This week’s blog was written by OCC’s Senior Engineer, Michael Stover.  Holding a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Tennessee Technological University, Michael has 15 years of experience in the fiber and cable industry with areas of expertise in Power Transmission and Telecommunications.  In this blog post, Michael discusses OCC’s new HC cable as well as how it was received at this year’s 2012 BICSI Winter Conference and Exhibition.

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OCC introduced the new HC cable at the 2012 BICSI Winter Conference in Orlando, Florida this year.  The HC cable features OCC’s unique tight buffer fiber units in a cable design that produces a lightweight, flexible, small diameter, and extreme rugged fiber optic cable.  The HC cable has the density of a ribbon cable, but the ruggedness of a tight buffer and is also 20% smaller in diameter and 20% lighter in weight compared to conventional cables with Loose Tubes.  In addition, the HC cable has no hollow tubes or preferential bend.  No other cable matches it’s mechanical and environmental performance while still maintaining a small diameter and high-duct efficiency.

The HC cable was received very well at BICSI by all those who stopped by our booth.  Customers were very impressed with the small size and high fiber counts as well as the flexibility and ruggedness of the cable.  Customers were also eager to be able to purchase this cable for a wide range of applications and installations.

Dr. Ian TimmIns is an R & D Engineer for OCC based out of our Asheville facility.  He specializes in the Data Center, Enterprise, Industrial, as well as Mining industries with an emphasis in T1/E1 Connectivity and CDS development.  Ian has worked on CDS installs at various locations  such as hospitals, colleges, and manufacturing facilities during his career and has also been a part of the Data Center Rack Program with K2.

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BICSI in Orlando is always the biggest annual trade show for our industry. Each year, everyone looks forward to seeing who’s booth looks best, catching up with old friends, and meeting new ones. These are all great things, but for me, the reason I look forward to BICSI each winter can be summarized in a single phrase – new products.

2012 is an exciting year in our business as technology has evolved to encompass so many more pertinent aspects to product performance. Gone are the days as to which component has the most head room for crosstalk performance. Now, everything from alien crosstalk to thermal analysis using computational fluid dynamics and energy efficiency seems to be a consideration for every component. The emergence of 40/100G Ethernet using MTP connectors has resulted in products that require 6-12 times the fiber count in a single patch cord, while at the same time the number of connectors in a single rack space are increasing. In short, density and cable management have reached unprecidented levels and I am very much looking forward to evaluating how OCC’s R&D efforts, in which I am intimately involved, will compare to the competition. Other areas of emerging importance also include thermal management systems for cabinets, in which similar levels of technology advancement can be anticipated.

OCC has made a tremendous step forward in recent years with new high density products emerging, a cabinet line, and a complete line of both copper and fiber products. This year will see the introduction of a complete data center system, with several distinct innovations across the product line, making BICSI Winter Conference 2012 the best one ever. So make sure you come by our booth and say hello.

See you in Orlando!

On Monday we asked our followers on Twitter if they knew what our smallest diameter cable was.  After several guesses, we’re here to not only give the answer, but also break down some of the key features and benefits of this particular cable.  So what is OCC’s smallest diameter cable that holds the most fiber?  The answer would be our HD cable.

OCC’s Bend Tolerant HD cables, which are available in 2 through 72 fiber counts, give customers more options when it comes to data center or space-constrained application design. The small diameter of the HD cable also saves space and greatly increases capacity in tray systems, which ultimately helps improve overall cable management.

In addition to more space and an improved cable management system, the HD cable helps enable better cooling in data center cabinets.  Due to its’ small size, the cable offers more floor space which can dramatically change the amount of air flow within a cabinet, making it the ideal solution for a data center.

OCC’s HD Bend Tolerant cable is the ideal cable for any high-density application where small size, lightweight, and very small bend radi are needed or desired.

The new year is here, which means it’s time to choose our last product to feature in our Year in Review blog series.   Although OCC had many exciting new products launched in 2011, our MARS Cartridge System was certainly a big addition to OCC’s line of Modular Advanced Reels products.

The MARS Cartridge System offers the most advanced, self-contained fiber optic reeling system for broadcast, military or deployable communication environments.  That is why we first launched the Cartridge System in September 2011 at DSEi in London, the world’s largest fully integrated defense and security exhibition.  Those who stopped by our booth were amazed at just how lightweight our reels were as well as how easy it was to use and maneuver the Cartridge System.

In our previous post, we highlighted some of the great features and benefits of our new Data Center Cabinet that we launched in September of 2011.  Another outstanding feature of our cabinets is the structured cabling system within it. We thought that feature deserved a blog post of its own.

When talking with folks in the IT industry, one of the biggest complaints we heard was the lack of cable management within the cabinets and the headaches associated with dealing with all that cabling.  Sure, it’s great to have a lot of space within a cabinet so that you can accommodate as many cables as you need, but having a bunch of cables with a lack of organization or structure can turn into a nightmare.  OCC’s engineers quickly got to work and developed a cable management system that maximizes space within the cabinet while also keeping all the cables neatly and tightly secured in-place.

