INDUSTRIAL INFO-TAINMENT
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• Measuring Up
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Th su res • WHMA Annual Conference
Is tu • Gowth Strategies for Harness Companies
a • Standard and Low Profile Cable Ties
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F • Electrical Wire Processing Expo Registration
Wiring Harness News NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012 1
• Wire Wisdom - How Current Relates to Wire & Cable
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
2013
TA Wire and Harness Inc.
By Fred Noer
_________________________________
T
wo years after starting up TA
Wire And Harness Inc., in 1997
Trevor Williams made a deci-
sion that would prove invaluable to him
and his company to this day. Supplying
wiring harnesses, cable assemblies and
other products to customers in such
industries as medical, automotive, rail-
road, commercial garage- door openers,
security and telecommunications has
been supplicated by what Williams
learned on the gridiron.
Coaching 9 and 10- year- old young-
sters for nine years in Montreal,
Canada—the home of Williams and his
firm—has afforded insights into every
aspect of his company.
“Almost everything you do in life
involves teamwork,” says Williams. The
secret is positioning- - figuring out the
right player for your key positions. The
wrong player in the wrong position can
make or break your team—and prove a
costly error. “I realized fast that I had to
get to know my company staff and
devise a plan of attack.”
Williams’ plan has fostered long
tenures by TA Wire’s 15 full- time and 6
part- time employees. “Of all the things
about my company, I am most proud of
the workers,” he said. They are always
Standard and Low Profile
Cable Ties Have Unique
Differences
By Mark Bresnahan,
Vice President Cobra Products
_________________________________
M
ost people are familiar with
cable or zip ties and do not
understand the features and
benefits of low profile ties over standard
cable or zip ties.
A cable tie is a band or length of
strap, manufactured from a class of poly-
meric materials known as polyamides
(Nylon 6/6). The width, length and head
area employ ratcheting mechanisms that
allow for locking as necessary for
“bundling” items together.
Material Characteristics
Nylon possesses an outstanding bal-
ance of properties, combining strength,
moderate stiffness, high service temper-
ature and a high level of toughness. Par-
ticularly resistant to repeated impact,
nylon has a low coefficient of friction
and excellent abrasion resistance. Nylon
is resistant to fuels, lubricants and most
chemicals, but is attacked by phenols,
strong acids and oxidizing agents. Nylon
is inherently susceptible to environmen-
tal conditions. Some cable ties like
Cobra ® cable ties are moisturized to
attain optimum performance levels.
Nylon products should be stored in cool
dry areas, out of direct sunlight and
sealed in the original packaging materi-
al. These measures will extend perform-
ance levels indefinitely.
________________Continued on page 12
TA Wire and Harness manufacturers harnesses for many different industries.
Pictured above is a railway harness.
here. They show up no matter what.
“Stepping out of the box” is how
Williams sums up his coaching venture.
He believes that, “Continuous improve-
ment” could apply not only to all aspects
of manufacturing at TA Wire but to his
own personal and professional develop-
ment as well.
Continuous improvement, facilitated
through seminars such as ‘Secrets of the
Millionaire Mind’ and ‘Rich Dad, Poor
Dad’ based on the books by T. Harv Eker
and Robert Klyosaki, respectively. These
men see things a bit different from the
average individual, Williams said. Yet they
remind you of things you already knew
but just never apply or even consider.
The seminars provide information
which provokes the mind and lends
insight on how things could be done
more efficiently, said Williams. I noticed
that I have changed my approach in
doing things and I pay more attention to
details.
Likewise, TA Wire and its customers
have and continue to benefit from
Williams attendance at trade shows
every year. By the extensive amount of
information exchanged in these shows
and the ridiculously large network of
suppliers it is impossible not to increase
ones’ buying knowledge and acuity.
Knowledge is power. It allows you to
explore new ideas. It helps you to see
________________Continued on page 26
Getting Away From the
Office to Work ON the
Business!
By Paul Hogendoorn
_________________________________
T
his is a good expression that I
have heard from time to time:
“leaders need to work ON the
business instead of always IN the busi-
ness”. A similar phrase that rings equally
true to me is this: “leaders determine the
right things to do; managers figure out
how to do those things right.” Saying it,
and even understanding it, is the easy
part; living it and doing it is the hard
part. Often, the best first step is to just
leave the office for a period of time, and
surround yourself with like-minded peo-
ple that face similar challenges that you
do, and that pursue dreams and objec-
tives similar to yours.
The upcoming WHMA conference in
Orlando is perhaps the best such oppor-
tunity. Each year, the conference attracts
business and company leaders that have
two things in common: the industry
they serve, and the desire to improve
and grow. Based on what people said
about last year’s record breaking confer-
ence, people attending this year can
expect two things - to be informed and
inspired.
And that is exactly how I left last
year’s conference – informed, and
inspired. A few weeks prior to that,
Randy Hess and I formed FreePoint Tech-
nologies, a new little company that had
acquired some innovative technology.
Our belief was that it had a compelling
value proposition to wire harness manu-
facturers if we could commercialize it
for broad based applications, and if it
could demonstrate an ROI right out of
the box. And so, with that in mind, we
attended the conference to share ideas,
gain insights, find out what kept busi-
________________Continued on page 10