ULTRACKER™ drums: excellence recognized at the IoT continuum awards

In the age of the Internet of Things (IoT), companies are seeking solutions to optimize operations, enhance efficiency, and reduce waste. Nexans, recently honored at the inaugural IoT Continuum Challenge, stands among the companies leading this technological revolution.

The IoT Continuum program, led by Orange in partnership with Semtech, LACROIX, and STMicroelectronics, supports IoT B2B companies in designing, producing, delivering, distributing, and enriching products, services, or solutions for their clients.

The IoT Continuum 2024 Challenge was created to identify, support, and promote innovative companies in the IoT B2B field capable of addressing challenges in embedded systems, including miniaturization, energy consumption, durability, and device security.

With its ULTRACKER™ solution, Nexans stood out, reaffirming its position as an innovation leader.

Showcased at SIDO Lyon, Europe’s largest trade fair for IoT, AI, and robotics technologies, ULTRACKER™ captivated the jury. This system facilitates daily cable drum management, offering enhanced traceability and loss reduction. Thanks to this innovation, developed by Nexans’ Digital & Data Innovation team, the company was recognized among dozens of participants, underscoring its valuable contribution to industrial IoT.

According to Jérôme Joly, IoT B2B Project Manager at Orange Innovation and a jury member:

“We were already familiar with connected drums from a 2019 pilot aimed at optimizing the fiber optic supply chain. Recently, copper cable theft has become an increasing issue in France. Nexans’ solution, which utilizes IoT technology to monitor cable length, cutting history, and abnormal movements, has proven its effectiveness in addressing these challenges. There’s always room for optimization, aligning well with the support offered by IoT Continuum.”

ULTRACKER™: A Solution Aligned with E3 Performance

ULTRACKER™ goes beyond a mere technological solution. It is embedded in a comprehensive performance strategy, part of Nexans’ E3 management model, which combines three fundamental dimensions:

• Engagement: ULTRACKER™ simplifies employees’ tasks by removing repetitive manual duties, thus improving working conditions.
• Environment: Tracking drums reduces unnecessary replacements, minimizing the ecological footprint by cutting wood consumption and optimizing the use of leftover cable lengths.
• Economy: By integrating smart drum management, Nexans creates added value by lowering operational costs tied to material losses and streamlining logistics. Optimizing cable length also leads to significant cable reduction.

A Digital Transformation that Elevates the Customer Experience

With ULTRACKER™, Nexans takes a further step in its digital transition. By combining IoT, data analytics, and connected services, the company enables its clients to improve operational efficiency and reduce downtime. ULTRACKER™ provides real-time asset tracking, intelligent resource management, and contributes to the sustainability of clients’ operations.

Innovation is not just a priority for Nexans—it’s at the heart of its identity. Through ULTRACKER™, Nexans continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible in the electrification sector, reaffirming its role as a pioneer in industrial digitalization.

On October 17, 2024, Nexans hosted a major immersive event dedicated to electrification and innovation at the Atelier des Lumières. During an exclusive evening in the heart of a unique, immersive venue, Nexans teams welcomed 160 guests including power utilities, distributor partners, major installers, institutional guests and Nexans employees.

An exceptional moment to celebrate our shared commitments, and a unique opportunity to discover Nexans’ innovations for a safer, more sustainable electrification.

For an electrified future. Together.

An experimental and sensory journey with 3 highlights

Immersion and exploration

Sustainable and circular innovation, or how Nexans contributes to reducing its customers’ carbon footprint, reduces its own and recycles materials for a more sustainable future.

Simplified installation, with fast, intuitive installation solutions designed to make installers’ work easier.

• EASYJOINT: an eco-designed cold shrink joint with integrated electrode and sealing mastic that simplifies and secures operations for greater network reliability, scheduled for launch in 2025.
• MOBIWAY POP: spotlight on an innovation that will be pre-launched on November 4 in France: a unique solution for pulling electrical wires to facilitate residential worksites.

Fire safety: major advances to protect people and infrastructures against electrical hazards.

Strategic conference

Guillaume Teixeira, President of Nexans France, and Elyette Roux, Vice President Power Distribution, led an inspiring plenary session on the challenges of electrification and the recipes for supporting the needs of France’s energy transition, confirming the leading position of the Nexans brand on the French market.

They were then joined by Enedis, Rexel, Eiffage and Sonepar to share their insights on the challenges facing our industry.

