New Wave Media

TE SubCom, a TE Connectivity Ltd. company and producer of undersea communications technology, has increased capacity throughput of cable manufacturing at its wet plant factory by 50 percent in an effort to continue meeting customer and market demand, the company announced. In addition, the company has expanded its marine fleet capability to include a sixth 3-meter plow, providing 3-meter burial tools across the entire construction fleet.

 

SubCom achieved a 50 percent increase in capacity throughput through an upgrade to its existing power conductor manufacturing lines, as well as the addition of new lines. This additional infrastructure will become fully operational later this year, allowing the company to expand on more than 610,000 km of its undersea cable installed worldwide to date. Through investments in its marine assets and the addition of another new 3-meter plow, SubCom will enhance its installation capabilities, which will further ensure customers’ successful burial of cable in high-risk areas. 

 

“As we look at the submarine cable industry and how people and businesses will interact with technology in the future, SubCom continues to make strategic investments to support our customers and help their businesses grow,” said Aaron Stucki, president, TE SubCom. “By investing in our technology, operations, expert employees and expanding our service options, SubCom is able to deliver high-quality, flexible and affordable systems to meet the specific needs of our customers now and in the future.”

 

In addition to increased manufacturing capacity and expansion of marine assets, SubCom said it continues to invest in product development and service offerings. In 2015, the company introduced Open Cables, a flexible business model that allows customers to select their preferred SLTE line card supplier. Today, SubCom can also offer C+L band optical technology, which improves the available bandwidth per fiber pair. 

 

To meet reliability requirements for oil and gas customers, SubCom invested in a third-party qualification of the dynamic riser cable connectorized platform hang-off device (PHOD). The PHOD provides a simplified pull-in operation and can decrease vessel time at the platform. The subsea connectivity product line was also expanded with delivery of dual conductor submarine fiber cable terminated with wet-mateable ROV-accessible structures, which can be used to expand scientific communication and power networks. These investments, matched with SubCom’s flexible cost structure, allows the company to better meet the needs of customers for both regional and ultra-long haul systems.