MAFI Group

In an era where rapid technology advancement is the norm, MAFI Group and ClearCalcs have joined forces to revolutionize the telecommunications and solar industries.

The partnership brings together MAFI’s globally recognized mounting solutions and ClearCalcs’ innovative online engineering calculator platform, creating an unparalleled tool that ensures efficiency, accuracy, and cost-effectiveness for engineers and manufacturers alike.

About MAFI Group

MAFI Group is a globally recognized company specializing in designing, developing, and manufacturing mounting solutions for the telecom industry. With a strong focus on providing reliable and efficient solutions, MAFI Group has established itself as a trusted partner within the telecommunications sector, supporting a diverse range of customers like major operators such as Vodafone, as well as telecom equipment manufacturers like Ericsson, Huawei, and Nokia.

Their services also extend to tower companies, turnkey contractors, sub-contractors such as design companies, and installation professionals involved in design and implementation work.

MAFI Mounts: An Integral Part of the Global 5G Rollout

MAFI mounting solutions are utilized in thousands of projects across the globe and play a critical role in the worldwide rollout of 5G technology.

The installation of 5G technology poses unique challenges, including stringent operational and regulatory requirements, as well as the need for accurate design and engineering to ensure proper installation of equipment.

Figure 1: An example of MAFI mounting solutions on a site in Stockholm, Sweden

MAFI brackets have load capacities that are determined through rigorous calculation and physical testing. These capacities account for various factors such as weight on the offset pole, rotational slip resistance, and horizontal bending.

To help customers choose a solution that works for their specific needs and scenarios, MAFI developed ESICS – Enhanced Site Innovation Calculation System to reduce the challenge and complexity involved in the calculation.

ESICS, commonly referred to as “The Bracket Checker” by MAFI customers, is the brainchild of Nigel Topp, who developed a comprehensive design spreadsheet to aid in this endeavor.

He envisioned a tool that would make it easier for MAFI clients to identify the most efficient and cost-effective mounting solutions for their projects. However, a constantly evolving spreadsheet isn’t really suited to being an up-to-date tool for hundreds of clients - it was time to create an app that could live on MAFI’s website.

In looking for a development partner, Nigel had two specific requirements - he wanted structural engineers, not just coders, and preferably a young, small dynamic company whose ethos would fit with MAFI’s agile outlook.

Happily, he found ClearCalcs, a pioneer in creating an online platform for engineering calculator creation. The result was the revolutionary ESICS powered by the ClearCalcs platform, available at esics.clearcalcs.com.

The ESICS Revolution

The ESICS platform’s bracket checker is an exceptional tool that allows users to design MAFI brackets for their systems with ease. With this calculator, users can compute loads applied to the bracket and ensure that they do not exceed the allowable capacities. This feature gives users the confidence to choose the best solution according to their specific needs.

The calculator is compatible with multiple European countries including England, Sweden, Ireland, Scotland, Norway, and Denmark, as well as Kenya. It adheres to the Eurocode standards along with the relevant national annexes.

User-Friendly Interface with Integrated Products Database

The platform’s interface is user-friendly, allowing easy access to an extensive database of equipment, pole sizes and MAFI mounting solutions, that makes it seamless for users to select and check the bracket capacities based on their project specifications.

Figure 2: The ESICS bracket checker comes integrated with an extensive database of MAFI mounting solutions and automatically checks for load capacities.

Built-In Complex Analysis for Wind Force Calculations

ESICS deliberately calculates the wind forces on the entire bracket system by verifying hundreds of parameters, including the influence of shoreline, topographic features (orography) and terrain category in all directions, considering the equipment orientation.

Ultimately, the solution assesses MAFI mounts capacity utilization and structural checks for the user. The calculator displays a simple color-coded utilization check to determine if the number of brackets used is enough for the proposed design. Users can also check the torque and horizontal bending capacity of offset and main parent poles.

Figure 3: Color-coded summary helps users to quickly assess the capacity and structural integrity of MAFI products they use.

