Today's utility managers are planning for infrastructure improvements by examining the impact that new materials and methods can have on the entire utility enterprise, rather than as a single part of the distribution system. The use of steel distribution poles is one concept that is growing in its acceptance. As proof of this, the American Iron and Steel Institute reported a 62 percent increase in steel distribution pole purchases in 2000 as tonnage shipments to this market doubled. This 'new' choice has proven especially beneficial in areas that are prone to catastrophic weather conditions, as well as remote locations where installation and line repair is difficult. Snow and ice add weight to lines, causing lines and poles to break.
Winds can toss trees and limbs onto lines and, if strong enough, can down complete sections.
Rain saturates soil, flooding roadways and causing damage to highways. These conditions impair the ability of work crews to access affected areas. Steel distribution poles offer a cost-effective answer to the havoc that the elements can wreak. Zapf, and other utility industry managers who implemented the use of steel, have not been disappointed with the staying power and strength of steel. And Money With Steel Arizona Public Service's search for an alternative to wood got serious after an extremely damaging summer season, when strong winds damaged the company's distribution-pole system.