Projection at the Atelier des Lumières

Guests were then treated to an immersive projection at the Atelier des Lumières. An unforgettable visual experience, a plunge into an artistic and technological universe… The “Journey” experience: when matter is sublimated by light, when electricity connects us to our future.

A convivial moment in a warm and relaxed atmosphere, rich in exchanges and sharing.

Nexans has achieved significant recognition at the Australian Good Design Awards, where two of its products, MOBIWAY BOOST and MOBIWAY UN’REEL, were awarded for their excellence in design and in engineering. The awards, announced on September 20th at a ceremony in Sydney, spotlighted Nexans’ commitment to advancing technology and safety in the electrification industry.

The Australian Good Design Awards, one of the country’s most prestigious recognitions, celebrates the transformative power of design in creating products that not only enhance user experience but also contribute to a sustainable future. This year’s theme, “The Design Effect,” underscored how innovative design can elevate functionality, aesthetics, and business success.

Dual Recognition for Nexans’ Innovations

Both award-winning innovations from Nexans stood out for their exceptional design and engineering benefits that enhance safety and efficiency in cable management:

• Nexans’ MOBIWAY BOOST, the all-in-one cable spool management system, was awarded in the Product Design Excellence – Commercial and Industrial category. The Jury praised its ability to transform cable management into a safer and more efficient process, thanks to its ergonomic features like vertical or horizontal stacking and an integrated handle for ease of carrying.
• Meanwhile, the MOBIWAY UN’REEL, self-spinning 360° cable drum with steel flanges that act as wheels, was recognized in the Engineering Design category. The Jury highlighted its innovation in maneuverability, removing the need for a cable stand and enhancing both safety and efficiency for installers.

A Global Impact Rooted in Innovation

A Celebration of Design’s Role in Shaping the Future

The Managing Director of Good Design Australia, remarked on the broader implications of these awards:

The Australian Good Design Awards, established in 1958, are the country’s most prestigious accolade for innovation, honoring groundbreaking advancements across a wide range of industries, including architectural design, engineering, and digital strategy. Over 80 Jurors rigorously evaluated entries based on their design quality, innovation, and impact.

With the MOBIWAY BOOST and MOBIWAY UN’REEL, Nexans continues to set new standards for the future of electrification, focusing on smart, efficient, and safe installation solutions that empower electricians to work more efficiently and sustainably.

The Science Museum in London is welcoming a sample of Nexans’ superconducting cable to be exhibited in Energy Revolution: The Adani Green Gallery, a new gallery which recently opened. Thanks to their exceptional capacity to carry electricity with almost no losses, High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) cables are already playing a critical role in energy transition as well as in upgrading existing power grids as the world’s energy demand continues to grow. HTS cables are now available for a wide range of applications in power grids.

For over 20 years, Nexans has been successfully developing and deploying HTS cables in the energy infrastructure market. This major innovation has been the centerpiece in a number of recent leading-edge projects around the world, including Chicago’s Resilient Electric Grid. It is currently deployed for the Montparnasse train station in Paris, France, and with SNCF Réseau with a project of superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) in Bussurel, France.

Amidst the growing demand for energy, and especially as the shift from fossil fuels to electricity continues, developing and adapting the existing electrical networks will require new technologies and approaches. For instance, in densely populated areas filled with multiple power grids, as well as telecom and pipe networks, bringing additional power may be very costly and challenging. To address this issue, Nexans developed cables where traditional copper or aluminum conductors are replaced with High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) advanced conductors and wires. Such cables transport three to five times higher currents than traditional cables with lower losses, thus improving the overall efficiency of the power grid. Furthermore, HTS cables do not generate any thermal or electromagnetic impact and can therefore be installed in very narrow passages close to any type of network. They allow to build new power lines while minimizing land take, civil works and nuisances for the neighborhood.

The secret lies in HTS tapes’ amazing property of becoming perfect conductors when cooled down with a continuous flow of liquid nitrogen at -200°C. With minimized impact on the environment, increased capacity at smaller size as well as its proven reliability, superconducting cables can be the most sustainable and cost-effective solution for energy transmission and distribution, especially in constrained locations.

