Just Another Brick in the Wall

Aug 14, 2014 0 Comment Ryan Hulland Cable Management, Netfloor USA ECO Cable Management

I remember sitting at the large table. Everyone there seemed a little nervous.

I tried striking up a conversation with the guy next to me. It turned into one of those awkward moments you have with yourself when you're on an airplane and the guy next to you doesn't want to talk. No big deal, but he left me hanging.

I didn't mind, really. Pre-bid meetings aren't the most exciting way to spend an afternoon. I was excited, however, because we had been working closely with the design team and the owner on this one.

Several floors of office space for design engineers, customer service, production management and marketing meant a lot of offices and cubicles. And THAT meant a lot of cables and wires.

Now, we've been designing and manufacturing low profile access floors for a long time, and there are a lot of people around that are successfully using them to simplify cabling.

But you're always going to have a more conservative person in the crowd, who isn't as familiar with cable management floors.

He was definitely in attendence that day:

"Do we even need the access floor in here?"

"We would prefer the floor," replied the owner's rep.

"Well 2 inches ain't much of a floor; how much can you fit in it?"

"There's plenty of room for cables," replied the engineer.

"Well it won't hold up. Too much weight on top," declared the gruff construction superindendent. He crossed his arms and sat back as if he had settled the very discussion he had started.

I spoke up briefly and explained the technical aspects of the floor system, how much weight it could hold, etc.

No reply.

Everyone else seemed ready to move on, but the superintendent didn't budge.

"You can't put your walls and offices on it. Just won't work."

The engineer perked up: "We have run the calcs; the floor is fine. We can build walls on it."

"When pigs fly!" cried the super. "When the damn pig flies!"

We're Healin'

In the past, access floors were always thought to be for industrial buildings. They're boring, dull and no one really cares. Some have been burned in the past; buying a raised floor that is too tall and doesn't fit their application.

At Netfloor USA, we're spreading the word: These floors can change the way you work. They simplify cable management. We've been making believers out of naysayers for years.

I get it, I really do. Most people are used to floor panels made of concrete and steel. They're heavy, but the perception is that they're very strong and can handle big loads.

But this guy at the table was about to burst a vein, and I knew I had to do something about it.

I took out my phone (yes, right in the middle of the meeting, how rude!) and flipped through my photos until I found the right one.

I handed my phone across the table to the superintendent. He paused. He saw the photo:

Netfloor USA Strong Access Floor