Interested in seeing this new cable management system?  You’ll just have to stop by our booth at BICSI’s Winter Conference in Orlando, FL and be one of the first to see our cable management system up-close and personal!

As we continue our 2011 Year in Review, we can’t help but mention the launch of our new Data Center Cabinet.  This exciting achievement for OCC was specifically designed with our customers’ needs in mind.  From the configuration of the interior to the overall look and customizable colors and styles of the exterior, OCC’s Data Center Cabinet gives our customers options.  The cabinet, which is one of the most flexible and durable cabinets on the market, also features a cable friendly rack with plenty of adjustable space which allows for the customer to maneuver cables as needed inside the cabinet.

OCC’s Data Center Cabinet was officially launched at the BICSI Fall Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada in September of 2011.  Customers who stopped by our booth were fascinated by so many of the unique features that our cabinet has to offer.  By providing innovative products and solutions like the Data Center Cabinet, OCC continues to demonstrate to our customers our ability to create and sell a full solution.

So what’s the best part of OCC’s Data Center Cabinet?  That it’s only a small part of what’s to come from OCC in 2012!  Be sure and stop by our booth this February at the BICSI Winter Conference in Orlando, Florida to learn more about what OCC will have to offer in the New Year!

Looking back over the last year, we would like to take a little bit of time over the next few weeks to recognize some of the achievements we have seen these past 12 months.

In March 2011, OCC decided that in order to be able to offer true end-to-end harsh environment solutions to our customers, we needed to offer them under one name.  To accomplish this goal, we set about re-branding all of our harsh environment connectivity, formerly sold under the Applied Optical Systems (AOS) name, to the OCC logo and branding guidelines.  This allowed our customers to recognize one supplier for all their harsh environment cables and connectors needs.   We officially launched this new branding effort at an event in Los Angeles, CA.

OCC is very pleased to have our harsh environment connectivity components  under the same name and branding and are confident that this change will continue to improve our services and products for our customers in the upcoming new year.

Did you know that OCC’s UMJ jacks give out a dividend to their purchaser?  The UMJ product line is OCC’s proprietary modular outlet solution that allows a significant and measurable advantage to end users, contractors, installers and distributors.  OCC’s unique UMJ (bezel) system offers an easy and affordable option for desktop port identification.  Bezels may be ordered blank or labeled and with a multitude of colors to choose from, making the combinations for workstation labeling endless.

For the distributor, the UMJ product line can be placed in stock by purchasing only one jack and different bags of bezels.  By being able to use the same jack with whatever color bezel is needed, the distributor can reduce the amount of stock needed to fulfill orders and save inventory dollars.   In addition, OCC keeps stock of all bezel options, which makes fulfilling orders where a specific non-stocked color is needed isn’t a problem.

For the installer or contractor, the UMJ product line offers spec position with guaranteed repeat business as well as streamlined purchasing.  Because the UMJ product is a proprietary offering, if a contractor can get it specified on a job, the repeat business for moves, adds, and changes will ultimately be UMJ as well.   Just like the distributor, purchasing just one jack with bags of the bezels needed streamlines the purchasing process and allows for additional revenue to be earned with installation.

For the end user, the UMJ product line offers the assurance of a best-in-class modular solution guaranteed to provide superior performance.  Whether ordering Category 5e, 6, or 6A, the end user can rest assured that they are receiving the best component level performance on the market.  The OCC UMJ solution also offers easy visible port identification and labeling options that lock the jack into the faceplate.

From the distributor to the end user, the advantages to OCC’s UMJ product line are limitless.  The versatility of the UMJ workstation system allow for everyone to benefit from specifying and stocking this product.

In the wiring and cabling industry “Buy American” is a term often thrown around but not necessarily fully understood.  For example, did you know that “Buy American” can often mean that even though the product is classified as made in America, that not all the components of the product are in fact made here in the USA?   Ensuring that your products are properly certified is the key to purchasing true Made-in-America products.

The guidelines and stipulations set forth in the “Buy American” act are meant to encourage federal contract bids to purchase products that include the following conditions:

• The product is manufactured in the USA.

• The cost of its US components exceeds 50% of the cost of all components of the item.

Additional questions that must be asked for certification include ‘Was the process performed to manufacture the product in the US complex and meaningful?’  ‘Was the process costly?’  ‘Did it require a high skill level?

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), Section 1605 further expands this notion by requiring that domestic manufactured goods that contain materials from another country must be considered substantially transformed in the US into new and different goods that are distinct from the materials from which it was transformed.  This allows for a more broad range of materials to be used in creating products that ultimately gives the customer the best possible end product.

Here at OCC, we continuously examine our processes and vendor relations to provide components and solutions that can be certified “Buy American” or ARRA compliant.  In addition, we take the time to ensure that if you need a “Buy American” and/or an ARRA certified solution, we can provide it with no questions.  Not many manufacturers can say that and if they can, make sure they can prove it.

To learn more about Buy American and ARRA compliant solutions by OCC, contact one of our Inside Sales Reps at 1-800-622-7711 or visit us online at www.occfiber.com