Discover MOBIWAY BOOST – the newest member of our MOBIWAY family – now accessible in Australia and New Zealand (available shortly). Engineered with electricians and installers in mind, this breakthrough cable spool management system seamlessly blends advanced technology, ingenious design, and practicability to transform your everyday tasks. Explore five remarkable benefits offered by MOBIWAY BOOST:

• User-friendly handling: Bid farewell to exhausting lifts and welcome effortless mobility. Featuring an integrated handle, MOBIWAY BOOST simplifies transferring between warehouses, vehicles, and job sites, offering ultimate portability.
• Secure operations: Leave behind complicated tools and hazardous practices commonly associated with traditional cable spools. Designed with the user in mind, the inner drum within the cable spool ensures a safer unspooling and rewinding process, eliminating the need for risky practices whereas the integrated handle provides convenient and ergonomic carrying, improving overall handling, maintaining optimal safety and productivity.
• Space optimization: Maximize your workspace with vertical and horizontal stacking options, which improves safety and efficiency by allowing quick setup, secured transportation and tidy storage. Moreover, its rubber feet improve the stability onsite which also enables simultaneous pulling of multiple cables.
• Streamline productivity: Accelerate project execution with swift setup procedures, precise cable control, and enhanced jobsite safety. Tackle multi-cable assignments swiftly and effectively with MOBIWAY BOOST.
• A win for efficiency and sustainability: Pursue environmental responsibility alongside technological advancements. Constructed utilizing eco-friendly components, MOBIWAY BOOST supports diminished waste, lowered carbon footprints, and greener procedures.

Partner with Nexans as we persistently challenge limits and support trade specialists via intelligent inventions like MOBIWAY BOOST. Seize the opportunity to amplify your electrical installation projects like never before – adopt the MOBIWAY BOOST era currently unfolding in Australia and New Zealand!

Nexans Morocco is proud to launch the second edition of the “Nexans Climate Challenge,” scheduled from May 15 to June 15, 2024. Under the theme “Innovative Technologies: Accelerating the Energy Transition“, this year’s challenge aims to stimulate the creativity of projects owners, by encouraging them to share innovative solutions in various fields related to sustainability.

After a successful first edition, Nexans, in partnership with the Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Cluster EnR, and Mohammed VI Polytechnic University of Benguerir (UM6P), intends to make this competition an annual meeting of innovation.

The Nexans Climate Challenge provides a collaborative platform that brings together stakeholders from academic circles, research, industry, startups, and civil society. This initiative fosters the exchange of expertise and knowledge, promoting sustainable development.

Candidates are invited to submit their projects in several categories: renewable energies, environment and sustainable development, energy services, energy efficiency, sustainable agriculture, and industrial ecology. A panel of experts from Nexans, alongside specialists from the energy and climate sectors, will evaluate the projects, based on criteria that include environmental impact, degree of innovation, economic viability, and feasibility.

The winners of the “Nexans Climate Challenge” will receive financial support and personalized assistance to further develop their innovations. They will be rewarded at the 4th edition of Climate Day, an event hosted by the Nexans Group in Morocco, on September 26, 2024.

Applications for the second edition of the Nexans Climate Challenge are open until June 15, 2024. Participants are encouraged to submit their projects using the following link: Nexans

Nexans is happy to announce its membership to the Current/OS Foundation, a non-profit, open and independent foundation for the promotion and adoption of active direct current (DC) microgrids.

Make the transition to DC-powered buildings a reality

Cables are a fundamental part of a building’s electrical infrastructure in the transition to DC-powered structures: Nexans is committed to design and manufacture cable systems that are compatible and optimized with future DC building infrastructures.

DC is a game-changer in tomorrow’s energy transition

Max-André Delannoy, Group Technical & Innovation VP at Nexans, explains : “we already live in a DC world: electronic devices, solar generation, battery energy storage systems, LED lighting, electric vehicles, ventilation and air-conditioning systems are all DC-powered. But all these devices are interfaced by AC/DC converters that introduce significant losses during conversion. DC is a game-changer in tomorrow’s energy transition for a more efficient, smarter electrical infrastructure. It is essential for Nexans to better understand such architecture and its deployment in buildings, to develop the most suitable cable solution. Joining Current/OS and leveraging Nexans’s expertise, we are helping to make the vision of smart, connected, sustainable DC-powered structures a reality.”

Towards unified standards and codes

Several challenges need to be addressed for the adoption of DC-powered buildings to become widespread. One of the significant challenges is the uptake by industry professionals who have extensive knowledge and experience in AC power. It will take a collective effort by industry leaders, manufacturers, and regulators to educate and train professionals on DC-powered infrastructure.

In addition, building standards and codes need to be built to address specifications for DC-powered devices. This will ensure that buildings are designed and constructed with DC infrastructure in mind and that the safety and performance requirements for DC-powered devices are met.

