TEST EQUIPMENT & TOOLS
Cable certifiers cripple cash
flow for installers
A new White Paper published by IDEAL Networks has revealed that the cost of cable
certifiers is posing serious cash flow challenges for businesses installing and testing
data cable, says Tim Widdershoven, the company’s global marketing manager.
T
he results of extensive
research interviews
conducted within the
cable installation and
testing industry by IDEAL
Networks over the past 18 months
are revealed in the publication,
entitled ‘Five frustrations and
challenges for data cable installers
in 2017’. One of the key issues
identified is that the cost of
cable certifiers causes cash flow
difficulties in many businesses.
Cable certifiers are undoubtedly
one of the more expensive pieces
of equipment for installing or
22 | September 2017
testing data cables, however, most
believe they are an unavoidable
capital expense and continue to
buy numerous certifiers up-front,
despite the impact this may have
on cash flow in their business.
As well as making cash flow
challenging, the research found
that purchasing numerous certifiers
can occupy budget that may be
better spent on other projects, or
on different equipment. These cash
flow difficulties can also have a
knock-on effect, reducing flexibility
to spend within the business as
and when other needs arise.
The research also revealed
that investment in equipment
such as certifiers often delivers
seemingly poor ROI. This was
particularly true in businesses
with a lower level of certifier usage
where the fixed purchase cost of a
certifier can prove to be an almost
crippling capital expense.
Furthermore, the research
discovered that different certifiers
are sometimes unnecessarily
purchased for working with copper
and fibre cable.