OCC’s Dallas facility has gotten a makeover!   The new OCC signs have been put into place, which solidifies the acquisition of the former Applied Optical Systems.  So what does this mean for our customers?  Customers can now expect to find even more full-solution options for their product needs.  By acquiring and merging with AOS, OCC has been able to expand our product offerings in the Harsh Environment industry as well as to continue developing new products and solutions for our customers.  Has your business tried coupling our Harsh Environment connectivity products with our Harsh Environment cables yet??

Underwriters Laboratories (UL) has been working to provide manufacturers and consumers with products that meet their demanding safety standards and regulations since 1894.  With over 66,000 manufacturers producing UL certified products each year, UL has gained a reputation for being a leading global safety science company.  So when news broke last week that there were cables circulating with unauthorized reference to UL on them, both consumers and manufacturers began to panic.

Multiple off-shore manufacturers were identified as having unauthorized use of UL listings on their packaging and cables, meaning they have not been evaluated or approved by UL for use.  Although no cases of harm have been reported, UL has warned consumers and manufacturers that the potential for hazard is still there.

With this latest development, OCC wants to take the time to assure all our current and potential customers that you won’t find any unauthorized use of UL trademarks on our products or packaging.  OCC is dedicated to providing customers with cables that we stand by. Our cables are designed to not only meet the standards of the industry they are implemented in, but also the safety regulations set forth by companies such as UL.   By choosing OCC, you are purchasing high-quality, performance-driven, and American made products that you can use for your business needs with confidence.

In today’s fast-paced world, society has become accustomed to having information and data at their fingertips 24/7.  Whether it be using Google to remember a movie name that has escaped you or to check up on your favorite NFL team’s score, people want their information to be readily available to them whenever they need it.  So when it comes to deciding on cable or connectors that you need for that next big project or job, why should you be limited to just browsing through a bulky catalog?

Accu-Tech, one of OCC’s distributors, has recently released an app for the Android, iPhone, and iPad that eliminate that as a problem.  Accu-Tech’s app features OCC’s full product catalog in a beautiful interactive format, making searching for a product fast, easy,  and most importantly, available to you even when you’re on the go.  In addition, the app also gives you access to all of OCC’s specs sheets available on our website with the capability of emailing these spec sheets straight from your phone or iPad.

OCC is thrilled to be part of such a huge step in moving towards mobile optimization in our industry.  We hope that our customers will find the Accu-Tech app to be both convenient as well as useful in their future endeavors when it comes to searching for and buying their cable and connectivity needs.

Rather have your materials from OCC in print format?  No worries!  Contact us to have a catalog or brochure sent to you.

After a fantastic week in Las Vegas for the BICSI Fall Conference and Exhibition, OCC is very pleased to have been part of such a great networking and educational event for those in the Information Technology Systems (ITS) industry.  We had the opportunity to speak with people from all different backgrounds and areas of expertise about our products and solutions as well as to attend various seminars hosted by BICSI that allowed for our staff to learn even more about the trends and upcoming needs of those in the ITS industry.  So what was our favorite aspect of the conference and exhibition?  Talking to all the amazing people who stopped by our booth, of course!

While OCC showcased numerous products and cables in our booth at BICSI, our most talked about product, by far, was our new Data Center Cabinet.  OCC’s new Data Center Cabinet was designed with the customer in mind; from the configuration of the cabinet on the inside to the overall look and customizable colors and styles of the outside.  The OCC Data Center Cabinet, which is one of the most flexible, configurable, and durable cabinets on the market, also features a cable friendly rack with plenty of room to be adjusted to the customers’ particular needs.

By providing innovative products and solutions like the Data Center Cabinet, OCC continues to demonstrate to our customers and potential customers our ability to create and sell a full solution.   Our hope is that our customers will feel confident calling on us in the future as their source for high quality products and solutions for their business needs.  Look for new and exciting network solutions from OCC this February at the BICSI Winter Conference in Orlando, Florida.

BICSI, the international association supporting the information technology systems (ITS), has kicked off Day 2 of their annual Fall exhibition and conference here in Las Vegas.  OCC is very pleased and excited to be exhibiting some of our best products ideally suited for the ITS industry, including one our newest products, our Data Center Cabinet.