The Foundation was set up to assure the availability of the Current/OS Set of Rules to any product manufacturer. It aims to come to a unified standard for DC microgrid control purposes. The Foundation provides its partners with an open set of rules and clear guidelines on how to manufacture products that work in a Current/OS based DC environment.

By joining the Foundation, Nexans is showing its commitment to innovate to make possible the transition to more efficient electrical systems.

As a world’ first, Nexans successfully achieved electrical Type Test for 525 kV DC SF6 gas free cable terminations. This allows us to offer a safer and sustainable solution to connect HVDC cables and brings us closer to our goal to electrify the future.

As the importance of electricity continues to grow, the demand for High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) connections is increasing, for both offshore and onshore applications, coupled with the need for decarbonized electric grids. This requires the development of new robust power network solutions.

Sustainable power solutions in HVDC technology

Targeting products with lower CO2 equivalent emission potential, Nexans leveraged an extensive and in-depth knowledge to develop a full 525 kV HVDC cable system with SF6-free accessories including a dry-type Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS) cable sealing end, and g3 gas filled GIS cable sealing end and an Outdoor Composite (or Air-Insulated Switchgear – AIS) cable sealing end.

The electrical type test according to international standards (CIGRE TB 852 and IEC 62895) was accomplished in Nexans’ High Voltage laboratory in Calais (France), under the certification of an independent third-party. The successful testing performed so far is an important step towards showing that SF6 free HVDC accessories is technically achievable and places Nexans at the forefront in the development of innovative and advanced technological solutions for the power grids, and in particularly at this voltage level of HVDC application.

Advantages of SF6-free high voltage accessories

The main benefits of using SF6 free high voltage accessories include a reduced environmental impact, lower maintenance requirements, and improved reliability. By eliminating the use of SF6 gas, cable terminations can reduce their potential greenhouse gas emission by 99% or more and will contribute to a more sustainable power grid.

This technological breakthrough signifies Nexans’ commitment to innovation and sustainability as it reinforces our position as a strong contributor into electrification.

The International Aluminium Institute (IAI) has today launched Aluminium Forward 2030, a coalition of IAI’s 25 production members and 20 downstream and customer companies who have committed themselves to transforming the aluminium sector. The aim is to accelerate progress toward net zero emissions while working together on a roadmap that is inclusive of all the other UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and combatting climate change have become priorities for the aluminium industry. However, the sector needs to move comprehensively toward net zero carbon in a way that addresses all other aspects of sustainability. This is why the IAI has formed the Aluminium Forward 2030 coalition, which Nexans has already endorsed.

Nexans takes steps to use as much low-carbon aluminium as possible in product manufacturing. In addition, through our recycling solutions, the Group recovers all types of end-of-life aluminium and copper cables, thus making a positive contribution to the environment. Our customers and partners can also benefit from this cable waste recovery service.

The coalition aims to protect and enhance the societal value of aluminium in all its applications. It also gives members the opportunity to be part of a learning community that will transform the future of supply chains.

Nexans and SuperGrid Institute have recently performed a successful transient overvoltage test (TOV) on a 525kV DC cable system in accordance with new High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) recommendations. The DC cable system, produced and installed by Nexans, successfully passed several sequences of damped oscillating voltage tests at both 350 Hz and 6 kHz using SuperGrid Institute’s High Voltage testing facility. This is a new milestone for the development of a resilient interconnected European grid and the integration of renewable energy.

To reach its ambitious target, Europe needs to connect a substantial amount of renewables to the grid (450 GW of offshore wind by 2050). HVDC cables will play a major role in the infrastructure necessary for renewable energy integration. Multi-terminal topologies, mixed cable overhead line systems, and hybrid AC & DC grids will progressively reinforce the single point-to-point HVDC links currently being built, increasing the reliability requirements for HVDC cable systems.

New cable testing standards to ensure system resilience against transient overvoltage events

HVDC cable systems might be subject to system-specific transient overvoltage (TOV) during disrupting events such as a fault in a converter station or a failure to ground the cable itself.

Over the past several years, work has been undertaken to list and classify the most common TOV waveforms into a new CIGRE recommendation. The main European high-voltage laboratories have designed suitable test setups to adapt to clients’ requirements and perform a wide range of TOV tests.

A first successful TOV test on a Nexans 525kV DC Cable System at SuperGrid Institute

Nexans and SuperGrid Institute have recently performed their first TOV test on a 525kV DC cable system, consisting of two external terminations, two joints, and an extruded DC cable. The DC cable system produced and installed by Nexans successfully passed several sequences of zero-crossing damped over voltage tests at both 350 Hz and 6 kHz.