter cables, providing outstanding macrobend and microbend performance for access, Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH).
Tratos is exhibiting its Tratosflex range at The TOC Container Supply Chain Exhibition and Conference, 25th – 27th June at Ahoy, Rotterdam in The Netherlands.
SPE Offshore Europe 2013 Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition in Aberdeen, has been once again a successful event for Tratos Ltd. Our stand included the special Tratos JBA cable range which we have specifically designed for the difficoult application of the offshoreindustry. Tratos had a strong presence at the event as one of the few leaderscablemanufacturers exhibiting. SPE Offshore Europe offers the ideal opportunity for customers to engage with suppliers face-to-face. With the oil and gas sectors being Tratos’ primary market, representing 50% of its turnover, Offshore Europe is the ideal platform from which to showcase Tratos’ extensive range of hydraulic, electro-hydraulic and electrical umbilical cabling for subsea oil and gas extraction and Oil&Gas BS6883 cables.
SSDR Scarabeo 5, an Italian built rig designed specifically for Norwegian conditions, has been refurbished using several million Euros worth of Tratos Oil & Gas Cables by Saipem.
Operating successfully on the Norwegian Continental Shelf since 1990, Scarabeo 5 is a 5th generation vessel with large capacity, advanced performance and strong technical capabilities. It features a dynamic positioning (DP) system, allowing drilling at great water depths – down to 2000 meters for this rig to date.
As part of its ongoing maintenance programme, Saipem - a world leader in the oil and gas contracting services sector – has installed oil and gas cables from Tratos to the value of several million Euros. The cables are being used to supply power, control and signalling throughout the rig.
With this article we would like to remember Juergen Pollmann a great friend of ours and a master of life. He put his experiences and knowledge to the service of our magazine, helping us to understand many technical subjects relating to reeling drum and crane cables. We will miss Juergen and his efforts, rectitude and intellectual honesty. Juergen left this world on May 2014.
A new and bespoke fibre-optic cabling system by Tratos allows the Finmeccanica Group to launch Black Shark - new generation heavyweight torpedo able to counter the most challenging threats posed by any type of surface or underwater target for the next 30 years. To provide a cabling systems able to exceed the limitations of a sub-surface setup, Tratos’ technicians had overcome the existing limits of cable technology. The final product provided by Tratos is able to withstand extremely high-pressure conditions whilst ensuring a communications distance of at least 50km using one, single length of fibre-optic cabling.
Tratos held its ninth annual FTTH conference at its main headquarters in Pieve Santo Stefano, Italy on the 6th September. The full day conference, organised in conjunction with TycoElectronics and opened by Tratos Cavi President Albano Bragagni, was attended by in excess of 90 people, gathered to listen to guest speakers covering the latest innovations and real time challenges and solutions that are facing the industry today. Guest speakers included Andrew Oliviero of OFS examining the latest developments in bend-insensitive fibres for FTTx applications and Jan Vandenbroek of Tyco Electronics looking at where we are now with FTTH and what the future holds. Other guest speakers came from Open Access Telecom Italia, TiLAB Telecom Italia and TE Connectivity.
During 2009-2011, a trial using an innovative thermoresistent conductors’ prototype with composite material core in carbon fibre, was undertaken. During the first year a composite conductor’s experimental characterization was undertaken and was developed in a laboratory, according to a test protocol agreed between the grid operator for electricity transmission and Tratos Spa. This test resulted in the final conductor‘s prototype being installed on a 132 kV line section. This particular type of research was carried out in order to solve the problems that arise when using non metallic material as constituent parts of ropes, operating at high temperatures, in a field where there are no reference norms. In order to take various aspects into account such as aging, mechanical fatigue, conductor’s bedding, and ecc, a diverse range of mechanical, thermical and electric tests were undertaken at the RSE Laboratories. Once the results were achieved, Tratos was able to produce a new conductor prototype.
Tested at Tratos Cavi, Morsetterie and the Institute of Gorla Erse laboratories, under the same conditions as previously, the results were positive and in line with expectations. Following this research and subsequent meetings with the grid operator for electricity transmission, it was decided that this rope would be installed in a pass in the Alps, on the 132 KV line in October 2011.
