Why manufacturing halls are different

A structured cabling project in an office building starts from known conditions: constant temperature, no dust, open floor plan, cable runs on trays in the false ceiling. A manufacturing hall breaks each of these assumptions:

  • Dust and particles — in woodworking, cement, textiles, metalworking, suspended particles deposit on cables and connectors; vibration transmitted through the hall structure causes contact fatigue.
  • Electromagnetic fields (EMI) — high-power electric motors, frequency converters, industrial welding, electrically driven conveyors generate interference that degrades signal in data cables.
  • Extreme temperatures — foundries, industrial bakeries, cold storage warehouses expose cabling to harsh thermal cycles.
  • Mechanical risk — forklifts, pallets, mobile machinery periodically hit walls, floors and any unprotected cables.
  • Potentially explosive atmospheres (ATEX) — industries with combustible dust (grain, flour, wood), with flammable liquids, with technical gases, fall under the ATEX Directive and require certified equipment.

Standard office cabling does not survive in this environment — design starts from a risk analysis.

Choosing the cable category

For a typical manufacturing hall:

  • Cat.6 is not sufficient long-term — even if the current network runs at 1 Gbps, the evolution to 10 Gbps (high-resolution cameras, industrial vision systems, Ethernet-based PLC automation) makes Cat.6A the recommended minimum.
  • Cat.6A shielded (F/UTP or S/FTP) is the norm for areas with high EMI. The foil or braided shield diverts interference to ground — provided grounding is correctly executed at both ends.
  • Cat.7 or Cat.7A — used less frequently, only in projects with very strict requirements or in long risers with extreme EMI load.
  • Fiber optics for backbone — between equipment rooms and cabinets distributed across the hall, fiber eliminates the EMI problem entirely. Singlemode OS2 for distances over 200-300 m, multimode OM4/OM5 for shorter segments.

The practical recommendation: fiber optics for the vertical + horizontal backbone up to floor/section cabinets; Cat.6A shielded for the last 100 m to each workstation.

Insulation types for harsh environments

The LSZH (Low Smoke Zero Halogen) standard is mandatory in public buildings — it emits little toxic smoke in a fire. For industrial halls, other considerations apply:

  • Oil-resistant insulation — for mechanical workshops, automotive, metalworking.
  • UV-resistant insulation — for cables partially routed outdoors or in direct light.
  • Flexible insulation for vibration zones — cables with “flex” or “torsion” suffix for industrial robots, drag chains.
  • Temperature-resistant insulation — cables with extended operating temperature (−40 °C ÷ +90 °C) for cold or hot zones.

R&M (Reichle & De-Massari) catalogues cover each of these subcategories with certified products — which is why an official partnership with this manufacturer is valuable in industrial projects.

Routing and mechanical protection

In a hall, cable runs do not pass through false ceilings — they run on metal trays fastened to the hall’s structure or on vertical risers alongside electrical installations. Rules for durable installation:

  1. Minimum distance from power cables — to avoid EMI coupling, the recommendation is at least 30 cm between data cables and power cables carrying loads above 5 kW.
  2. Dedicated metal tray for data — separate from the one for power cables, optionally with a protective cover in areas with dust deposit.
  3. Drops to workstations in rigid or flexible metal conduit — freely suspended cables are vulnerable to impact.
  4. Service loops in junction boxes — 2-3 m of cable coiled, for re-termination or future expansion.
  5. Permanent, chemically resistant labelling — do not use paper or sticker labels; the environment degrades them in months. Labels printed on thermal film, fixed with cable ties, last for years.

ATEX zones: what changes everything

If a zone in the hall is classified as ATEX (zones 0, 1, 2 for gases and 20, 21, 22 for combustible dust), the rules change radically:

  • ATEX/Ex certified equipment — switches, cameras, data outlets must carry the ATEX marking appropriate to the zone class.
  • Specific cables — with chemically resistant jacket, entry into equipment via Ex glands.
  • Penetration seals — any pass-through wall or ceiling in an ATEX zone requires sealing with certified materials that prevent gas or flame migration.
  • Full ATEX documentation — declaration of conformity, zone calculation, positioning plan. ISU and labour inspectorate verify these documents.

At Steiner Systems, the INSEMEX GANEX authorization covers the design and execution of installations in potentially explosive atmospheres — essential for chemical industry, oil & gas, grain storage, and environments with combustible dust.

Cabling certification — the final step

After installation, each port must be tested with a cable certifier (Fluke DSX, Sumitomo, or equivalent). For Cat.6A shielded, mandatory tests include: continuity, length, attenuation, NEXT/FEXT, return loss, delay, capacitance, resistance. The final report is a digitally signed PDF with contractual value.

Without certification, the customer has no guarantee that the network will operate at the specified speed. For R&M, certification is also a condition for the 25-year extended warranty — being an official partner means access to this warranty.

Structured cabling in a manufacturing hall is, of all the B2B projects we deliver, the one with the highest density of details — but also the one with the most visible impact on the end customer’s productivity.