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Mar 31, 2015
Fatzer, Ropes & Cables

Fatzer — Don’t Be Roped In With Massive Legacy Expenses

Imagine dressing for the most important presentation of your career. Your $3,000 hand-tailored suit is perfectly matched with a newly pressed bespoke shirt, bright silk tie, and completed by richly burnished brogues. Then it is utterly spoiled by gym socks. Add several zeroes to that initial sum and you have just pictured the sartorial equivalent to...

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Feb 12, 2013
Ropes & Cables

What Fatzer Teaches The Ropeway Industry About The Urban Market

Recently, I was given a tour of Swiss cable manufacturer Fatzer and learned about a relatively new cable product the company calls their Performa line of cables. Amongst other things, these cables opened my eyes to the wide disconnect of understanding that exists between the traditional ropeway industry and the fast-growing urban market. Let me explain...

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Oct 24, 2012
Engineering, Ropes & Cables

How to make a cable

We’ve talked a bit about cable splicing in the past, but never focused much on the process of actually making a cable. Today we resolve that. Here is a short video (albeit in French) that demonstrates how small steel cables are wound together to create medium-sized cables, which are then spun again with other medium-sized...

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Nov 12, 2010
Ropes & Cables

Cable Splicing: A Video

Cable splicing must be one of the most specialized professions in the world. Consider it: There’s anywhere from ten to twenty thousand cable systems around the globe, each needing its haul ropes replaced every so often. Meanwhile, there’s only a few people in the world licensed and/or experienced enough to do it. It’s also probably...

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Aug 31, 2010
Ropes & Cables

Cable Splicing

Last week’s post about six common uses for steel cables generated significant conversation and questions about the cables themselves. One question that was not asked, however, was how a company goes about splicing the two ends of a cable into one continuous loop. I’m told this is one of the most impressive aspects of a...

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