Metals Manufacturer

This is a long-term direct customer — no GC, no consultant, just a phone call when they need cabling work done. The facility is an aluminum foundry and extrusion production plant in Oldsmar with a two-story office building on site.

TSS pulled about 220 Cat6 drops across the office areas, plus cables for access points and security cameras. But the camera infrastructure extended well beyond the office. We pulled camera cable deep into production areas and out to outbuildings to give the customer coverage across the entire facility. When your business runs molten aluminum, you want eyes on everything.

This was one of the rare projects where the customer provided and pre-installed their own racks and patch panels. TSS terminated and patched into what was already there. Normally we handle everything end-to-end, but this customer had their preference and it worked. We installed Arlington loops and nVent J-hooks for cable support throughout — no cable tray on this project, so TSS handled all support pathways.

Cable is Windy City Wire, which is our go-to for budget-conscious projects where the customer doesn't need a manufacturer warranty program. The project ran about a month total, though we were on-site a few days at a time between other contractor milestones.

About 220 Cat6 drops cover the two-story office for workstations, phones, access points, and cameras. The structured cabling extends into the production floor and outbuildings for security camera coverage. Windy City Wire was the cable of choice here — reliable product at a price point that made sense for this scope.

The customer had their racks and patch panels already in place before we arrived. TSS terminated every cable into their existing infrastructure and patched the system live. Arlington loops and nVent J-hooks provide cable support throughout the office and into the warehouse. No cable tray was installed on this project, so every pathway was TSS-installed support hardware.

Camera cables running into the production areas had to account for the warehouse environment — heat, vibration, and industrial activity. Proper routing and support prevents problems down the road when those cables are living above an active foundry floor.

No GC, no project manager, no consultant. The customer called, we scoped the work together, and TSS showed up. That's how most of our repeat-customer projects start.

The biggest consideration was working around live production. An aluminum foundry doesn't shut down for a cable install. Molten metal, forklifts, overhead cranes, extrusion presses — all running while we pulled cable overhead and through the office spaces. Safety awareness had to be constant, especially in the warehouse where our crew was working above and around active equipment.

We were on-site a few days at a time over the course of about a month. Other contractors were finishing work in the office spaces, so we scheduled around their milestones. The production floor work happened when we could access specific areas without interfering with the manufacturing schedule. Flexibility on timing kept the customer's operations running without interruption.

All 220 drops were tested to TIA channel specifications with a Fluke DSX tester. This isn't a Systimax project, so there's no manufacturer warranty submission, but every cable still gets tested and documented. The customer received PDF test results for the full system.

Cable schedules and termination records were delivered at project closeout. The customer's IT team needed clean documentation because they manage the network internally. Labeled cables, documented patch panel assignments, and test results gave them what they needed to maintain the system going forward.

TSS sent a 3-person crew for this project. W2 employees, OSHA trained, experienced in industrial environments. Working in a foundry requires awareness that goes beyond standard construction site safety — you're sharing space with overhead cranes, forklifts, and high-temperature processes.

The crew worked independently with minimal oversight from the customer. That's the advantage of a long-term relationship. The customer trusts TSS to get the work done right, and we don't need someone standing over us to make that happen.

BICSI installation best practices on all cable routing, support, and termination. TIA-568 compliant on all copper channels. NEC requirements for cable support, pathway fill, and separation from electrical systems.

The industrial environment added safety considerations beyond standard commercial work. OSHA compliance was baseline, but the foundry environment required additional awareness around heat sources, moving equipment, and restricted production zones. Proper cable ratings for the warehouse environment ensured long-term reliability in a space that generates significant heat and vibration.