It's about how it bends

Ease of laying was most important when the market's best heating cable was to be renewed.

Bjørn Aaserud is proud and excited. It is not often in a career that a market-leading product with proud traditions is phased out and replaced.

Aaserud, a sivil engineer in chemistry, heads the product department at Nexans. They have now for several years worked diligently to create what has now become the heating cable TQXP. This is the upgrade of the market-leading blue heating cable TKXP, which is the favorite among electricians who want a pliable cable and the best result.

- In the product department, we are most concerned that electricians have the tools they need. Therefore, we have a thorough analytical approach to how the heating cables can contribute to better working conditions for installers. It has also been the guideline for the development of TQXP, says Aaserud.

Read more about the new heating cable TQXP. It is still blue, and slightly better.
 

Thorough tests before launch

The product department has a close dialogue with customers and installers to gain fresh knowledge about what properties the products should have.

- It is about understanding the customer, identifying needs, and taking that insight back to the development department. New products go through thorough tests over time, both in the lab and by gaining experience from electricians, he says.

In the development, experts in electronics and chemistry work closely with skilled electricians who have laid tens of thousands of meters of cables in their professional careers. This contributes to thorough qualification and validation of products before they are sent to the market.

- Customers should have no reason to doubt that Nexans is the safe supplier that develops the best cables for Norwegian building practice, and not least the Norwegian climate. With TQXP, it was important to put in place the features that provide the best legroom. Then it is mainly about how the cable is built up, and how it is put together, says Aaserud and emphasizes that for TQXP it was very much about how the cable bends.
 

Minor wear on neck and shoulders

With TQXP, the development process went smoothly because the cable is based on practical experience over many years, and because lead has been replaced with other high-quality raw materials. The product is therefore lighter, easier to apply, and provide less stress on the neck and shoulders. Which is an important point in a physically demanding profession as an electrician.

- This is the best heating cable we have made. We improved the end terminations, and the cable has hidden joints - meaning that the sheath is even over the joints. TQXP is for those who want to save time on the job itself, and for those who want to avoid complaints when the cable is laid. There should be no faults with this cable as long as the installation instructions have been followed, says Aaserud.

Another important point is that there are now hardly any restrictions on the size of the area where the cable can be used.

- The cable can have an output of up to 3000 watts, and therefore it can be used in the largest bathrooms, in larger rooms and out in the courtyard, he says.
 

For an industry that likes innovation

Aaserud is excited about receiving the upgrade of the blue heating cable.

- Many will probably first be surprised at how much lighter it is, and then that it has retained many of the good qualities that they appreciated earlier. Fortunately, this is an industry that loves innovations and the opportunity to test new things.

In the tests, electricians have been positive that lead has been replaced with more environmentally friendly materials.

- It has a positive effect on the environmental accounts with lower CO2 footprints, which is increasingly important for the contractor and the client, and increasingly for the installation company itself, he says.

Not least, it will have a positive effect on later recycling because the lead is gone, and will be phased out in most industries.

- TQXP is good for the experienced electricians who swear by security in the choice of cable, but will also be experienced as a favorable choice by new generations who are looking for new and more environmentally friendly products. The common denominator for both is the requirement for quality, and they get that with TQXP, he says.

Becomes more affordable

Aaserud also points out that the new cable has the kinder egg effect in that it is as good and as easy to lay as TKXP, as well as cheaper to purchase.

- The new materials cost less, and TQXP is cheaper to produce. It is difficult to give a conclusion on how much cheaper it will be over time, because this is largely governed by raw material prices, says Aaserud.

TQXP has already been in production for a few months, and its predecessor TKXP left the factory at Langhus for the last time in April this year.

- This means that a lot of meters of TQXP will be released before the summer holidays, he says.

- We believe the market is ready for this news. The cable is still blue, easy to install, cheaper, lighter and more climate friendly, and can be used in several places. Briefly summarized; slightly better, he says happily.

Read more about how TKXP became TQXP.