FEIC Begins Supply of Railway Carriage Wires Compliant with European Standards

Furukawa Electric Industrial Cable Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Arakawa-ku, Tokyo; President: Yoshitaka Hattori, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Furukawa Electric; hereinafter “the Company”) has developed and commenced the supply of electric wires for railway carriages that meet European standards, used for the internal wiring of railway carriages overseas.

Background of development

Amid heightened global interest in environmental issues in recent years, rail transport is receiving attention as an environmentally friendly transportation method owing to its low energy consumption and low CO₂ emissions compared with other transportation methods, with overseas markets such as Asia vigorously improving their rail networks.

In Europe, where railway networks are particularly developed, European standards (EN standards) have been formulated by consolidating the standards for electric wires for railway carriages that until now have been implemented in individual countries. Basically, the standard has been matched to IEC standards in the electrical field and ISO standards in non-electrical fields, and it is believed that the scope of application of products that meet this standard will expand in the future.

The Company has a proven track record over the years in respect of electric wires for railway carriages that meet domestic standards, and using the technology cultivated during this time has developed and commenced the supply of electric wires for railway carriages that meet European standards.

Features of product developed

To ensure the safety of trains, electric wires for railway carriages require features such as heat resistance, oil resistance, flexibility, and high mechanical strength. European standards have additional requirements, such as high flame retardance, low smoke emission, low toxicity, and zero halogen. In the past, engineering plastic was often used for this purpose, but there were problems with flexibility and workability. The product we have developed uses a base material of general-purpose polyolefin resin to produce an electric wire that possesses all the required characteristics, namely a highly flame-retardant halogen-free electric wire that also has superior flexibility and workability.

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