Ensuring quality and sustainable infrastructure

Q

Please can you provide a brief background to the company
and its progress to date?

A
R&M is a leading supplier of passive cabling solutions for high-quality communication networks. With its copper and fibre optic systems the company contributes significantly towards ensuring operational reliability in voice, data and image transmission - worldwide.

Q

In more detail, who are the key personnel that have shaped
the company’s success?
A
Mainly the founders Hans Reichle and Reanato De-Massari, the second generation of the Reichle family namely Martin and Peter Reichle, Hans Hess, Chairman of the Board of Directors and the first external CEO Michel Riva and his colleagues of the Management Board

Q
What is the company’s geographical coverage, and any plans
to expand this?

A
Europe, MEA, APAC, Latin America. R&M will strengthen its position in emerging markets such as India, Brazil, Russia, Turkey etc. R&M is active in more than 30 countries with its own organizations.

Q
What about industry sectors – current and any future targets?

A

The R&M solutions cover quality and sustainable infrastructure ensuring that communication backbones are able to transport its media at optimum speed and quality. This requirement extends to almost all sectors, but the main areas where we are currently successful are Office and Enterprise Cabling, Data Centres, Fibre to the x (FTTx) solutions.

Q
In brief, what are the USPs that R&M offers data centre
customers when it comes to cabling?

A

R&M is a quality precision brand, it has a vast arrange of products utilised within the Data Centre. The innovation, quality of our development and therefore our manufacturing exceeds normal standard expectations, so clients can be assured that their R&M solution will give their business an opportunity to excel when using an infrastructure by R&M. We have a deep application know-how and know the needs of our customers’. Therefore we provide a wide range of consultancy services covering all relevant fields.

Q
Copper cabling continues to survive/thrive – what are the
reasons for this, and do you see this continuing in the future?

A

We need to differentiate. Telcos want still want to use their existing copper infrastructure for the “last mile” by using new technologies such as vectoring and bonding. In cases where no existing infrastructure exists, fibre is the preferred technology. In Data Centres the share of Fibre Optics is already around 80% and is still increasing. When it comes to Office Cabling, copper is still a very good option because the provided data rate with 10GB/s is still future proofed.

Q

If so, what copper cabling developments can we expect?

A
There are standardisation and development activites for data center applications covering channels up to 30 metres for data rates up to 40 GB/s. Beside twisted pair copper cabling solutions there are already twinax copper solutions available as SFP+ for 10GB/s and QSFP for 40 GB/s used in Data Centres for short links up to 7 metres.

Q
Fibre optic cabling is also a part of your portfolio. What
products do you offer right now, and what can we look
forward to during 2014?

A
A wide assortment for FTTx, Data Centres and other
applications.

Q
Any thoughts on how cabling can help company’s concerned
with enhancing their green credentials (ie complying with the
EU Code of Conduct, for example)?
A

Companies looking to enhance their green credentials should look at their infrastructure as their foundation to their business. The foundation element is the strength and the core. It will not be replaced in a short period of time like other technologies, so deploying a strong quality solution in the first place is important. After all, this is the foundation of your business and therefore the underlying element of your reputation. There are many ISO standards sought by those who wish to improve their “Green” credentials. Those who tend to opt for the “cheap” solution tend to have concerns over the infrastructure reliability of their business also.

Q
Does cabling have any role to play in helping companies
looking to leverage buzz topics and technologies such as
BigData, Virtualisation, BYOD and, of course, Cloud?

A
Cabling absolutely has a role to play. These “buzz topic” type solutions need innovative infrastructure in order to enable their technologies to operate. Simple tasks such as cable performance and management need to be investigated when hardware vendors build their equipment. So having the ability to design a cable with specific performance and manageability is just one element. Technology alliances will exist to enable technology advancement.

Q
Can you provide a brief overview and any thoughts on the
current situation with regard to cabling standards?

A
There are many activities in the fields of 40 GBase-T, 40/100 GB/s for FO and twinax and even standardisation groups are discussing 400 GB/s solutions based on Fibre Optics.

Q
What about the likely roadmap for speeds – for Gigabit
Ethernet, Fibre Channel and any other relevant protocols?

A

In the office cabling, R&M expects that in the next few years 1000Base-T will be replaced by 10GBase-T as the predominant application. In DC cabling the trend towards faster transmission protocols will continue in the future. 40 and 100G applications on multifibre channels (MPO’s) will grow for sure in the future. In addition we will see increased transmission speeds above 10G (e.g. 25G) over dublex fibre cabling.

Q
Bearing in mind the many developments discussed above,
does R&M offer some kind of network/cabling advice service
to end users?

A

Yes, R&M offers a service relationship where our client can call on our technical experts to help the client establish the solution requirements. This can start with a concept design right through to project management for a DC deployment. There are many assessments, audits and other services which R&M can offer in order to help the client achieve their business goals. Specific modules cover these topics also as part of our qualified partner program (QPP).

Q
Once the cabling is installed, does R&M provide some kind
of an infrastructure management product or service?

A
A few weeks ago, we launched our brand new AIM solution InteliPhy. Yes, the service of R&M does not end once installed. The partnership is just beginning. R&M has developed a program of services that can accompany the relationship with our clients. As stated above, these can consist of audits, industry based standard assessments, even intelligent infrastructure management software services for the client who needs the added security of resource management and planning.

Q

There’s much talk of ‘future-proofing’ the data centre and its
content. What role does R&M play in helping customers
achieve this objective in terms of the network?
A
Future proof is a specific topic in the field of office cabling for carriers because of the long term reliability of the cabling. The
product and solution life cycle in the area of data centres is much shorter. R&M have their own consultants who work with the client to understand the requirements of their business moving forward. So the ability to develop and design a concept solution is key to future-proofing an infrastructure solution in the relevant fields. The consultants ensure that all the needs for the future are taken into account at the design stage to optimise the solution now and for the future. This service is part of R&M’s on-going commitment to their clients, which differentiates them from other cabling vendors. R&M’s warranty system guarantees 25 years for the application that underlines our aims for providing long lasting, high quality products for application.

Q
Are you able to provide one or two brief examples of how
R&M has helped data centre customers with their
cabling/network requirements?

A
Statements from Philip Morris (2013): R&M’s offer was a compelling technological solution with a high level of customer orientation expressed in the high quality of consultancy services, very fast delivery times and individual customization. Danik Y. Baechthold, Manager Data Center Facilities, was impressed from the very first contact he had with the company. “R&M was very much abreast of the technology and demonstrated great understanding of the key challenges of a data center operator. […] Because the products are so reliable, there were fewer problems during the course of the project. And when there were any, they were quickly solved thanks to tangible customer proximity. R&M is not just a supplier, but a genuine partner.”

Statements from Groupama, French insurer: “We had only six weeks for the actual installation. And that was a little tight. We had R&M deliver the MTP cables equipped with 1200 connectors. To be able to complete the project successfully in the specified time, we had to be able to rely unconditionally on error-free deliveries,” explains Frédéric van Bunderen, who headed up the project for the installer. “The time saved in connecting the 60 pre-installed racks and the unrivalled product quality justified greater material costs on the final bill than would normally be the case. The 25-year warranty on the installation and the respectability of the Swiss supplier confirm just how right we were to choose R&M.”

Q

For end users looking to assess and then upgrade their
cabling/network, what advice would you give?
A

The advice is talk to quality oriented vendors such as R&M. We work with the client early enough to optimise the design, ensure the quality and assure the performance with the clear target to offer a high protection of customers’ investment. This will give peace of mind, knowing that the solution will be reliable and trustworthy for its business to operate. It will also be future ready as the world changes around us.