Established in 1994, Elcab Wires has consistently added to its product range to be able to spread its wings and has also led on the technology front with R&D

It's been more than 20 years since Anil Jhamtani of Pune, who graduated from the College of Engineering Pune (COEP), decided to venture out on his own and set up a unit to manufacture cables and wires. Two decades hence, he reflects upon his decision and feels that it was the right path he chose to tread on. His company, Elcab Wires (P) Limited, is one of the leading manufacturers of a wide range of products such as copper braids, tinned copper wire for capacitors and resistors, house wires, solar cables, telephone wires, battery cables, earthing straps, etc. "The journey has been exciting so far because of the huge technological advances made in the manufacture of wires and conductors. There is always something new to learn each day," he says.

Over the years, the company's mission has expanded quite a bit to step beyond manufacturing wires. It now provides end-to-end solutions, helping its customers use electrical energy effectively and increase productivity with sustainability. "Our growth rate has been consistent despite the many ups and downs in terms of economy or the sluggishness that often creeps into the infrastructure and housing industry. We now have two well-equipped plants with state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment and technology for manufacturing tinned copper braids and cables," Jhamtani says.

So what is it that has helped the company establish its brand image in the highly competitive wire and cable industry? Replies Jhamtani: "We use the best raw materials available like copper rods from Hindustan Copper of 99.97 per cent purity (having conductivity >100) and PVC compound which has greater tensile strength, good flexibility, robust insulation resistance, and dielectric strength. In addition, we have been continuously investing in research and development, testing facilities for best product quality, productivity enhancement, and operational excellence." Also, the company offers a high level of customisation. "We make multi-core cables up to 50 cores with all of them identified by different colours. These can also be produced with an aluminium mylar or copper shield as per a customer's requirements. The highest demand for such cables is from electronics industries and proximity switch manufacturers," he adds.

To elaborate about some of the products that Elcab Conductors makes, one of its primary offerings is the wide variety of round and flat copper braids in sizes ranging from 1.5 sq mm to 400 sq.mm. "We make braids in various lengths, fitted with various types of lugs (made in-house or bought-out). These are widely used in various industries like railways, electrical and electronic, automobile, chemical, and various heavy duty applications like earthing or grounding of large turnkey plants," Jhamtani says.

Another important product is the welding cable insulated with a compound called TPV (Thermoplastic Vulcanizate). The main advantage of these welding cables, as Jhamtani explains, is that they use pure copper and as such, being highly flexible can be effectively used in any rough situation; in various assembly lines and conveyor systems; in machine tool and oil-heated environment; and automatically operated line and spot welding machines. These TPV HOFR insulated cables have a tough rubber like feel passing spatter test, thermal stability with distortion temperature >240 degree Centigrade, tensile strength beyond 1,800 N, electrical strength >12kV, insulation resistance after humidity treatment >2,000 Mohms," he explains.

Automotive and battery cables are also a part of this portfolio. These cables are as per IS: 9857 and are also used in other applications where batteries are used, e.g., telecommunication, power, computers, etc. where the DC voltage does not exceed 100 volts. These cables can be safely operated under extreme temperatures from -60?C to 130?C. Meanwhile, with very close lay lengths, the rigid stranded copper ropes also form a part of their product range which are made from thicker wires, wherein the strand diameter ranges from 1.0 mm to 3 mm. Some of the company's other products include shielded and screened cables, single core panel wires, and power cables, house wires with ISI mark.

As for the telephone cables, these feature highly conductive copper (annealed bare or tinned). The insulated cores are twisted to form a pair. These pairs are laid up in the form of sub units concentric layers. The layers are overall PVC-sheathed. Individual and overall shielding with copper tape or braiding can be provided depending upon the customer's requirement. Armouring is provided with an extruded inner PVC sheath and an overall sheath of PVC wherever required. "Twisting shields the wire from external interferences such as electromagnetic (EMI) or radio frequency (RFI)," Jhamtani states.

Elaborating about new initiatives, Jhamtani says they have gone 'green'. "We are a part of the global trend of eco-friendly replacement for PVC to manufacture our wide range of cables. These are non-hazardous to environment and human health; there is no organic chlorine; no heavy metals; no phthalate esters; no dangerous residues on oxidation; provide for easy recycling; and are RoHS and REACH-compliant," he states. This replacement is in the form of TPV which, as he points out, have certain defining properties such as a combination of the desirable characteristics of vulcanised rubber and thermoplastics, fully cross linked rubber phase that is finely dispersed in continuous plastic phase, and an excellent combination of mechanical, chemical and electrical properties.

Some of the company's customers include Bharat Electronics, Tata Motors, Garware Wall Ropes, 3M India, Abicor Binzel India, Godrej & Boyce, Bobst India, and Marvel Realtors.