Adding value for the benefit of ICT pros

The two honorees in the 2020 Cabling Innovators Awards Value-Added Programs category both earned platinum level awards, meaning they demonstrated a groundbreaking level of innovation or demonstrated a new approach to solving a challenge.

Belden’s Hirschmann Suzhou plant has been certified by Verband der Elektrotechnik (VDE)’s Test Data Acceptance Program (TDAP), and the MachFlex Super 350 cables have been registered by VDE., “This certification helps Belden and our customers to explore the Industrial Internet of Things world, which is aiming for user-friendly, energy-efficient, instant communication,” Belden says. “Our products and services synergize these requirements. Certified by one of the world’s most stringent laboratories, the Belden Hirschmann Suzhou plant, along with the MachFlex Super 350 Cable family, are ready to serve and connect the world with safety.” The company further adds that it is the first in the world to successfully test automation control cables in compliance to EN 50525-2-11:2011 (Flexible cables with thermoplastic PVC insulation), EN 50525-2-51:2011 (Oil-resistant control cables with thermoplastic PVC insulation), and VDE-PB-0022:2018-07 (Flexible cables for the industry), and granted VDE registration for MachFlex Super 350 product family and TDAP for the R&D testing laboratory under the same standard scopes. “With this certification, Belden can now research and test the entire listed requirements within our own laboratory and submit the data for VDE review and approval,” Belden adds. “The certified test equipment as part of this program includes drag chain testers, torsion testers, bending testers, flame testing machine, tensile elongation tester, micrometers, oscilloscope, oil bath tester, DCR bridge and more.”

The Ethernet Alliance’s Gen 2 PoE Certification Program enables power sourcing equipment (PSE) and powered device (PD) manufacturers to deliver the functionality end users expect, while helping to reduce the time needed to get interoperable PoE-related equipment to market—something that is in the best interest of both the Ethernet ecosystem and customers alike. “PoE has made great strides recently and its advantages are well-documented,” the Ethernet Alliance says. “As PoE proliferates, so have the range of PoE-capable devices using different brand names and terminology with no visible way to distinguish between standardized and non-standardized solutions. As a result, interoperability issues and market confusion have increased. The EA Gen 2 PoE Certification Program features an exhaustive test regimen built around IEEE 802.3bt PSE and PD equipment that pass these tests can be identified by the appropriate “EA Certified” logo that not only shows compliance but also indicates the power level sourced or required by the device. This allows customers to easily identify compliant PoE devices and their power capabilities/requirements.”