Excel Networking Solutions, the copper and optical cabling infrastructure provider, has been announced as a finalist in two categories for this year’s DCS Awards. The categories are Data Centre Cabinets/Racks from the Environ product range and Cabling product of the Year for the EXCELERATOR fibre products.

The DCS awards are designed to reward the product designers, manufacturers, suppliers and providers operating in the data centre arena. The awards ceremony is taking place on the 18th May at The Grange St Paul’s Hotel, London.

Tracey Calcutt, Marketing Manager commented ‘It is great news that products from the Excel family have been acknowledged by the Data Centre industry. Our product range is constantly evolving and expanding to ensure we can offer a variety of solutions to a whole host of applications.’

Tracey continued ‘Excel recently showcased a selection of new products at the DCW show in London which included new HD fibre panels, Uniboot patch leads and a Co-Lo floor standing rack.’

Tracey concluded ‘Look out for more exciting new product announcements coming soon from Excel, along with the launch of our new product guide and dedicated Environ and  fibre catalogues.’

For further details on how Excel products can provide the right solutions for the data centre market, visit https://www.excel-networking.com/data-centres

April 2017, Mayflex the distributor of Converged IP Solutions has appointed a Security Training/Vendor Manager. James Vian joined the business on the 20th March and has a diverse background encompassing all security disciplines. These include converged systems deployed in a wide range of environments including town centre CCTV schemes to fully integrated NHS sites with CCTV, intruder, access control and fire. 

James joins Mayflex from a global leader in IP Video and brings a wealth of industry knowledge and experience. He is from a predominantly technical and training background and has held a number of technical sales, presales and training roles with manufacturers, integrators and service providers.

Gary Harmer, Director of Sales for the Security range of product’s commented ‘I am delighted to welcome James on board. Ultimately he will be responsible for our customer facing training and product introductions on 3 of our key security brands Avigilon, Dahua and Mobotix. James will also assist with the development of our own internal security sales team’s product and industry knowledge’.

Gary continued, ‘Once established in his training role James will take on some responsibilities for vendor engagement activities and will facilitate and coordinate new product introductions ensuring that our customers and our own sales, marketing and purchasing teams are kept fully up to speed with product and technology developments.’

Finally Gary commented, “This appointment is one of a number that have taken place within the security team in the last few months. We continue to strengthen both our internal and external sales teams to support both new and existing customers to facilitate our growth and presence in the market.”

James commented, ‘I am looking forward to helping improve our customers and team member’s knowledge by sharing my industry and product experience.”

For further details about Mayflex and courses currently available visit www.mayflex.com, 

Excel Networking Solutions, the copper and optical cabling infrastructure provider, has significantly enhanced its fibre offering with the addition of new high density products and has also introduced the brand name ‘Enbeam’ to denote the complete fibre solution.

The latest additions to the range include the new Enbeam Fibre Panel – 1U 19” 12-cassette high density panel that provides an expandable and innovative cassette based patching solution. The panel offers a capacity of 12 cassettes, each containing 12 fibres offering up to 144 fibres per 1U, with either LC or MTP presentation. A variety of cassettes are offered providing a highly flexible system and all cassettes can be mixed and matched as required and include the LC-MTP HD 6-Port Cassette, the LC HD 6-Port Cassette and the MTP HD 4-Port through-coupler.

The Enbeam 1U 144 Fibre LC Angled Panel provides high-density LC patching offering 72 ports / 144 fibres in 1U. The angled design negates the need for additional patch cord management, further increasing the potential density of this system. Designed as a pass-through patching panel it features a large rear cable manager for location of the rear cables/patch leads.

Finally, the Enbeam LC Uniboot Patch Cords provide excellent performance in a compact design, using 2mm round cable containing 2 x 600 micron diameter fibres, which are ideal in high density applications. These patch cords are available in two versions – standard uniboot and a pull-tab version. Both versions allow for easy polarity changing.

Richard Cann, Technical Services Manager commented ‘We’ve been working over the last 12 months to design and produce a range of products that will really help to evolve our fibre offering.   With the addition of our ‘Enbeam’ branding we can bring these together in one family, which will continue to evolve as we expand our offering and stock holding.’

