Marshall-Tufflex’s MT32 fast-fit plug and play underfloor prefabricated wiring system was deemed the best solution, offering flexibility and labour-saving qualities that were essential for the fit-out of the new Cleveland Police Roads Policing Unit at Wynyard Park, Billingham, Tees Valley.
"We needed a system that would give us the flexibility to allow significant changes right from the start," said Martin McKay of CAD21, the consultants responsible for the electrical design and specification of the unit, which houses a number of different operating teams under one roof.
"As we were accommodating several operating structures within a single building, it was likely to be subject to the internal re-positioning of office furniture and the associated wiring of services. Therefore, we required a power distribution system that would allow us to add to or adapt the system without having to make costly and time-consuming modifications to the fabric of the building, such as lifting floors.
"MT32 delivered the flexibility we needed across several significant layout alterations. And, by eliminating the work involved in moving traditional floor boxes, we were also able to make cost savings on the later variations."
MT32 prefabricated wiring incorporates the unique 32Amp connector technology and, where suitable, can provide a total electrical package for clients. It takes complete cabling runs from the main distribution board to final accessories, outlets or applications, eliminating hard wiring on-site, saving time and reducing costs.
The system is ideal for installations such as Wynyard Park’s Police Unit, where power is fed from a main source and delivered over a wide area to a large number of outlets. Due to the flexibility of its design, MT32 can provide up to three times the coverage of existing power track options and is easily reconfigured where re-positioning of sockets is required.
Gavin Kendal, of Quartz Electrical and Mechanical Services, who were the electrical and mechanical contractors, confirmed that MT32 gave them the scope to move office equipment around with ease: "Despite plans, we needed to move things around a ‘metre here and a metre there’ especially towards the end of the job," he said.
"MT32 was a new product to us and we were impressed with the way it went in. MT32 and some of the other innovative products used on this job were helpful as we were working to a very tight programme with the need to save labour where possible. Being a plug and play system we were able to install more MT32 units in the same time frame compared with traditional, hard-wired ones. We found it worked very well."
In addition, Marshall-Tufflex’s Specials department developed a customised, small flex, wall-mounted unit for re-charging wireless handsets in a safe, convenient and tidy manner. The number of staff and corresponding outlets was also subject to change and so flexibility was again the reason why specifier CAD21 chose Marshall-Tufflex as system provider.