This week at the CIGRE Session in Paris, members of the CTC Global team had the opportunity to spend time with our colleagues at Lamifil, one of our longest-standing ACCC® Conductor manufacturing partners. Lamifil recently published an excellent article reflecting on more than twenty years of collaboration between our organizations, beginning with our initial discussions in 2004 and Lamifil’s first production of ACCC Conductor in 2005.
Twenty years is a significant milestone, but what makes this relationship particularly meaningful to CTC Global is not simply its longevity. It is what close collaboration between two organizations with complementary expertise has enabled us to accomplish for our utility customers around the world.
From the beginning, Lamifil brought much more to the relationship than outstanding manufacturing capabilities. Their deep understanding of conductor design, manufacturing, utility requirements, installation practices and real-world transmission applications complemented CTC Global’s expertise in composite materials, advanced conductor technology and system engineering. Together, our teams have worked closely with utilities to develop project-specific solutions, conduct specialized testing, address unique engineering requirements, support installation crews and provide field assistance when and where it is needed.
That collaboration became increasingly important as ACCC Conductor moved from its earliest commercial applications into larger and more technically demanding projects. Lamifil manufactured ACCC Conductor for pioneering projects in the United States and China, supported the first European installations in 2008, and subsequently supplied ACCC for 380 kV bundled-conductor applications. By 2016, Lamifil-manufactured ACCC Conductors had been installed on every continent except Antarctica.
Behind those milestones are hundreds of engineering discussions, technical evaluations, tests, customer meetings, training sessions and visits to project sites. They are an important reminder that successful transmission projects depend on much more than the performance characteristics printed on a conductor datasheet.
Every transmission project presents its own challenges. Existing structures, span lengths, clearances, environmental conditions, operating temperatures, installation equipment, hardware requirements and utility practices can all influence the optimum solution. Having experienced teams willing to work together – and directly with the customer – can make an enormous difference. Lamifil has consistently demonstrated that commitment.
This philosophy is also fundamental to the global manufacturing network CTC Global has developed over the last two decades. Our objective has never been simply to make ACCC Conductor available in more places. It has been to build a network of highly capable manufacturing partners that can combine local and regional expertise with CTC Global’s technology, engineering resources, testing capabilities, installation support and growing body of field experience.
Lamifil has played an important role in helping establish that model. Their willingness to collaborate, innovate, test, learn and support customers has helped ACCC Conductor progress from an emerging technology two decades ago to one of the world’s most widely deployed advanced conductors today.
CIGRE Paris is an especially appropriate place to recognize this achievement. The CIGRE community brings together utilities, engineers, researchers, manufacturers and technology providers from around the world to exchange knowledge and solve increasingly complex grid challenges. The relationship between CTC Global and Lamifil reflects that same spirit of technical collaboration.
As electricity demand grows and utilities work to increase capacity, improve efficiency, strengthen reliability and make better use of existing transmission corridors, advanced conductor technologies will play an increasingly important role. But technology alone is never the complete solution. Manufacturing excellence, engineering expertise, specialized testing, properly designed hardware, installation knowledge and experienced field support all matter.
After more than twenty years of working together, we are extremely proud to count Lamifil among CTC Global’s outstanding manufacturing partners – and even more appreciative of what our teams have accomplished together for customers around the world.
We congratulate the entire Lamifil team on more than two decades of collaboration and look forward to the projects, challenges and innovations still ahead.
