How to speed up cable traceability (case study)
A large data centre rack manufacturer provides complete cable traceability in just 5 seconds per cable label. Applicable on power, UTP and fibre optic cables, the manufacturer maximises wired server rack output in full compliance with traceability requirements from any data centre. Thanks to automated printing and application of labels manufacturer saves 3694 hours in cable identification. Read the full case study and learn how Brady Corporation helped to answer the challenge.
Challenge: Label growing cable volumes
A large data centre server rack manufacturer faced a seemingly unscalable traceability challenge. Growing rack densities and increasing demand for tiny fibre optic cables resulted in growing cable volumes that created a considerable cable labelling bottleneck. Even at 15-20 seconds per printed and applied label, the manufacturer’s rack integration service could no longer keep up with demand. Unwilling to abandon their premium offer, the manufacturer set out to find a solution for their cable traceability challenges.
Solution: Automated label print & wrap
The rack manufacturer contacted Brady Corporation, a specialist in Automated Identification and Data Capture, and decided on the BradyPrinter A6500. With this scalable solution, the rack manufacturer solved the traceability bottleneck. The company continues to provide integratable data centre racks with top quality cable traceability, at maximum production output.
- 5 seconds per label3 times faster than the fastest manual labelling experts, the A6500 wraps labels around cables with mechanical precision. Supported by the Brady Workstation Data Automation app, the system sources authoritative data straight from the company ERP to immediately print in high, 300 dpi resolution for maximum print legibility.Triggered automatically, by a button or foot pedal, operators simply insert a cable and the system prints and applies the right label anywhere on a cable. To keep pace with growing demand for data centre racks, and with increasing volumes of cables to identify, the manufacturer gradually installed 15 standalone A6500 printer-applicators.
- Fit for all cablesThe A6500 cable wrapping system is both precise and flexible. Without a wrinkle, it can label cable diameters ranging from 1.19mm to 10.92mm and 1.52mm to 15.24mm. That enables the manufacturer to quickly label fibre optic cables, UTP-cables and server rack power cables. The system reliably prints and wraps 3 standardised label sizes designed to optimally identify these common data centre rack cable types.
- Custom traceabilityTo meet exceptional end-user traceability requirements, Brady engineers developed custom labels for the BradyPrinter A6500. They can identify 3 fibre optic cables with one label in customer-specified colours.Any Brady label, both standard and custom, is designed to stay attached and remain legible. Tested using international ASTM- and FINAT-methods, and used in data centres worldwide, our labels still provide support when cable traceability becomes a factor.
Result: Label any cable in 5 seconds
The rack manufacturer removed a considerable bottleneck in production output by making cable label speed 3 times faster with the BradyPrinter A6500. From 15 seconds for manual label print and apply, to 5 seconds per applied cable label, the A6500 provides a reliable and scalable solution to meet tightening traceability requirements for larger cable volumes in dense data centre server racks.
By gradually implementing 15 BradyPrinter A6500 to keep pace with growing demand for server racks, including labelled cables, the manufacturer saved 3694 hours in cable identification time in a 12-month period.
Read more about identification solutions for data centres >>
BRADY Corporation in South Africa
T: +27 11 704 3295
africa@bradycorp.com
https://www.brady.eu