Tratos, one of the leading European manufacturers of electrical, electronic and fibre optic cables, has launched the AllWave® FLEX and the AllWave FLEX+ Bend-Optimised Single-Mode Fibre range. The range has been developed alongside cutting-edge fibre optic network solutions manufacturer OFS in order to offer customers a brand new solution for any application that requires exceptionally small bend diameters. Featuring a 200 micron coating, AllWave Fibres occupy 46% less area than conventional 250 micron coated fibres, enabling them to be used in cables with higher fibre counts per tube and in microcables where cable diameters must be minimised. The bend-optimised design enables tight, low loss bends and the coating meets dynamic fatigue characteristics without risking fibre strength, resulting in long-term reliability and ultimate peace of mind for the customer.
Chinese authorities are urging its national wire and cable companies to concentrate upon improving the quality of its products and not just expanding capacity. During a recent two-day summit on wire and cable products in China, Wei Chuanzhong, deputy chief of administration at the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) reported that some wire and cable products still fail to reach required quality standards and may endanger people’s health and public safety. “Electric fires account for about 80 percent of severe fire hazards in China every year and over half of such fires were triggered by the use of substandard electrical wire and cable product,” said Wei Chuanzhong. A quality inspection carried out by AQSIQ, the ministerial-level department under the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, found that of the 1,762 batches of electrical wire and cable products randomly selected from ten provinces, 208 batches were substandard. China has more than 7,800 wire and cable companies and the industry’s output was worth more than $176,000 billion in 2011.
Following Tratos’ production of super-conducting cable for use in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor’s (ITER) large electro-magnets, the company is pleased to report the winding has been completed and, for the first time ever, a Toroidal Field (TF) coil full-size super-conducting prototype of the double pancake (DP) is being manufactured. An experimental fusion reactor, ITER will operate with a system of superconducting magnets which relies on the TF coils, the central solenoid, the Poloidal Field coils and the correction coils.
The TF coils will be operated with an electrical current of 68 000 amps in order to produce the magnetic field which confines and holds the plasma in place in the ITER tokamak. Each TF coil weighs about 300t and is about 16.5m tall and 9.5m wide.
Tratos Ltd. was proud to welcome Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg to its plant in Knowsley, Merseyside last month. The Deputy PM’s visit on the 10th April follows on from the awarding of a Regional Growth Fund (RGF) grant to Tratos, to see how the fund is helping to rebalance the economy. Tratos was one of 18 companies to be awarded an RGF grant in the North West in Round 4 of bidders. The grant of nearly £3 million was awarded to Tratos to invest in and strengthen its manufacturing site in Knowsley and protect and potentially create further jobs in the area – on of the most deprived local authorities in the UK. The grant, which is the largest awarded in Merseyside from this scheme, will help ensure the long term survival of Tratos - one of the last remaining cable manufacturers in the country.
A partnership between Tratos and a leading steel rope manufacturer resulted in a significant technological achievement in the oil & gas sector – the development of a stranded, insulated rope which allows for the anchoring of over 56 tonnes, an industry record. The project, set forth through the insight of Tratos Group’s Vice President; Ennio Bragagni-Capaccini and the client, merged the technical expertise of both companies, with Tratos providing the insulation for the client’s stranded steel rope. A partnership between Tratos and a leading steel rope manufacturer resulted in a significant technological achievement in the oil & gas sector – the development of a stranded, insulated rope which weighs over 56 tonnes, an industry record.
Tratos exhibited a range of its products designed specifically for the port industry at 8th Trans Middle East 2012 - 20 & 21 Nov 2012 in Bahrain where its reeling cables will take centre stage. Trans Middle East attracts professionals in the port industry – including engineers, technical specialists, industry leaders and experts – providing them with the opportunity to engage suppliers face-to-face. Tratos, whose one of primary market is the reeling industry, showed its extensive range of cables for moving applications.
Conveniently located in Farringdon, London, Tratos new office will help to further strengthen existing customer support with local connections, in addition to allowing the company to develop relationships with key contractors working throughout the capital. Ennio Bragagni-Capaccini and Germano Bragagni have been appointed directors of the Tratos UK manufacturing facilities based at Knowsley, Merseyside, and they have also became part of the UK Board of Directors of Tratos Ltd. This is part of the strategic plan of investment by Tratos into the UK cable industry
The Approved Cables Initiative (ACI) was established to raise the profile of non-certified, substandard and unsafe cables. In just over three years the organisation has recognised profile within key Government circles as well as within industry and a clear aim to take its message to the wider construction industry. Here Peter Smeeth of the ACI answers some key questions.