Richard continued’ As well as the new products we have also updated our standard sliding drawer panels with added features such as ball-bearing runners for smooth operation and rigidity, finger pulls are included on the front panel and the use of recessed, flangeless, adaptors create increased space for port and panel labelling and makes the panel facia more aesthetically pleasing.   There is also an optional patch cord management bar with a hinged front plate for ease of access and the range has been increased considerably.  All of which have been introduced with no additional cost to our customers.’

Richard concluded ‘The Enbeam products are being included in the new Excel A5 Catalogue that will be available from mid April 2017 and a separate Enbeam catalogue will be produced in the near future with an even greater range.’

To view the Enbeam range visit www.excel-networking.com and to order a copy of the new Excel A5 catalogue contact admin@excel-networking.com

Excel Networking Solutions, the copper and optical cabling infrastructure provider, has launched its new 2017 – 2018 A5 catalogue which includes hundreds of new products as well as the tried and tested core Excel product range.

The Excel Product Guide is produced in a handy A5 format and includes tabs to separate each section to make it quick and easy for customers to find the products they are looking for.  It also includes quick reference product selector charts to highlight the compatibility between the products.

New to this edition are the range of Residential products that were introduced towards the end of 2016 and includes Residential cable, flat and mini patch leads, AV Inserts, PC cables and the SoHo Cabinet and much more.    The Copper section has grown considerably with many new products added.

The catalogue also includes Enbeam, which is the new brand name to denote the complete range of fibre products.  New to Enbeam is a range of high density panels, cassettes and Uniboot patch leads and the range of sliding drawer panels has also been vastly improved with many new features and benefits.

Tracey Calcutt, Marketing Manager commented ‘The Excel A5 Catalogue is one of our key pieces of literature and for many staff and customers becomes the ‘go to’ place for information.  We’ve added so many new products to this issue and we’ve got more products in the pipeline that unfortunately didn’t make this print run, so these will be featured in new product range specific catalogues for both Environ and Enbeam that will be introduced in the near future.’

Tracey continued ‘With our recently launched mobile friendly Excel website customers can use the faceted search to quickly find the products they need and also view specification sheets, Delta certificates and videos and case studies where they are available.  The beauty of this is that as and when we launch new products they will be added to the online catalogue.’

Tracey concluded ‘As well as the Excel A5 Catalogue we have also produced an A4 Short Form Catalogue that’s aimed at our International market and is being printed in English, French, Spanish and Dutch and will be available digitally in German, Polish and Turkish.

You can view a copy of the new Excel A5 Catalogue and the Excel A4 Short Form Catalogue at www.excel-networking.com and you can request a printed copies of either by contacting admin@excel-networking.com

Excel Networking Solutions - the copper and optical cabling infrastructure provider – prides itself on the continuous development of their product range in line with customer requirements. Recently, Excel re-launched their fibre product lines beneath the ENBEAM banner, creating a new identity to their products within the Excel fibre family. The Excel fibre range has been developed over the last 20 years and has continually evolved to embrace new developments in fibre optic technology.

This month, to complement the ENBEAM range, a portfolio of fibre cleaning products from Chemtronics has been launched.  Having formed a distribution agreement with The Netherlands-based Chemtronics, the cleaning products will be distributed alongside the Excel product portfolio.

Chemtronics is the acknowledged industry leader in cleaning solutions for the electronics, telecommunications and critical environments markets. Their full line of products is engineered to ensure that customers’ cleaning, protecting and repairing needs are met.

One of the most overlooked aspects of fibre optic maintenance and troubleshooting is keeping the fibre optic connector end-faces clean. Even the smallest particles of contamination can render the fibre cables ineffective, and this is where the Chemtronics products will come in. Take a look at liquid and dust contamination on a fibre connector below, compared to a clean connector:

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High quality fibre optic installation starts with the connectors. Clean connections provide faster transmission rates, higher bandwidth and maintenance-free operation, making the whole installation more efficient. Chemtronics’ FOCCUS™ brand offers the tools needed to quickly clean all types of connectors and ports.  These new product lines will sit alongside Excel products within the ENBEAM Fibre range, and will be recommended to all fibre customers to ensure maximum quality during installation.

