ACI campaign receives international recognition for its work
Author : J GALE
The Approved Cables Initiative (ACI) is generating international support for its campaign to stamp out faulty and substandard cables.
As the UK campaign continues to educate the supply chain in the dangers of trading in faulty and substandard cables, the ACI is working to proactively encourage cable manufacturers outside of the UK to adopt better manufacturing practices.
Michael Simms, chairman of the ACI has visited India and Turkey in the past four months (the source of two faulty cable issues in the UK last year) to speak to their representative electrical associations about the work of the ACI and its Initiative to stamp out faulty cables.
In both countries, steps are being taken to set up similar initiatives, based upon the ACI model, to stop counterfeiting and unsafe cable being produced and exported. The ACI took the opportunity to make a presentation about its work, its successes and the progress of the campaign to date.
In an effort to strength relationships and learn from its work the Cable Division of the Indian Electrical and Electronics Manufacturers Association (IEEMA) invited the ACI to meet with its members to talk about the Initiative. IEEMA believes that unless they tackle this home grown problem, India may have a major issue in developing its export markets for cabling products in the UK.
In January, the ACI delivered a similar presentation to Government Ministers and the Turkish Cable Association (TCA) whose membership accounts for around 90 percent of the market share of Turkish cable manufacturers.
In Turkey the presentation by the ACI aimed to help the TCA deal with those that fail to manufacture compliant products. The TCA is looking to establish an equivalent Initiative to increase the standard of its cable production and to remove from the industry those that continue to manufacturer substandard products.
In both instances the presentations were extremely well received with high attendance. Michael Simms said: “It is encouraging to see the level of commitment in India and Turkey to deal with the issue of substandard cables. Cable manufacturers need to better manage their relationships with UK distributors and be firmer in their technical and commercial negotiations to ensure they manufacture cables that meet our British safety standards.”
“Although it is not our intention to establish the ACI in these regions we commend their desire to develop their own Initiatives and will monitor their progress,” continued Mr Simms.
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