Founded in 2010, British firm BICA Ltd., based in Wrexham, manufactures high-quality, non-rust cable cleats made of plastic and aluminium. Although a medium-sized company, BICA Ltd. distributes its products worldwide and is currently looking into developing production capacities in Asia. By acquiring BICA Ltd., the Schlemmer Group has gained experienced cable protection experts. Both company directors Meirion Williams (Operations Director) and Ian Humphreys (Technical Director) have decades of experience in this area and will continue to spearhead the activities of Schlemmer UK Ltd. in the future. The first cable cleats produced under the Schlemmer UK name will soon be found in the London Underground.
"Thanks to its many years of technical experience, BICA Ltd. was able to flag key safety aspects and even use innovations to fill an existing safety gap", highlighted Josef Minster, CEO of the Schlemmer Group. Products of other manufacturers in the hard-fought cable cleat market do not have any short-circuit protection, and offset voltage can therefore cause major damage. Schlemmer UK cable cleats, on the other hand, are protected from this through the use of rustproof material. Furthermore, special processing means the entire system can be "locked down" if there is a risk of a short circuit, virtually ruling out any damage.
This safety feature also follows a proposal for an international standard which may be introduced in the future. "As the only cable cleat manufacturer already producing in line with the standard, Schlemmer UK stands to gain a major boost if the new standard comes into effect", said Minster.
Besides standardised products, BICA Ltd. also offers individualised cable cleat solutions that meet a specific customer need. The company is distinguished in this regard by its particularly flexible production line: for example, production capacity can be ramped up quickly, or reduced, through its three-shift operation according to the level of orders. "This strategy suits the Schlemmer Group particularly well as we demonstrate how to adjust production capacities to market conditions within a very short time at many sites worldwide, and not to mention with our mobile production facility as well", said Schlemmer CEO Josef Minster. "Therefore, we are excited about this new addition to the Schlemmer family and sincerely hope that no impediments to cooperation with Britain will emerge in the future as a result of the Brexit goings-on."