Ellis celebrates first cable cleat export to Colombia

Ellis Vulcan+ stainless steel cable cleats have been installed at an Electricaribe 115kV substation in Barranquilla, marking the company’s first export order from Colombia.

The order was secured through Ellis’ local distributor, ACJ High Voltage Ltd. To secure this, Ellis needed to convince a sceptical local market of the benefits of using cable cleats to secure power cables. 

Tony Conroy, Ellis’ export sales director, commented: “Colombia is home to some of Latin America’s most important energy companies. 

And while raising standards and a focus on innovation have always ranked highly, cable cleats haven’t – therefore our job was far more difficult than it would be entering a new market where cable cleats are already a well-established element of every electrical specification.” 

To achieve this, Ellis had to identify the right distribution partner and familiarise itself with the Colombian market. It also needed to adapt its sales approach to incorporate ‘back-to-basics’ information about cleats and their purpose.

Tony added: “It’s been a while since I’ve had to demonstrate the difference between what happens to properly cleated electrical cables in a short-circuit situation and those that are loosely, if at all, secured in a sales presentation, but it is still as effective a sales tool as ever.” 

In addition to its operations in Colombia, Ellis is now selling in Brazil, Chile and Venezuela, and has distributors in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, Panama and Costa Rica. 

The company is represented in South America by Uruguay-based business development manager, Gabriela Castro-Fontoura.

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