Wiring harness excellence for the most demanding and hostile environments

Wiring harness excellence for the most demanding and hostile environments

8th August 2025 | 2 min read

The Challenge

As the mining industry transitions towards electrification and net-zero operations, the demand for high-power, high-reliability battery systems has never been greater.

The customer, a leading global mining and clean energy company, required a specialist wiring harness to connect two large industrial battery packs, forming the core of an electrified heavy machinery system.

However, the project posed significant technical and manufacturing challenges:

  • Unprecedented wire sizes & tight tolerances – The harness design was beyond the scope of traditional UK manufacturers, with exceptionally thick cables requiring precise length specifications. Any deviation would make the part unusable.
  • High-accuracy, right-first-time requirements – Given the critical application and extreme operating conditions, the harness had to be manufactured flawlessly on the first attempt.
  • Accelerated lead times – The customer needed a proven, production-ready solution within an aggressive timeframe to keep pace with their electrification program.

With no existing UK supplier capable of delivering to these requirements, Unipart was selected based on its proven high-quality expertise from Hyperbat and other advanced automotive applications.

The Solution

To validate and optimise it’s production process, Unipart leveraged its on-site R&D facility, The Institute for Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering (AME), applying a rigorous testing and prototyping methodology:

  • Prototype & testing in a dedicated R&D facility – Their in-house manufacturing test facility allowed them to trial and refine production processes, ensuring they could achieve exact specifications before full-scale production.
  • Automotive-grade quality & traceability – Following IPC620 certified wiring standards, they adapted their automotive manufacturing expertise to meet the unique durability and accuracy demands of this high-power application.
  • Advanced pull-force testing – They went beyond standard harness validation, implementing higher pull-force testing to prove mechanical integrity and long-term durability under extreme stress.
  • Benchmarking against harsh-environment standards – Drawing on their experience from the rail sector, they applied new testing methodologies suited to high-vibration, high-load, and high-temperature industrial conditions, ensuring the harness met the most demanding reliability benchmarks.

The Impact

By working closely with the customer to understand their unique technical and operational challenges, Unipart was able to engineer a precise, production-ready solution under tight time constraints.

Drawing on decades of experience in automotive and advanced manufacturing, the team delivered a high-performance harness system that met extreme durability and accuracy requirements, setting a new benchmark for heavy-duty electrification.

  • Right-first-time manufacturing – The final product met all specifications exactly, ensuring seamless integration into the battery system.
  • Verified strength & durability – Pull-force testing and advanced validation confirmed superior mechanical performance, critical for high-power applications.
  • Rapid turnaround, no compromises on quality – Despite the aggressive timeline, they delivered a fully tested and production-ready solution that exceeded customer expectations.
  • Adaptable standards for extreme conditions – Their ability to test beyond traditional IPC620 benchmarks created a new quality assurance framework for heavy-duty battery harness applications.

Get in touch

Leverage Unipart's industry-leading expertise to transform your business. Contact us to discuss your specific needs.
Right CTAs Image