Southwire Apps Bring Powerful Tools to Customers

Southwire Company is releasing a series of mobile apps that will offer electrical contractors, utilities, OEM’s and other end users of Southwire’s products and services powerful mobile tools that they can access on-the-go to maximize productivity.

The first seven apps are now being released by Southwire, with several more to follow later in 2012. The apps focus on core needs that customers and product end users have to manage every day, like selecting and installing products and converting units of measure for more accurate pricing of quotes. The apps also make it simple to email the results to others on the jobsite, such as suppliers, when more materials are necessary, and inspectors, in connection with regulatory compliance.

The first seven Southwire Mobile Apps include the following:

MCAP® Cable Savings Benefit Calculator, which quickly illustrates the labor cost savings of using MCAP® cable when compared to traditional MC for electrical contractors.

Conduit Fill Calculator, which uses NEC® Code to determine which conduit size is right for electrical installations. This app also includes the capability to calculate conduit-fill for Utility Applications. App users can email calculator results to others.

SIMpull® Cable Pull Calculator, which measures specific pull characteristics of different wiring and generates NEC-compliant solutions, which can be emailed by the app user.

Southwire Electrical Product Catalog. This app offers mobile-optimized product data sheets, and enables contractors to look up and email product information and stock numbers.

Conversion Calculator. The app offers data for converting CU to AL, unit price to another unit of price, and one measurement unit to another measurement unit. The Conversion Calculator should be particularly helpful to OEM customers.

Partial Reel Calculator, which estimates the footage of wire or cable that is left on a reel. This app is specifically designed to help utility customers. (Released January 2012)

Proof Positive® Copper app. This app helps to track stolen wire. After Proof Positive® Copper has been stolen; the app user can simply enter the license key and serial number from the recovered wire. The current owner and chain of ownership will be displayed on the ownership data screen.

A national industry study conducted earlier this year by Eric Mower + Associates Group B2B found that 50 percent of contractors use a smartphone, 49 percent use a laptop with mobile web access, and 21 percent use an iPad® tablet or other similar tablet device for their jobs. These statistics suggest that more business research and materials purchasing functions are being conducted online from the field rather than behind a desk. Out of those contractors that use a smartphone, more than half (53 percent) use a smartphone in the purchasing process to do things like research brands and products, compare prices and scan product codes. A 2010 Forrester study suggests tablet devices will outsell desktops by 2015. If recent numbers from sales of the Apple® iPad tablet are any indication, this shift may happen even sooner than projected.

To learn more about Southwire’s please visit Southwire on the web at www.southwire.com.