OCC’s new Data Center Cabinet was designed with the customer in mind.  The OCC Data Center Cabinet, which is one of the most flexible, configurable, and durable cabinets on the market, also features a cable friendly rack with plenty of room, perforated doors and rear PDU section for better airflow, and hinged side doors that can either be locked or removed, depending on the application. The cabinet’s sleek design and custom color options also allow the customer the freedom to design and style their server room as they please.

The cabinet is part of OCC’s full-service Data Center Solutions product line, featuring versatile enclosures and fiber optic and copper cable assemblies designed to meet every data center need. These solutions are also the answer for durable, easy-to install bend tolerant fiber optic cable as well as pre-term copper and connectivity solutions.

Want to learn more about OCC’s new Data Center Cabinet?  Stop by Booth #300 today between 4:30 – 7:30 to see the cabinet up close and talk to a member of the OCC team about how our Data Center Cabinet can best suit your needs.

DSEi 2011, the world’s largest fully integrated defense and security exhibition, kicked off Day 2 today in London, England.  With over 1,300 exhibitors present, OCC is very excited to be part of this show and we are looking forward to demonstrating to attendees some of the innovative defense and military grade products and solutions OCC has to offer.

Yesterday, OCC announced that we have been approved once again by the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence (MoD) as a one of the few cable manufacturers to be a fully qualified supplier of Def-Stan 60-1, Part 3 ground tactical fibre optic cable, meeting all military requirements.  We are also the only fibre optic cable manufacturer currently with a U.S. Department of Defense MIL-PRF-85045/8A certification issued by the U.S. DoD, Defence Logistics Agency. This is a great achievement by OCC and we are very excited to have the opportunity to talk to customers and exhibitors at DSEi about the exceptional advantages that come from using OCC fibre optic cable some of the newest and upcoming products they can expect to see from OCC..

One of the key products our staff will be demonstrating at DSEi is our new Pierside Connectors.  The OCC Pierside style of multi-channel fibre optic connectors are designed to enable “genderless” mating capabilities, without regard for male or female gender configuration of the interfacing connector to which it is mated.  This genderless characteristic allows cable assemblies with hermaphroditic plugs on both ends to be deployed without concern for orientation (male or female), making it an ideal choice for fast-paced military applications.

Unlike other connectors, the OCC Pierside family offers users the most comprehensive complement of connector options available, including replacement dust caps, strain relief receptacles and 90° plugs, etc.  Available in either single-mode, multimode or a combination of both, the design is compliant to the Commercial Item Description (CID) standard issued by the Naval Sea Command.

We hope that if you are attending DSEi 2011 you will stop by our booth (#S10-149) to learn more about our products and why OCC continues to be internationally recognized for pioneering the design and production of fiber optic cables in the most demanding military field applications.

We’ve reached the end of IBC 2011, and what a whirlwind past couple of days it has been!  This year, IBC had its’ largest gathering of exhibitors and guests with approximately 49,911 people to be exact!  OCC is very excited to have been part of such a great turnout for this event and had a great time meeting with customers and exhibitors while in Amsterdam.

OCC showcased several products that are designed to meet demanding requirements of field and stadium transmission applications including broadcast fiber optic cables, the MARS reel system, and corresponding reel accessories for rapid cable deployment. So which of these products were our most talked about at the booth?  Our MARS Reels.

Besides the talk of our MARS Reels being so light-weight and easily deployable, what we saw and heard at IBC this year was that many companies who are still using the triax copper solutions want to move toward a fiber solution. Based on the customer feedback at our booth, we hope that OCC has demonstrated our ability to provide a full solution, meaning our ability to provide cable, connectivity, and complementing products such as our MARS Reels product line, to our customers and instill a confidence in them to call on us to help in the development of a fiber optic solution for their business needs.

IBC 2011, the leading global tradeshow for professionals engaged in the creation, management, and delivery of broadcasting media and entertainment starts today and OCC is very excited to be a part of this premiere event.  The IBC exhibition, held in Amsterdam, Netherlands, boasts a wide array of onsite certified training, product demonstrations, and big-screen movie presentations.   It is the place to learn and get connected to leading innovations and new technologies for the broadcast market.    This year plans to be no exception.

In fact, OCC is showcasing several expert products designed to meet the demanding requirements of field and stadium transmission applications including broadcast fiber optic cables, the MARS reel system, and corresponding reel accessories for rapid cable deployment.