Unparalleled Customer Service

This robust solution set is unrivaled in the telecom mounting solutions industry. In addition to helping customers analyze the capacity of MAFI products with ease, the platform is also enhanced with tooltips and embedded guides that help users navigate and use the calculator.

Figure 4: Tooltips and guides help the MAFI bracket checker users navigate and use the calculator intuitively.

The platform also supports the rollout of calculators for MAFI’s innovative freestander solution, a boon for scenarios where conventional mounting options are unavailable.

The ESICS platform, bolstered by ClearCalcs’ calculators, ensures that MAFI continues to provide the best mounting solutions paired with the best software in the industry.

The Power of Partnership

The collaboration between MAFI and ClearCalcs has resulted in more than just a product – it’s a testament to the power of partnership in fostering innovation.

What sets MAFI Group apart from its competitors is their unwavering commitment to providing exceptional customer experiences. MAFI goes the extra mile by offering steelwork kits that not only excel in quality but also prioritize ease of installation. MAFI also provides customers with a comprehensive performance data handbook, empowering them with crucial information for seamless integration.

ClearCalcs, on the other hand, brings cutting-edge capabilities to the table, enhancing MAFI’s value proposition significantly. With ESICS, customers can automatically calculate precise wind pressures tailored to specific addresses in the UK, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. These calculations adhere to each country’s wind code, ensuring that the steelwork kits are engineered to withstand the unique environmental challenges of different regions.

This collaboration has effectively streamlined the design and planning process, saving valuable time and resources for both MAFI and their customers.

Industry Recognition

The ESICS tool has received recognition from world-leading wind engineering, climate, and specialist environmental consultancy firm RWDI, which praised its ease of use, speed, and accuracy in calculating Eurocode wind loads.

RWDI has since incorporated ESICS into their own code-based assessments, further testament to the tool’s effectiveness and reliability.

John Kilpatric, Practice Area Leader of Wind Loading at RDI said, "recently, RWDI was asked to act as checking engineer for the new ESICS wind loading calculator developed by MAFI Group. We were pleased by how easy and intuitive it was to use the tool. Furthermore, we were impressed by how quickly the tool allowed an accurate and comprehensive calculation of the Eurocode wind loads to be undertaken. Following our review of the ESICS wind loading calculator, we have started to use it internally, as a trusted tool, for our own code-based assessments.”

Conclusion

The partnership between MAFI and ClearCalcs demonstrates a forward-thinking approach to addressing the unique challenges of the telecom and solar industries.

By leveraging the power of the ESICS powered by ClearCalcs platform, MAFI reaffirms its commitment to providing innovative and efficient solutions, underscoring its position as a global leader in the design and development of mounting solutions.

This case study serves as a call to action for other manufacturers to embrace such partnerships, utilizing platforms like ClearCalcs to accelerate innovation, reduce costs, and improve the quality of their services. In a rapidly evolving world, collaboration is not just beneficial – it is essential.

“We couldn’t be more pleased to have found such a forward-thinking and collaboration-focused partner than MAFI. It’s rare to find partners with such a clear vision for what they want to achieve, let alone the organizational culture to deliver it, and we’ve found that in MAFI. Our team regularly reflects with wonder that through MAFI’s work in telecom and solar, we get to play a small part in connecting and powering tens of thousands of people across the globe. It’s a testament to the power of collaboration, and we hope to measure all new partners by the high standard MAFI set.”, said Chris Borzillo, CEO & Co-founder, ClearCalcs

“Frankly, I would prefer it if ClearCalcs was kept secret,” said Nigel Topp, creator of the ESICS suite of structural calculation tools for MAFI.

“They’ve delivered a beautifully presented suite of tools that gives us a huge advantage when it comes to the level of service we offer with our products. Customers have access to instant verification of their choice of structural support, with highly detailed calculation output. The live dashboard ClearCalcs created for us allows us to see the rapidly increasing uptake of the tools by customers and helps us target our sales effort. ClearCalcs has proved to be a superb partner, with deep knowledge of structural engineering and is a delight to work with. But don’t tell anyone.”

Learn more about how ClearCalcs can help your business innovate and evolve. Reach out to us today!

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