Doncaster Cables - Setting The Standard

And not only in cable manufacturing!

As most people are aware, at Doncaster Cables our manufacturing facility is equipped with modern cable making plant and equipment, allowing us to control all aspects of the manufacturing process and therefore manufacture cable of the highest quality.

We are in fact the ONLY cable supplier who can guarantee that ALL of their general wiring and PVC flexible cords are manufactured in the UK.

However, in order to provide our customers with all the products they require, we also stock an extensive range of cables and accessories which we cannot manufacture (due to the diversity of manufacturing equipment that would be required) for example telephone cables, rubber flexible cords, glands etc.

In instances where we have to buy in cables to support our customer demands, we follow a strict set of procedures which ensure that everything we buy in complies with all the relevant standards and regulations. In its simplest form our procedure is as follows.

• 1. We request samples for testing prior to an initial stock order
• 2. We test the samples at our on-site laboratory
• 3. If the samples pass we place an order stating all relevant standards to which the product must be manufactured
• 4. When the delivery is received we test the products to ensure that they are manufactured to the required standards
• 5. Once all tests have been completed we release the products into our stocks for sale
• 6. If we ever receive sub-standard cable we never put it into the market place.

This has been highlighted recently (and our procedures acclaimed by the ACI) when we received substandard cable from a supplier; this substandard cable was identified through our procedures; we therefore quarantined the cable and refuse to release it into the market place.

The ACI were subsequently involved in this investigation and a link to their report can be found at the bottom of this article.

An outtake from the report is as follows "... Doncaster Cables has followed a strict checking procedure which ensured that these cables haven't been made available for installation in UK buildings, although it appears that this may not be the first time these cable have been supplied to the UK. Unfortunately not all importers and distributors follow the same preventative measures"

The fact that the CEO of the cable supplier involved states that "this cable has been sold into the UK and Europe on a regular basis without any problems" shows to us that noncompliant cables and flexibles are still being supplied in the UK marketplace; usually via distributors who do not follow similar inspection procedures as used at Doncaster Cables.

We are proud to have led this investigation into counterfeit cable, and although the financial cost involved in quarantining and scrapping the substandard cable was high, we hope that our actions can set a standard for others to follow in relation to bringing cables into the UK.

ACI report can be viewed here