2,080 weeks, 14,600 days, 4 decades…
Whatever way you look at it, 40 years is a long time, and we’re so proud to be able to celebrate our 40th birthday as one of the world’s leading brands in cable protection systems.
As we cut the cake and donned the silly hats ready for our milestone birthday party, it was the perfect opportunity to reflect on our successes and celebrate the mammoth journey we’ve come on to get to this very point.
So, join us as we look back through the achievements that led us to our milestone 40th birthday…!
1) 1975 is where our humble journey began. Established in Wetzikon, Switzerland, our aim was to develop the highest quality cable protection systems available. Little did we know that this would be the start of something very special, indeed.
2) A mere six years on, 1981 saw the development and initial sale of our PMAFIX/FLEX system for a rail application. More than 3 decades on and PMAFIX is our bestselling system to date, providing easy installation and the choice of a very large, varied range of connectors and conduit which have demonstrated their dependability in all types of applications.
3) 1982 was responsible for a breakthrough in Europe for our PMAFIX system and the establishment of a European sales and distribution network; proving an overwhelming need for our products in the rail industry.
4) With demand rapidly growing and PMA fast becoming the ‘go-to’ supplier of top quality cable protection systems throughout Europe, 1991 marks yet another milestone in our incredible journey: ISO9002/EN20002 certification. This meant we became a ‘model for quality assurance in production, installation, and servicing’ as recognised by the International Organisation for Standardisation. Quite the honour for our hard work!
5) Just four years later, in 1995, we moved to a brand new premises with more office and storage space, in Aathalstrasse, Uster; responding to the growing demands on the company, whilst creating ample work opportunities in the local area. This move helped to put PMA on a new platform in the rail industry and has been our home for 20 years (yes, our Headquarters are still there now!).
6) A new century, a brand new, an innovative product: the year 2000 will go down in our history not only as the year that saw the opening of the Tate Modern in London, the Sydney Olympics, and the growth in use of the mobile phone, but also as the year that we introduced to the market the ‘universal clip’ for IP66/IP68 threaded connectors, improving leak-tightness.
7) One year on and in 2001 we were able to celebrate something quite incredible: we had produced 40 million metres of conduits since we began in 1975. That, you may or may not know, is the circumference of the Earth… Wow!
8) As we grow, so too do our successes; 2001 saw not only one but two milestone events in our history as later on that year we launched the PMA Smartline. A product line with a particularly outstanding price to performance ratio, PMA Smartline combines simple, fast installation, with a modern, functional design.
9) 2002 saw our outstanding products reach new heights of recognition as we were awarded the EN ISO 9001:2000 certification, ‘quality management system’. This certificate was awarded to organisations that could demonstrate the ability to consistently provide products that meet customer and applicable regulatory requirements, and aim to enhance customer satisfaction through the effective application of the system.
10) 2005 was all about safety in hazardous areas as we launched the PMA Ex system – products created from specially modified, electrostatic load discharging polyamide material for use in explosions endangered zones.
11) In 2006, we celebrated our biggest order in the company’s history, all the way from Saudi Arabia; making us a truly global supplier of cable protection systems.
12) The PMAFIX Pro IP69K and IP68 two-component connectors were successfully introduced to the market in 2007. 8 years on and the connectors are widely considered as extremely successful and technically appreciated.
13) In 2009 we led the way to the next generation of cable protection solutions with innovative multi-layer conduits – the X-Series – based upon advanced multi-layer-extrusion technology, allowing the manufacture of three layer corrugated conduits, combining the best characteristics of different materials to attain previously unimaginable performance levels.
14) 2010 saw us become part of the Thomas & Betts family; a leading designer and manufacturer of electrical components, Headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee.
15) Just 2 years later, Thomas & Betts proudly became part of ABB – a global leader in power and automation technologies – and took PMA along for the glorious ride!
16) 2014 marked the introduction of our innovative fire barrier solutions for cable protection systems in rail applications, playing an important role in fire safety for passenger vehicles, in response to the new European rail fire safety standards.
17) Now onto our 40th year: 2015… A year that celebrates so many milestones for us here at PMA. Firstly, this year saw the introduction of cable protection solutions for food & beverage applications to the market; something we had never done before and is being proved a resounding success.
18) Finally – and what a milestone to end on – 2015 has seen us produce 160 million metres of conduit in our 40 years. To put that into perspective, that’s around four times the circumference of the Earth!
… And there you have it, PMA’s colourful, successful history in 18 wonderful milestones.
How many metres of conduit do you think we will have produced in another 40 years?
PMA UK Ltd
T: 01264 333527
