Networks Europe Nov-Dec 2019 | Page 35

TEST & MEASUREMENT Quite often, the remote engineers we spoke to are required to download results to a laptop via a USB stick or cable and then email the results back to the office. Their laptop is in the van, not the tool bag, so this process doesn’t mesh well with their standard working day. Other engineers downloaded the results when they return to the office once a week, sometimes less. Either approach wastes time and can cause a bottleneck at the end of the week where project managers have multiple projects to process. Cable installers told us that the process of transferring results from their cable certifier leads to delays, and in some cases lost results. The most common feedback from engineers was that they want to be able to ‘press one button’ to send the results back to the office to the job site. As tester manufacturers, this need should guide the development of our cable certifiers. Improve management software The right management software helps to minimise the time required to organise reports for customers, helping to ensure payment can be invoiced quickly. However, satisfaction in this area in our research was low. Project managers typically explained that they must follow a structured formatting and quality checking process when creating reports. Often, the data they receive from the certifier requires a significant amount of time. This process assures customer acceptance, warranty approval and quality, which in turn reduces callbacks. So, the challenge when developing improved cable certifiers and the related management software is to reduce the labour involved, without compromising the objective the process is designed for. More efficient port labelling Without accurate labelling, installers are handing over an installation that will be difficult and time-consuming for the owner to manage and resolving mislabelling issues takes up a huge amount of time. It’s also vital that the completed test report ID’s match the installed links on-site, whether the labels are printed beforehand or while on-site. Issues occur because the cable list is input to the tester and then into the printer as well. This double handling can lead to mistakes and mismatches. As the area of cable certification with the largest market satisfaction gap, labelling is clearly an important area to get right with cable certifiers. Decrease the lifetime cost of ownership A unanimous theme in our research was that test equipment is a big investment for cable installers that can put pressure on their business. We heard many tales of installers making bad equipment choices which meant they didn’t have the equipment needed to win work or enter an adjacent market segment; the result of which was needing to purchase yet more costly equipment. The investment required, in some cases, significantly impacted the company’s ability to grow. Cable installers also need to know that the certifiers they buy will be supported long enough for them to get a return on their investment and that they’re designed to meet the testing needs of the future. Reduced calibration and service downtime Due to the relatively high unit cost, we found that many cable installation businesses are running operations with far fewer certifiers in their fleet than would be ideal, and without carrying spares. If testers require calibration or to be serviced, they require time out of the business, and this needs to be carefully managed. In our research, installers told us that this could result in downtime on-site and complexities in managing completion dates to fit in with resources. If calibration dates are missed, sites can inadvertently be tested by equipment out of calibration, which will mean warranties are denied, certification needs to be repeated and profitability is reduced. Installers are keen for manufacturers to support them in keeping calibration and service downtime to a minimum. Overcoming challenges Cable installers work in an industry which is constantly evolving. As such, what they really need is access to cable certifiers and test equipment that can change with them and address their biggest day-to-day challenges. n www.networkseuropemagazine.com 35