The Chemtronics products will be featured on the Excel website and will be included in the ENBEAM Fibre brochure later this year.

June 2017, Mayflex the distributor of Converged IP Solutions has upgraded its existing online ordering facility, XTRA, to provide enhanced benefits to its customers.

XTRA is the partner area of the Mayflex website that allows any account customers to view their pricing, place orders and check stock availability.  Orders can be placed up until 8.00 p.m. on the evening for next day free delivery to the UK mainland.

New developments to XTRA include Mayflex QuickEDI where customers can upload a list of product codes and the quantities required to create their order. Customers can now view and convert quotes to orders, change baskets to quotations (which will also hold the pricing for 30 days) at the touch of a button, and new omnichannel functionality enables them to switch channels at any stage of the ordering process so that Mayflex’s sales teams can modify a customer’s basket over the phone if assistance is required.

Tracey Calcutt, Marketing Manager, commented ‘At its heart e-commerce is about putting customers first, empowering them and giving them the best experience and choice possible. Since launching our mobile friendly site in September 2016, we’ve continued to develop the user experience and we’ve talked and listened to our customers to get their feedback.  These latest enhancements to XTRA mean that the site is not only quicker and easier to use, but we’ve made lots of little tweaks and improvements based on the feedback we received.’

Tracey continued, ‘As well as the enhancements to XTRA we’ve worked with our delivery partners Fedex and Palletforce, and can now provide SMS and/or email updates on the status of all orders, so from the point of placing an order to it being delivered to our customer’s doorstep, they will be kept up to date at every stage of the delivery process.’

Tracey concluded ‘XTRA also includes many existing features such as creating a ‘favourites’ list for products that are ordered on a regular basis, viewing invoice history, ordering plain packaging and the ability to brand product literature with a customer’s logo and address details in our branded literature feature. We are developing further new digital services for our customers and continually working to make those we have even better, remaining focused on providing a seamless omnichannel customer experience.’

To assist new customers with XTRA, Mayflex has created an A5 XTRA User Guide that can be downloaded from the website or printed copies are available by contacting admin@mayflex.com.

This month, representatives from Excel Networking Solutions were invited to deliver Continuing Professional Development (CPD) training for the Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) in Solihull, Birmingham.

These training seminars are designed to enhance the skill level of Building Service Engineers and Consultants who either have a basic grounding in the installation of structured cabling solutions or are just starting to build their expertise.

The course content was developed by Paul Cave (RCDD, RTPM, CDCDP, CNID), Technical Product Manager at Excel. The format was devised to provide both generic information such as details on the latest relevant standards as well as specific information. The subject categories covered a variety of topics, including “What are Category 5e, Category 6 & Category 6A etc.”, “Power over Ethernet” and “Fibre Optic Refresher”.

Ian has an exceptional level of expertise in the field, and delivers course content with confidence to support the learning development of both those at an introductory stage and those at more advanced levels.

The course is modular by design, so seminar attendees could choose to either have a generic presentation covering all grounds, or they could elect to cover specific elements for more in depth coverage.

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Ian McKiernan - Technical Support Manager, and Daniel McKeon - Business Development Support Executive, presented the seminar on behalf of Excel to a group of around 20 attendees.  Speaking to the group, everyone agreed that the course objectives were met and that they would strongly recommend the course.

Mark Bates, from Couch Perry Wilkes, commented, “I found the content useful especially in making me more aware of the standards and what I should look out for. It was clear and concise. It was a good introduction to allow me to explore further.

For more information about Excel and their training courses, please contact the team.

July 2017, Mayflex has appointed a new director of sales – security. Steve Proctor will commence his role on the 1st August and his key responsibilities will be to lead and support both internal and external sales teams, ensuring the continued growth and development of this area of the Mayflex business through taking market share, growing customer numbers and increasing project wins.

Steve comes to Mayflex with a wealth of experience gained in the security industry over the last 40 years. Notable achievements have included the development and management of large sales teams, implementing business growth strategies, development of value add, consultancy led sales and marketing campaigns, and launching installer training and certification programmes.

