Interference & harsh conditions
Unscreened cable beside drives and motors, and outlets not rated for dust or moisture, cause intermittent faults that are hard to trace.
Sector · Manufacturing & industrial
Factory networks built for the production floor.
From Burnley and Pendle to the rest of the North West, manufacturing sites need networks that survive heat, dust, vibration and electrical noise — and installs that don't stop the line. We specify for the environment and work around production.
In short
What makes a factory network different?
A factory network has to cope with conditions an office never sees: electrical interference from motors and drives, heat, dust, vibration and sometimes wash-down. It also has to connect machines, scanners and sensors as well as people, across distances longer than copper can reach from one comms room.
That means choosing the right cable, containment and outlets for each area, using fibre between distribution points, and designing Wi-Fi for a building full of steel.
The challenges
Why factory installs go wrong.
Most network faults on production sites aren't equipment problems. They're cabling and design problems that show up months later.
Environment
Distance
Large floors, long runs
Production floors exceed copper limits from a single comms room, so the distribution design matters as much as the cabling.
Uptime
The line can't stop
Installs need to be phased around shifts and shutdowns so production carries on.
What we deliver
Specified for the environment.
We choose cable, containment and outlets area by area, rather than specifying the whole building as if it were an office. Our industrial cabling guide explains the decisions in detail.
| Service | On a manufacturing site |
|---|---|
| Structured cabling | Screened cable where interference demands it, suitable outlets and containment for each area |
| Fibre backbones | Fibre between distribution points across large floors and between buildings |
| Enterprise Wi-Fi | Surveyed coverage for handhelds and tablets among machinery and racking |
| Public address | Zoned announcements that cut through production noise |
| CCTV | Coverage for entrances, yards, loading bays and stock |
| Point-to-point links | Connections to outbuildings and stores without digging |
In practice
Wi-Fi and fibre across a working floor.
On a racked warehouse and production site in Lancashire, we surveyed the Wi-Fi with the racking loaded, installed a fibre backbone between distribution points and Cat6A out to each access point, and phased the work zone by zone through nights and quieter shifts — with no disruption to operations. See our case studies for the full write-up.
FAQs
Factory networks, answered.
Tell us about the site and the environment, and we'll recommend the right specification.
Do we need shielded cable in a factory?
Often in some areas, not necessarily everywhere. Where cable runs near motors, drives or high-current equipment, screened cabling with correct earthing helps avoid interference. We specify it where the environment calls for it rather than across the whole site.
Can you install without stopping production?
Yes. We phase work around shifts, weekends and planned shutdowns, and prove each area before moving on, so production carries on.
Can Wi-Fi work reliably on a production floor?
Yes, if it's designed for the space. Metal machinery and racking change how signal behaves, so we survey the working environment and position access points accordingly rather than guessing.
Can you connect machines and equipment as well as offices?
Yes. We run cabling to machines, controllers, scanners and terminals, with outlets and containment suited to the production environment.
Can you sort out a messy existing network?
Yes. Cabinet tidy-ups, re-labelling, documentation and replacing only the cabling that needs it are a big part of our work on established sites.
Do you provide test results?
Yes. Copper is certified with Fluke DSX test equipment and fibre is OTDR tested, with labelling schedules and as-built drawings at handover.
Explore more
Related services & guides.
The services and guides most relevant to manufacturing sites.
Industrial cabling guide →
How to specify cabling that lasts in harsh environments.
Structured Cabling →
Certified copper cabling, cabinets and containment.
Enterprise Wi-Fi →
Surveyed Wi-Fi for production floors.
Warehousing & distribution →
Fibre and Wi-Fi for big-shed sites.
Aerospace & defence →
Multi-building, restricted-access sites.
Cat6 vs Cat6A →
Which grade to install and why.
Talk to us
Tell us about the site. We'll spec it properly.
Send us an outline of the site, the areas involved and your production constraints. We'll arrange a survey and come back with a specification and a fixed price.