The Approved Cables Initiative (ACI) has updated its cable reference card to reflect new requirements for cable marking in 2013. The revised reference card, which includes examples of cable marking and a cable safety checklist, is available to download here
Tratos is pleased to announce the launch of Tratos Australia. Based in Tamworth, NSW, Tratos Australia has been established to further develop and support the company’s presence in this market, with an emphasis on the oil & gas and mining sectors. John O’Rourke, an experienced businessman with extensive in-depth knowledge of the Australian cable industry, has been appointed to run Tratos Australia. John worked for cable manufacturer Draka for over ten years, three as a Mining Consultant, making him Tratos’ ideal choice for this new venture. John will be promoting the full range of Tratos cables into Australia, with an initial focus on oil & gas and mining markets, for which Tratos has developed a number of quality, niche cables.
Fiberness 2014, Tratos international annual exhibition, attracted senior executives from leading telecom companies to discuss the latest innovations in the field of cabling and fiber optics. The event, which took place on 5th June in Pieve San Stefano – the location of Tratos Cavi SpA’s Italian headquarters - is Tratos’ 10th international exhibition dedicated to the technological advancement of cable systems manufacturing. These year’s guest speakers included Daniel Roffinella of Telecom Italia, Francesco Montalti of ITU-T SG15, Paola Regio of Telecom Italia, Jan Vandenbroeck of TE Connectivity and Massimo Tarsi of Open Access Telecom.
Tratos is pleased to announce the appointment of Alberto Bertali in the role of non executive chairman. With broad experience in the UK market spanning 30 years, in addition to holding a number of managerial positions internationally, Alberto is exceptionally well placed to support the company in its development plans. Having trained initially in engineering, Alberto has worked in a variety of prestigious roles including that of Production Director at FIAT Group and Managing Director at both Mako Ltd. in Turkey and Jing Ling Electrical Ltd. in China. He also held the position of Managing Director at Candy Group UK, where he successfully led the way in restructuring, rationalising and integrating the company with Hoover Europe to form Hoover Candy Group. Alberto retains the position of non executive chairman at Hoover Candy Group. He has been appointed President for a number of associations, including the Engineering Employer Federation (EEF), the Italian Chamber of Commerce in the UK and the Italian Cricket Association.
Almost three years since its recall, the Approved Cables Initiative (ACI) has revealed that defective Atlas Kablo cable has been once again found on sale in a Homebase store. On-going market surveillance by the ACI, an industry-wide working group, led to the discovery in January of Atlas Kablo cable in the home enhancement retailer’s Mold store in North Wales – the fourth time Homebase has been found to be selling the cable after the manufacturer’s product recall. Atlas Kablo cable was the subject of a product recall in the summer of 2010 when several cables were identified as defective. The recall from the UK market followed Atlas Kablo’s suspension by BASEC (British Approvals Service for Cables) of its product certification licence and by HAR of its scheme certification licence from the Turkish Standards Institute, TSE (from www.aci.org.uk).
Tratos, one of the leading European manufacturers of Electrical, Electronic and Fibre Optic cables, has recently completed delivery of £5.5m worth of distribution equipment, transformers and poles to the Palestinian Southern Electricity Company (SELCo). The contract for the order was signed back in 2008 by the Vice President of Tratos Ennio Bragagni Capaccini and the equipment has been supplied and installed as required over the past five years. This project is part of a more comprehensive initiative called the Electric Sector Investment Management Program (ESIMP), the primary objective of which is to deliver numerous benefits to electricity consumers in Palestine through sustainable improvements in the quality of the electricity supply. The initiative is being jointly financed by the World Bank and the European Investment Bank (EIB).
The Approved Cables Initiative (ACI) is supporting TheElectrical Safety Council’s call for a more effective product recall system following concerns in its own industry over the effectiveness of the current system. The call by the Electrical Safety Council (ESC), a UK wide consumer safety charity, follows the emergence of a number of serious incidents involving recalled products and has led the ESC to call for manufacturers to face unlimited fines if they undertake inadequate or slow recalls. Manufacturers who delay or take inadequate action in a recall situation currently face only a £5,000 penalty but the ESC would like to see tougher fines based on a percentage of profits from the recalled product. The change in legislation would it believes help ensure manufacturers respond quickly and effectively in recall situations. The ESC is also inviting Trading Standards to set out clear and unambiguous guidelines on exactly what a manufacturer should do if one of their products is subject to a recall. Research by the ESC shows that on average only 10-20 percent of recalled electrical products are ever returned, exposing millions of people in the UK to the risk of fire or electrocution. Since 2007 there have been 266 recall notices for electrical items.
