Durability and Flexibility is Key
About the Company
Mercury Wire works with a leading provider of advanced inspection solutions, specializing in the de velopment of innovative equipment designed to address complex challenges in the infrastructure and utilities sectors who operate in several countries around the world.
This provider is renowned for their commitment to quality and reliability, as its primary customers are businesses and municipalities worldwide. One of their main products is the innovative design and manufacturing of buried utility locating instruments and video inspection equipment ensuring the integrity and efficiency of critical piping systems through cutting-edge technology.
Mercury Wire has had an ongoing relationship with this Company for over a decade.
The Challenge
The Company continually pushes the limitations of the constituent components, striving to innovate and design products that go further and provide better results for the end users. The primary challenges faced by this Company in its use of another vendor’s push cable included:
- Durability and Reliability Issues: The push cables were breaking due to the rigorous conditions of their application, which involved navigating through tough, abrasive environments like ceramic and clay pipes. The internal wire needed to stay connected despite the push and pull through these challenging terrains, and failures were leading to breakage. The Company specifically wanted to push the cables significantly beyond the P-trap so that their customers could see the root cause of sewage blockages.
- Water Exposure Concerns: There was a critical need to limit water exposure to the cable areas to prevent damage and ensure the longevity and functionality of the push cables in wet or damp environments.
- Customer Satisfaction and Operational Delays: The failure of cables not only affected the Company’s product quality but also led to significant operational delays for their clients, including government and municipal contracts, where timing and reliability were paramount.
- Product Performance Under Real-World Conditions: The push cables, a critical part o f the product success, were not extending far enough beyond the p-trap, leading to customer complaints and putting the Company’s reputation and client relationships at risk.
Addressing these challenges was crucial for the Company to maintain its market position, ensure customer satisfaction, and fulfill its contracts efficiently. The Mercury Wire team was highly responsive, collaborating and working with members of the Company team to address all of these challenges and more.
The Solution
The concerted efforts by Mercury Wire to address and resolve the challenges faced by the Company with their previous push cable yielded several tangible results that significantly impacted both companies and their clients. Perhaps, most importantly, during the supply chain crisis brought on by Covid, Mercury Wire’s ability to produce push cable at the quantity and in the time required meant that the Company was able to sell their products and believe that they successfully sold to customers that they would not have been able to without Mercury Wire’s focus and dedication.
The detailed modifications leading to the results were highlighted in the solution section in the f ollowing broad categories:
- Enhanced Product Durability and Reliability
- Improved Waterproofing
- Increased Customer Satisfaction
- Operational Efficiency and Reduced Delays
But the most important result that fundamentally changed the overarching service delivery was the creation of a dedicated production line or “cell” focused on the Company’s current and future needs as it relates to push cable. This proactive approach is not isolated to the Company, it is Mercury Wire’s ongoing commitment to partnering with their customers.
The Results
Developing high-performing wire and cable assemblies require a clear understanding of the application requirements and environmental factors the product will be exposed to. By carefully gathering information regarding the application needs and current challenges, Mercury Wire partnered with the client on designing a more rugged cable assembly lead that was better suited for the environmental conditions to which the cable assembly was exposed. Today, Mercury Wire supports the client with an expanded array of cable and assembly solutions. In addition, Mercury Wire also developed a custom workcell with a dedicated team of individuals that now manufactures right-sized batches, on-demand for the client. This results in short lead-times, high inventory turns and improved cash flow for the client by keeping their inventory levels low.
