Off site construction; how many times over the past few years have you heard these words? The Government is promoting it and more and more it’s becoming a prerequisite in the winning of major projects, but, if you’re an electrical contractor you’d be forgiven for wondering just how relevant it is to your industry. Sure there’s modular or pluggable wiring systems, they’ve been around for a while now and are increasingly being taken up by the industry. But, as you know they only go so far.
Yes, the cabling all comes out of a factory, cut to fit and ready to connect to main boards and utilities. Up to that point pluggable wiring has made a huge difference saving time and money on site. Then its back to the time honoured, labour and skill intensive process of cutting cables, stripping cable cores and terminating in accessories that hasn’t changed since Victorian innovator, Armstrong, built the world’s first electrically lit building back in the 1880’s.
By happy coincidence it’s another innovator from the Northeast which is set to change all that, Apex Wiring Solutions, with the first completely pluggable wiring system. A system, which Apex have proven to save 70% in installation time without increasing overall project cost . These are impressive figures and for the first time they demonstrate to the electrical industry just what all the fuss over off site construction has been about.
Apex’s system is unique. The components that make up the system are admittedly available elsewhere, but there is no one manufacturer offering them altogether in one fully designed, complete package to site. It’s a solution which to date has made a huge impact on the overall build process.
Take for instance Edinburgh University’s new 25,000m2 School of Informatics in which the Apex fully pluggable system will serve all lighting and small power requirements. Given the building’s high tech specification this is a big complex system which would, using traditional methods, have taken 20 electricians 12 weeks to complete. Apex, working with Balfour Kilpatrick did it in the same time, but with only 6 approve installers! Or, for that matter, St Barts Hospital where an Apex fully pluggable system including distribution boards is taking modular wiring on to new levels of complexity (equally matched by on-site simplicity) with over 50,000 power outlets and 70,000 lighting fixtures.
Projects such as these and those in the commercial sector such as the BAE HQ and a burgeoning order book in the Hotels, Leisure, Industrial and Retail sectors have transformed Apex from the pioneers that they undoubtedly are into the UK’s modular wiring market leaders. But, innovation, as they say, runs deep and true to form Apex’s new EVO system looks set to bring the economies of the fully pluggable wiring system to the residential sector. Several major housebuilders are already on board with projects underway and it seems others are set to follow. It would appear that the makers of wire strippers and crimpers should plan for a downturn in business soon, not to mention the elimination of on site electrical waste.
Apex Wiring Solutions
0191 3787928
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