Mainframe Communications Ltd are now SC21 (21st Century Supply Chains) programme accredited.

Company News

Mainframe Communications are pleased to announce our engagement in the SC21 (21st Century Supply Chains) programme.

SC21 is a supply-chain transformation programme designed to accelerate the competitiveness of the aerospace & defence industry by raising the performance of its supply chains.

The SC21 framework focuses on collaborative working, performance management and a programme of continuous sustainable improvement to achieve wide-ranging benefits across the aerospace and defence industries. In practice, the business improvements realised by our engagement in the programme have already begun to benefit the business as a whole, particularly with regard to customer relationships.

Since the launch of the programme at the Farnborough Airshow in 2006, SC21 has been endorsed by companies of all sizes from the prime movers to SMEs in the UK aerospace & defence industry, including the UK Ministry of Defence. To date there are 500+ businesses committed to improving the performance of their business and thereby positively impacting the competitiveness of the UK aerospace & defence supply chain.

What does this mean to you?

For most of our customers, the SC21 programme itself will have little impact, but the improvements to our business as a whole - brought about by our Continuous Sustainable Improvement Programme (CSIP) - will filter through to all aspects of our day-to-day operations. Projects currently in the CSIP range from improvements in our Lean Manufacturing processes and further development of our Customer Relationship Management systems through to projects to reduce our impact on the environment. We welcome any suggestions regarding ways in which we can improve; from any source and in relation to any area of our business.

Customers already involved in SC21 are welcome to join our business group to build on our relationship for a mutually beneficial future.

For more details:

Head office

Mainframe Communications Limited
Network House
Journeymans Way
Temple Farm Industrial Estate
Southend-on-Sea
EssexSS2 5TF

Tel: +44 (0)1702 443810

Visit our online store: mcldatasolutions.co.uk

Back to Basics – What is a Fibre Patch Panel?

Fibre patch panels - also known as fibre distribution panels are used to terminate fibre optic cables and provide access to the cable's individual fibres for cross-connection or ‘patching’.

Fibre optic patch panels use fibre patch cables to cross-connect between circuits and to connect to fibre optic communication equipment such as media converters, switches etc. Patch cables are also used for temporary connections to test equipment for the purpose of testing the individual fibres in the cable.

A fibre patch panel essentially comprises two parts; a panel housing fibre adapters (also termed ‘bulkheads’ or ‘fibre couplers’), and (optionally) a compartment that contains fibre optic splice trays and a system for managing a short length of the incoming fibre.

Simple patch panels with no splicing compartment are used for presenting pre-terminated backbone cables which are simply plugged directly in to the back of the fibre adaptors. MCL Data Solutions offers this type of low-cost panel (also called a ‘thru-coupler panel’) in a variety of styles with optional front management trays and rear tie-bars, catering for all connector types. This solution is ideal for datacentres, telecom rooms and CCTV / media racks – or wherever a pre-terminated backbone cable is used.

Patch panels with facilities for managing splices use pigtails (short lengths of fibre with connectors on one end only) plugged in to the backs of the adaptors onto which the individual fibres are spliced. The incoming cable is attached to the back of the panel using glands or clamps, and the individual fibres pass into the splicing area. MCL offer a range of this type of patch panel, from very basic low-cost units to high-quality panels for more critical applications. These panels adopt a system of total-fibre-management to ensure that the entire fibre path – from the incoming cable to the outbound patch leads – is controlled and managed to minimize the danger of interruption to in-service fibre during subsequent operations.

Optical fibre patch panels usually take the form of a standard 19” rack-mountable panel, but other types are available to suit a range of environments – such as low-profile wall mount patch panels and compact DIN rail mounted units.

Each of the different types of Fibre patch panel is available either unloaded or pre-loaded with a range of fibre couplers (and pigtails, where applicable), catering for both multi mode and single mode fibre using SC, LC, FC, E2000 or ST connectors. At MCL Data Solutions, we offer a wide choice of 1U and 2U rack-mount panels; wall-mounted enclosures; DIN rail units and many other special-purpose panels with port counts of 8, 12, 24, 48, 96 and 144 (and beyond) at competitive prices.