OCC’s broad range of Fiber Optic Broadcast Cables are specifically designed for real-time transmission of high definition broadcast signals. Our Field Broadcast cables are proven to repeatedly withstand the abuse associated with the extreme demands in rapid deployment and retrieval applications.  From extreme environments that require water and UV resistance, to high foot traffic applications, OCC’s Distribution and Breakout fiber optic cables offer excellent crush resistance, maximum flexibility and immunity to electro-magnetic and radio frequency interference.  In addition, we can manufacture them in a variety of colors for easy identification or to blend in to their environment.

Deploying and taking up fiber optic cable is one of broadcast’s most thankless jobs. Hundreds of yards of cable are laid across tarmacs, down sidelines, over fences, and under tarps, only to be gathered up again when the broadcast wraps up. Thunderstorms, muddy fields, and on-site news coverage can make the job even worse; often piles of cable end up heaped on the floor of the truck, waiting to be tediously sorted out at the next location.

To help untangle this mess, Optical Cable Corporation (OCC®) has developed the Modular Advanced Reel System (MARS™), the industry’s first lightweight fiber optic cable deployment system, ideally suited for tough environment broadcast field applications in which cable must be deployed and reeled in quickly and stored efficiently in tight spaces.

Unlike traditional metal-style reels, MARS is a lightweight, modular system constructed of an impact modified thermoplastic material that is easily transported and is ideal for applications where cable needs to be deployed and reeled in quickly and stored efficiently.

If you are in Amsterdam this weekend for the IBC Showcase, please stop by and visit the OCC Stand #10-F29 to learn more about the innovative products OCC offers for the Broadcast market!

Recently, we read an article featured on CablingInstall.com that discussed the Telecom grounding and bonding standards that were recently published by The National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) and BICSI.  The new standard, NECA-BICSI-607-2011 Standard for Telecommunications Bonding and Grounding Planning and Installation Methods for Commercial Buildings, will help contractors and installers in designing more effective bonding and grounding systems as well as enhancing the planning and layout of these systems.

Check out the full article features on CablingInstall.com here:  https://bit.ly/njEG65

After reading this article, we got to thinking about how this new standard can be applied to some of our own products.  OCC’s Category 6A Patch Panels immediately came to mind.  With the next generation of high performance copper connectivity entering the structured cabling market, OCC wanted a product solution   that exceeds  10Gbit standards by TIA/EIA and that could promise exceptional component compliance with the option for added security that only shielded solutions can offer.  As a 10 Gig component, the Category 6A patch panel is ideal for end users who are looking for outstanding network performance to keep their infrastructure lasting well into the future.

For more information on this product, please visit our website  https://bit.ly/oXIoHL  or contact us toll free at 1-800-622-7711 to find out more about our Category 6A Patch Panels and how they can be best utilized in your industry.

An article featured on CableOrganizer.com last week takes a look at the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) Ratings and explains the importance of these ratings in regards to protecting cabling equipment when in harsh or unfriendly environments.

NEMA ratings ultimately serve as a system for grading and regulating telecom and electrical enclosures and have been noted as the “go-to standards” for choosing enclosures for industry application.  The article goes on to state, “NEMA-rated enclosures are all about controlling ingress and egress, a substance’s ability to either enter or exit from a given structure or space – in this case, a cabinet. While the majority of NEMA ratings are mostly or entirely focused on blocking ingress, or the entry of a material into the enclosure, there are also several that deal with preventing egress, or the escape of a substance from the interior of an enclosure.”

To read the full article, visit   https://cableorganizer.com/articles/nema-ratings.html

OCC is proud to offer NEMA 4X Enclosures designed to protect fiber optic networking components against environments where corrosive materials, caustic cleaners, and hazardous materials are used. Available in four sizes, the OCC NEMA 4X Enclosures are indoor/outdoor rated cabinets for patching and/or splicing 12 to 96 fiber ports

Some of the features of OCC’s NEMA 4X Enclosures include:

• Adheres to the rigorous NEMA 4X standard for indoor or outdoor use, including extreme environments
• Protects against windblown dust, rain, sleet, snow, splashing water, and hose-directed water
• Constructed of strong molded fiberglass-reinforced polyester material with matching flat cover
• Gasket made of closed cell neoprene cord encased in a continuous channel
• Continuous stainless steel hinge
• Accepts any standard OCC fiber adapter plate
• Includes tie wraps and Kurl Locks for cable management and security
• Pole mounting options are available with a quick assembly and release feature

To learn more about NEMA 4X Enclosures, please check out OCC’s data sheet https://www.occfiber.com/library-support/nema-4x-fiber-optic-enclosures/