Beast Cabling Systems (www.thebeast.us), a manufacturer of cable-pulling systems, recently donated its namesake system, the Beast, to BICSI (www.bicsi.org) for use at the organization’s Tampa-based training facility. The donation is valued at $15,000.
The Beast is a portable system that separates, organizes, and labels cable off the reel. According to its manufacturer, the system enables pulling up to 48 cables from individual reels into cable pathways, conserving time and materials, reducing errors, and ensuring uniform installation practices.
BICSI, a not-for-profit association, accepts donations of cable, connectors, tools, and other products and services to enhance its training at its Tampa facility. “It is important that we keep our members and other students aware of new tools, technologies, and processes that can help them be more efficient in their business,” said Patricia A. Boyland, director of professional development and credentialing for BICSI. “Donations such as the Beast ensure that BICSI maintains its leadership position as a provider of standards-based, vendor-neutral training for cabling professionals working in the information transport systems business.” Students at BICSI’s training facility have the opportunity to use the Beast as well as cable-pulling equipment from other manufacturers.
The donation to BICSI represents an early step in the new company’s efforts to ingrain itself into the cabling industry. Beast’s mantra is that it presents to the industry a process, not simply products, and its aim is to win business by proving the process saves time, reduces waste, and causes fewer on-the-job errors.
The company’s founders and system’s designers are veterans of the cabling industry who spent years subcontracting cable-installation projects. “Subcontractors are always looking for ways to economize their efforts and gain efficiency in their labor,” explained Greg Bramham, vice president of business development for Beast Cabling Systems.
At first glance, the Beast system resembles other reel technologies used for cable pulling. The Beast’s manufacturer says that the efficiency exists when you give the system more than one glance. The stands, for example, are flexible and accommodate larger reels, such as those for 25- or 50-pair voice-trunk cables. Each cable passes through a threading hole at the front of the unit, which reduces “memory” in the reeled cable. The system also measures each cable as it is pulled, letting the installer accurately determine the footage necessary for backpulling to a telecom room, thereby reducing waste. The system also includes a label-tape dispenser that the manufacturer stresses is appropriate for rough-in cable pulling-the type of work for which the Beast is ideally suited.
The system is available in two models, with a third expected on the market shortly. Both can be folded and transported to and from a job site. The original Beast, intended for new-construction and data-center environments, is 99x52.25x41.5 inches in dimension (hence the name, “Beast”). Beast II, intended for existing environments, is 85x40.25x41.5 inches.
By the end of the summer, the company expects to have Beast III available. That unit will fit through a doorway without folding.
In early May, the company announced two new products as part of the system. The Claw, previously known as Pull-Right, reduces common problems of twisted and damaged cable as well as broken pullstrings during a cable pull. The Wirewolf mounts in front of the system and provides a quick means of sorting and organizing cable for termination on patch panels or blocks.
Cable from the system is pulled over Wirewolf’s integrated rollers into the cable tray. Once the pull to workstations is completed and the backpull measured, cut, and labeled, the cables are sorted through the holes in Wirewolf’s Plexiglas panel that correspond to rack layouts.