Sydney Rail

Ellis goes Down Under-ground

North Yorkshire manufacturer Ellis says it has received a “substantial” order to work on a major infrastructure project in Australia.

The Rillington-based company will supply its aluminium cable clamps for a multi-million dollar scheme to upgrade the Sydney rail network.

Once installed, Ellis’ cleats will secure three 300sq mm 33kV cables in a rail tunnel that runs from the Argyle substation at the southern end of the world-famous Sydney Harbour Bridge to the new Art Gallery substation on the east side of the city’s Botantic Gardens. This 3km stretch of tunnel is being upgraded at a cost of $40million AUD (£27.5m) and is due to be completed later this year.

Ellis remained tight-lipped about the value of the deal, which was secured through its Australian distributor, Sydney-based IPD Industrial Products. The company has been part of Ellis’ worldwide network of distributors since 2001.

Tony Conroy, export sales director at Ellis, said: “Our export strategy has always been to identify the very best local distributors and work closely with them in building our name and reputation in their country.”

“IPD has consistently delivered during the time we’ve worked with them and as a result we now have a very strong foothold in the Australian market.”

Ellis’ cable cleats are designed and made to secure electrical cables in a manner that can withstand forces generated by the cables, including those generated during a short circuit fault. Its Vulcan+ cleats and Vari-cleats are used on rail tunnel applications due to their compact size and ease of installation.

Andrew Chan, marketing manager for IPD, said: “Ellis’ reputation is certainly growing in Australia and it can only be enhanced when its products are specified for use in a project where reliability and safety is absolutely vital.”

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