In the past five years in China, the industry scale of aluminum alloy low-voltage cables, an ancient new product, has been hyped up vigorously, its market capacity has been hyped up, its product quality has been hyped up to the point of being heart stopping, and its technological advantages and disadvantages have been hyped up to the point of being unclear. A decent oneAluminum alloy cableThe industry and market have been hyped up like chicken feathers. Now it seems that we should learn from our mistakes, stop excessive hype about this product, and restore its true nature, so that it can further develop scientifically, healthily, orderly, and naturally in China.
*Aluminum alloy low-voltage cable is a new type of aluminum alloy conductor power cable developed in the United States in the 1960s to address the multiple building fires caused by improper coordination of traditional aluminum conductor building cables, their matching plugs, sockets, and splicing devices. They referred to traditional aluminum conductor cables made of AA-1350 aluminum before the 1960s as' old technology cables', which were phased out by government regulations in 1971; The new aluminum alloy cables manufactured with AA-8000 series aluminum alloy after 1971 are called 'new technology cables', and the government has issued regulations to promote them comprehensively. In the United States, this product has a history of over 40 years since its widespread successful application.
In 2007, Aluminum Canada began selling its aluminum alloy cable products in China. In 2009, Jialv established a factory in Tianjin to produce 'Shide' aluminum alloy cables, which opened up the Chinese aluminum alloy cable market and laid a solid foundation for the promotion and application of aluminum alloy cables in China. At the end of 2012, General Cable Company of the United States acquired Tianjin Jialv at a high price, further increasing the production and sales of aluminum alloy cables in China and quickly opening up the Chinese market. To be fair, if it weren't for Aluminum Company and General Cable Company introducing aluminum alloy cables into China, would we have such a thriving aluminum alloy cable industry and market today?
After General Cable Company of the United States took over the aluminum alloy cables in the Chinese market and achieved great success, it caused a strong reaction and vibration in the Chinese cable industry, leading to the rise of the 'aluminum alloy cable fever', which temporarily disrupted the entire cable market. In the face of this extremely abnormal market situation, while the cable industry and media are hyping it up, there has also been a big discussion about aluminum alloy cables. The result of this aluminum alloy cable hype is a rapid expansion of production capacity, increasingly fierce competition, and uneven quality. The result of this aluminum alloy cable discussion is that product performance has been exaggerated, manufacturing difficulty has been raised, and academic direction has been disrupted.
All of this seriously affects the normal popularization and promotion of aluminum alloy cables in China, and must be corrected. It is particularly noteworthy that the continued speculation on aluminum alloy cables should be stopped. The reasons are as follows.
One is to correctly define what a new product is. This aluminum alloy cable is not a new product, but an old product introduced by a foreign company, without the shadow of China's independent new products. We treat it as a new product and even label it as a 'new product' and a 'once-in-a-lifetime new product'. This is extremely abnormal, as it is incompatible with the spirit of 'independent innovation' and goes against the promotion of domestic brands. When it comes to aluminum alloy cables, the most well-known companies are Jialv Company and General Cable Company in the United States, while not many people know about domestic brands. Therefore, efforts should be made to increase the promotion of domestic brand enterprises.
The second is to correctly position technical indicators. The debate over whether aluminum alloy conductor materials should be used for 'high-speed rail' is still ongoing, and there are related product standards, which has left companies planning to launch aluminum alloy cable projects confused about whether to use 'high-speed rail' conductors or 'non high-speed rail' standards. As a result, there have been difficulties in equipment, technology, inspection, cost, price, and other aspects.
The third is to correctly position the direction of development. At present, the application field of aluminum alloy cables in China is expanding from low-voltage distribution systems in buildings to conventional low-voltage power systems, and its development direction is changing, leading to technological changes in product design, manufacturing, inspection, and application. At this normal stage of development, relevant departments should be encouraged to cross the sea, upgrade product technology, and create their own independent technology industry, rather than crawling behind foreigners.
Based on the above situation, since the aluminum alloy cable is not a new product, the technical indicators are not very unified, and the development direction is not very clear, we should not blindly hype up the advantages and market of aluminum alloy cables. We should stop this misleading industry hype and return the true nature of aluminum alloy cables, allowing them to develop and mature naturally. At the same time, it is important to listen to the opinions of relevant academic experts, respect knowledge, revere science, and not ignore the laws of science and technology and speak recklessly.
The normal survival, development, and innovation of aluminum alloy cables in China are not only related to the implementation of the national policy of 'replacing copper with aluminum' and the upgrading of cable products, but also to the reputation of China's cable industry. For this ancient new product, aluminum alloy cables, we should continue to conduct in-depth technical research, improve product quality, extend the life cycle, and expand application areas. We should immediately stop excessive speculation and let it develop naturally and orderly. This is the social responsibility of all relevant parties in China's cable industry.