Andrew Percival, Managing Director at Mayflex commented, “I am delighted  to welcome Steve to Mayflex. Steve’s knowledge and experience of the security industry is second to none and will be well placed to work with our existing team to make gains in this marketplace.”

Andrew continued, “The security market place is a key growth area for Mayflex. We have a comprehensive product portfolio backed up with technical support and installer services such as the pre-configuration of IP cameras, not to mention the vast array of free training that is offered to equip installers with the knowledge they need to prosper. I am confident with Steve heading up the team our presence in the marketplace will continue to grow along with the range of products and services available.”

Steve commented, ‘I am looking forward to working with the team and getting to know the customer base. I am confident that by working together we can achieve our key goals and ensure that Mayflex is the go to distributor when opportunities arise for security projects and installations.”

For further details about Mayflex and the range of security products available visit www.mayflex.com.

July 2017, Mayflex the distributor of Converged IP Solutions has recently uncovered a number of fraudulent activities whereby the fraudsters are pretending to work for accredited customers and have ordered goods to be shipped directly to bogus ‘end user’ sites.

In a number of separate instances, the fraudsters have targeted accredited Paxton partners, they’ve called the Mayflex sales team saying that they are from the company, asked for quotes for various Paxton product codes and having created ‘copycat’ email addresses, to look very similar to those of the individual companies in question, to fool our teams into thinking that when the orders were placed that they were legitimate.

The names of the individuals to look out for in these examples are Mike Andrews, Marvin Taylor and Ian Green – we have passed the information and details across to the police who are now pursuing this matter further.

Commenting on the incident Martin Eccleston, Commercial Manager commented ‘We are taking further steps to help distinguish these fraudulent activities at the earliest stages and where products are being delivered directly on site, in future we will put further checks in place to check that the order is genuine before being shipped.  This won’t cause any delay to our customers and orders will be processed and delivered in the usual timely manner that customers expect from Mayflex.’

Martin concluded ‘We would like to issue a word of warning to our fellow distributors and the industry in general to be extra vigilant of this latest scam, there are some very unscrupulous individuals around that will do whatever they can to make a quick buck.’

Keep an eye on the Mayflex website www.mayflex.com for further updates on how as an industry we can work together to fight these types of scams.

Excel Networking Solutions is running their annual series of Partner Briefings this autumn. Presentations and discussions will be held across the country, in London, Birmingham, Leeds and Glasgow.

The Excel Partner Briefings are designed to keep Excel Partners and Consultants up to date on all of the developments on the Excel Structured Cabling System – an important event for those who sell and support the Excel solution.

This year, we will be showcasing the recently launched enhanced fibre products within the Enbeam range as well as highlighting further products being added to the range. The events intend to bring attendees up to speed on the latest standards information and our guest speaker, Kevin Wright, from Chemtronics will highlight the importance of fibre cleaning. The events will be educational and informative and will provide our partners with the knowledge and tools to help sell and support Excel.

Last year, we received fantastic feedback from our partners who attended the events. An overall satisfaction rate just shy of 95% across the complete roadshow demonstrates the success of the events and their provision of insightful, accurate information and updates.

Speaking with some of the attendees, an Excel partner commented, “The presentations were interesting & it was good to see complementary topics added to the portfolio that are directly “Excel/Mayflex” related but that also affect the supply chain and industry. Each element of the roadshow was factual and concise.”

Another commented, “The Excel Partner Briefings were a useful reminder of the sales tools, collateral and technical support available from Excel”.

If you are interested in booking your place at one of our events, please email admin@excel-networking.com stating which date/venue you would like to attend, or visit the relevant page on our website by clicking on the links below:

Tuesday 26th September – Village Hotel, Leeds South
Friday 29th September – One America Square, City of London
Wednesday 4th October – Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Strathclyde
Wednesday 18th October – National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham

If you would like to apply to become an accredited Excel partner and enjoy future partner briefings, a 25 year warranty and specialist training courses amongst other benefits, you can do so via our website.