Following the British public’s decision to vote to leave the European Union, global cable manufacturer Tratos has reaffirmed its commitment to UK manufacturing.
Tratos
“It took Greenland Three Years to complete its Two Year Exit from Europe 
Tratos has 
A further £10m investment has been earmarked for Italian-owned Tratos Ltd’s UK base in Merseyside, creating 40 new jobs. 
We were delighted to welcome Consul Nunzia Bertali of the Liverpool Italian Honorary Consulate on Thursday 27th October to our factory in Knowsley, Merseyside in our 30th year of operation in the UK.
Cable manufacturer Tratos Cavi has produced a colour booklet celebrating the beautiful Valtiberina valley in Tuscany where it has operated its manufacturing facility for over 40 years.
Tratos has been awarded a contract to supply Iraq's state-owned Midland Refineries Company (MRC) with cables for installation at the Daura Refinery in Baghdad. A range of power cables, high temperature cables and fire resistant cables have been supplied to MRC, a new customer for Tratos, as part of the modernisation process of the Refinery. 
NOTE: This is an old article of 2012. The legislation has now changed. For an update goto: 
Tratos Cavi Spa, has invested £1 million in its Tratos Ltd. manufacturing facility in Knowsley, Merseyside to ensure its long term survival as one of the last remaining cable manufacturers in the country.
2011 for many manufacturers across Europe was a bad year. In fact, it was bad year following on the back of a period of bad, financially unstable years with an unclear future ahead. Not so for European cable manufacturer Tratos, which began to reap the benefits of its investment in its European manufacturing facilities in 2011 and is looking forward to the coming years with enthusiasm. Albano Bragagni, President of Tratos for over 35 years, has clearly been an influential figure in the history of the company and its success, but he is not the type of man to sit back and reflect on past glories: “In manufacturing you have to continually strive for improvement in every aspect of your work. With low cost competition from the Far East and uncertain economic times, this has never been truer.
Tratos Ltd exhibited a range of its products designed specifically for the railway industry at SPE Offshore Europe 2011 Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition (6-8th September) in Aberdeen where its subsea umbilical cables will take centre stage.
Electric and fibre optic cable manufacturer Tratos has launched a new BS 8436:2011 low voltage cable for installation in partition walls and behind plaster. The new cable is a cost-effective alternative to traditional conduit wiring and small sizes of armoured cable.
Both internally and externally, the activity of the Tratos Cavi SpA is based on observance of the principles set out in this 
Tratos will be running a free conference on 
Television presenter Dom Littlewood is to raise the stakes in the 
Thierry Boutboul, European Domestic Agency 
On the 5th November 2014, Tratos attended and hosted a stand at the Share Fair in Aberdeen. The event, hosted by Oil & Gas UK; the leading representative organization for the UK offshore oil and gas industry – an organisation of which Tratos is a member – had a total of 1400 registered delegates this year. 
Tratos has launched the innovative and cost-effective Tratos Microcable solution for Open Settlement Protocol (OSP) applications in the Broadband market.
Tratos have recently opened a new Faraday cage, based at one of our manufacturing sites in the area of Pieve Santo Stefano, Italy. The 
Tratos is renowned in the industry for manufacturing cables of exceptional quality and design. However, what some might not be aware of is our full Engineering, Procurement, Construction (EPC) service with comprehensive after sales support provision. This ‘added value’ service is available to all our customers worldwide. 
Tratos’ recent Exhibition and Conference held in London was very well attended and proved to be an excellent forum for people to meet, network and discuss the issues surrounding electrical cables and associated products such as joints, junction boxes and glands.
Modular Wiring Systems has won the order to supply pre fabricated power and lighting distribution systems for multiple floors of The Chessegrater. Soon to be one of London’s most iconic landmarks.
We report a interview of the Financial Times to the CEO of Tratos Uk Maurizio Bragagni.
Download the article of the Financial Times
Being shortlisted for the 
Tratos is a specialist supplier of mining and tunnelling equipment that is used at applications worldwide. The group is one of the most trusted suppliers of cables with long-standing relationships with major global mining groups.
TOC Europe 2013, at Ahoy in Rotterdam, has been once again a successful event for Tratos. Our stand C28 included the special Tratosflex cable range which we have specifically designed for the reeling industry and for moving applications such as monospiral, multi-spiral reeling, festoons and spreaders. Tratos had a strong presence at the event as one of the few leaders cable manufacturers exhibiting.
Tratos's FIRESAFE TW950e cables have been approved to London Underground Limited (LUL) standard 1-085 A3 and are now authorised for use in sub surface locations, including tunnels and underground stations. 
