Manufacturer Case Study: Doncaster Cables - Certificate of Assessed Design for EV-Ultra
As the largest British owned manufacturer of general wiring products in the United Kingdom, Doncaster Cables has a wealth of experience in the cable market. The brand has grown extensively since launching in 1984 and is internationally recognised throughout the industry.
The company produces a comprehensive range of cable products within their extensive facilities, based in northern England. Providing such a wide offering helps to meet demand for a varied range of industries. Product ranges include general wiring polyvinyl chloride and low smoke halogen free variants, fire performance cables, control cables, data communications, electric vehicle (EV) cables, coaxial and security cables, as well as a variety of cable accessories.
Having worked with BASEC as their preferred cable testing and certification provider for over 30 years, during this period Doncaster Cables has gained accreditations for a variety of product and systems approvals. Over 40 construction products regulation, CPR certificates have also been awarded to evidence quality and compliance. This is the most comprehensive range of BASEC approvals of any UK cable manufacturer.
An innovative combination
The upturn in the use of electric vehicles and the need for widespread charging infrastructure, led Doncaster Cables to notice a gap in the market for a cable product that combines both power and data supply, to support smart charging technology. Named EV-Ultra®, the cable is available in a wide range of variants, of which the 3 core and 5 core are the most popular. The data cable element of the product is either a 2 core or category 5 enhanced cable, both with superior construction qualities including twisted pairs and ‘super-screens’.
Aaron Walstow comments “The positive feedback from the BASEC Data Laboratory manager where they explained that ‘the data properties of the cable had exceeded all expectations’ is a true credit to the hard work of our Research and Development team, demonstrating that the BASEC accreditation process has added value to the product for the installer to demonstrate quality and conformity.”
Certificate of Assessed Design
An initial challenge that Doncaster Cables faced when developing and launching the product was the lack of an existing standard that the cable could be qualified against, due to its unique combination of delivering both EV charging power and data within the construction. Therefore, installers would have been unable to evidence cable compliance once installed. This factor drove the decision to engage BASEC for a Certificate of Assessed Design, CAD, an ideal solution to ensuring the product’s specification meets necessary safety and performance requirements aligned with the cable industry level quality could be achieved.
CADs are suitable for unique variant products, where no specific national or international standards exist to verify a cable’s design. BASEC works closely with manufacturers to undertake an appropriate testing programme, with both initial and ongoing routine testing, to evidence the product’s characteristics. The assessed design approval also incorporates ongoing surveillance testing to ensure consistent levels of quality and safety are maintained over the longer term.
