Projects id Formidable Social Challenges “Comfort for the Site”— S-FREE™, A Driver of the Evolution of Industrial Electric Wires & Cables
Potential of S-FREE™ to Support Next-Generation Society—From Environmental Conservation to Data Centers
Redox flow batteries, or storage batteries that perform electric charge and discharge by using the redox reaction of vanadium ions or other ions. S-FREE™ cables are used in this system.
Appropriately capturing customer needs and changes in the market
Efforts to develop a brand of traveling cables have been made since before November 2019, when S-FREE™ was launched as a new brand, and one of the current issues is the improvement and establishment of brand recognition. To do this, the members of the Industrial System Sales Department are struggling on the front line of the market. We asked Masahiko Kato, who leads them as the Department Manager, about the strengths and advantages of S-FREE™.
“Our main competition field is not the market for commodity products, but the market for products customized according to customer needs. Therefore, it is important to appropriately and quickly capture customer needs and problems as well as changes in the market, and then develop products based thereon. We will directly hear customers’ voices and provide effective solutions by offering products that customers truly require, rather than merely distributing products. While pursuing this approach, we aim to clearly differentiate our products from others,” says Kato.
Masahiko Kato, Department Manager, Industrial System Sales Dept.
Core members of sales staff in Osaka
Core members of sales staff in Tokyo
Development of potential and new markets for S-FREE™
High evaluation of S-FREE™ in the market has also been reflected in figures. Compared to FY2014, when the business of relative products was restarted under the brand of Sumitomo Electric, sales revenue of FY2019 grew by 20%. In addition, the Sumitomo Electric Group aims at 20% growth by FY2022 compared to FY2019. In the meantime, what issues does S-FREE™ face and what visions does it have?
Toshihiko Terao, the Division Manager of the Industrial Wire & Cable Division says, “The market for rubber insulated cables, including traveling cables, is a mature market. Therefore, in order to expand sales of S-FREE™, we need to develop potential and new markets for the brand. Since traveling cables have been regarded as power supply cables for traveling equipment, they have been used mainly under harsh environmental conditions, such as manufacturing sites of large structures and construction sites. However, we need to develop new markets according to the changing times. For example, in response to the spreading utilization of regenerative energy, we have already started to provide S-FREE™ cables for large storage battery systems. Also, as data traffic increases due to the spread of IoT and telework, an increasing number of data centers are established in urban areas. In response to the start of the 5G era, the number of mobile communication base stations is also increasing. Since these facilities often require wiring in cramped spaces, the features of S-FREE™ cables, such as flexibility and ease of handling for cable terminal work, should be advantageous. In the future, we aim to continue to offer user-friendly products.”
Developing the potential of S-FREE™ means nothing more than providing comfort to various sites. As an innovative cable brand, the growth and evolution of S-FREE™ will further change work sites, work environments and work styles.