Konecranes has awarded cable manufacturer and supplier Tratos the contract to supply medium voltage rubber insulated and sheathed drum reeling cables for its Automated Stacking Cranes (ASC), to be used at the new Muelle Prat container terminal in Spain.
Tratos is pleased to announce its membership of EEF, the UK manufacturers’ organisation. EEF is dedicated to the future of manufacturing, helping manufacturing businesses evolve, innovate and compete in a fast-changing world. It provides a business services, government representation and industry intelligence, making it a valuable resource for members. EEF’s ethos, that a modern, competitive and innovative manufacturing industry is central to the UK’s economic future, is very much in line with Tratos’.
SPE Offshore Europe 2013 Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition in Aberdeen, has been once again a successful event for Tratos Ltd. Our stand included the special Tratos JBA cable range which we have specifically designed for the difficoult application of the offshoreindustry. Tratos had a strong presence at the event as one of the few leaderscablemanufacturers exhibiting. 
With this article we would like to remember Juergen Pollmann a great friend of ours and a master of life. 
Tratos held its ninth annual 
During 2009-2011, a trial using an innovative thermoresistent conductors’ prototype with composite material core in carbon fibre, was undertaken. During the first year a composite conductor’s experimental characterization was undertaken and was developed in a laboratory, according to a test protocol agreed between the grid operator for electricity transmission and Tratos Spa. This test resulted in the final conductor‘s prototype being installed on a 132 kV line section. 
Tratos, one of the leading European manufacturers of electrical, electronic and fibre optic cables, has launched the AllWave® FLEX and the AllWave FLEX+ Bend-Optimised Single-Mode Fibre range. The range has been developed alongside cutting-edge fibre optic network solutions manufacturer OFS in order to offer customers a brand new solution for any application that requires exceptionally small bend diameters. Featuring a 200 micron coating, AllWave Fibres occupy 46% less area than conventional 250 micron coated fibres, enabling them to be used in cables with higher fibre counts per tube and in microcables where cable diameters must be minimised. The bend-optimised design enables tight, low loss bends and the coating meets dynamic fatigue characteristics without risking fibre strength, resulting in long-term reliability and ultimate peace of mind for the customer.
Chinese authorities are urging its national wire and cable companies to concentrate upon improving the quality of its products and not just expanding capacity.
Tratos Ltd. was proud to welcome Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg to its plant in Knowsley, Merseyside last month. The Deputy PM’s visit on the 10th April follows on from the awarding of a Regional Growth Fund (RGF) grant to Tratos, to see how the fund is helping to rebalance the economy. Tratos was one of 18 companies to be awarded an RGF grant in the North West in Round 4 of bidders. 
A partnership between Tratos and a leading steel rope manufacturer resulted in a significant technological achievement in the oil & gas sector – the development of a stranded, insulated rope which allows for the anchoring of over 56 tonnes, an industry record. 
Tratos exhibited a range of its products designed specifically for the port industry at 8th Trans Middle East 2012 - 20 & 21 Nov 2012 in Bahrain where its reeling cables will take centre stage.
The Approved Cables Initiative (ACI) was established to raise the profile of non-certified, substandard and unsafe cables. In just over three years the organisation has recognised profile within key Government circles as well as within industry and a clear aim to take its message to the wider construction industry. 
Tratos is pleased to announce the launch of Tratos Australia. Based in Tamworth, NSW, Tratos Australia has been established to further develop and support the company’s presence in this market, with an emphasis on the oil & gas and mining sectors.
Fiberness 2014, Tratos international annual exhibition, attracted senior executives from leading telecom companies to discuss the latest innovations in the field of cabling and fiber optics.
Almost three years since its recall, the Approved Cables Initiative (ACI) has revealed that defective Atlas Kablo cable has been once again found on sale in a Homebase store.
Tratos, one of the leading European manufacturers of Electrical, Electronic and Fibre Optic cables, has recently completed delivery of £5.5m worth of distribution equipment, transformers and poles to the Palestinian Southern Electricity Company (SELCo). 
The Approved Cables Initiative (ACI) is supporting The Electrical Safety Council’s call for a more effective product recall system following concerns in its own industry over the effectiveness of the current system. The call by the Electrical Safety Council (ESC), a UK wide consumer safety charity, follows the emergence of a number of serious incidents involving recalled products and has led the ESC to call for manufacturers to face unlimited fines if they undertake inadequate or slow recalls.