At the 2015 Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration (AHR) Exposition in Chicago, Southwire received an Innovation Award for its EZ-In™ Mini-Split Cable.

Committed to solving a customer’s problem, Jeff Watts, vice president of sales and OEM product development, collaborated with engineering to create a comprehensive solution.

“We created EZ-In Mini-Split Cable after a customer presented a problem to me about the wire they were currently using,” said Watts. “Our product is an armored cable used to install mini-split heating and cooling systems, but the innovation is in the application.”

According to Watts, mini-split cable must run from the outside of a dwelling to the inside, and most cables on the market cannot make this transition without violating electrical codes or requiring additional labor. Southwire’s EZ-In Mini Split Cable, on the other hand, is able to make the transition without violating the National Electric Code or requiring any additional labor, making it the only mini-split cable of its kind in the HVAC industry.

In addition to this innovation, EZ-In Mini-Split Cable eliminates the use of conduit or cable trays and the need to run two cables through a junction box. It improves the ease and efficiency of both residential and commercial installations and ensures that all installations are up to code. Furthermore, the product saves time by eliminating extra materials.

Each of these advantages proves the company’s commitment to offer comprehensive and innovative solutions to its customers.

“Southwire sets itself apart because we don’t just offer the most comprehensive wire and cable offering in the business, but we offer solutions beyond wire and cable,” said Watts. “Southwire has a relentless pursuit of end user satisfaction and continues to bring state-of-the-art value added services to its customers.”

For excelling within the areas of innovation and application value, Southwire was one of 10 companies – out of more than 160 entries – to be named a category winner at the 13th AHR Expo Innovation Awards. These awards seek to recognize products that best enable industry practitioners to provide safe, healthy, efficient and comfortable environments.

Since winning the award, numerous manufacturers, industry publications and customers have contacted Southwire to congratulate the company, and other customers have shown an interest in offering the product in their stores.

In the future, Watts plans to further enhance EZ-In Mini-Split Cable based on new equipment and demand in the HVAC market, and Southwire’s OEM Division will continue to look at each of its markets to strategically produce innovative products and value-adding solutions.

Learn more about the EZ-In™ Mini-Split Cable.

- Whitney Agan