2008-04-15
A reduction in installation and wiring time for a 24-way distribution board from over 90 hours to just two and a half hours is typical of the savings made possible by Schneider Electric’s new modular wiring system, which Balfour Kilpatrick has adopted for use on a major school-building project in the Birmingham area.
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Working on behalf of Birmingham City Council, Transform Schools, a consortium comprising Balfour Beatty Capital, Building Design Partnership, Haden FM, Balfour Kilpatrick and BM, recently awarded Balfour Kilpatrick a £22 million contract to design, supply and install electrical, HVAC and plumbing systems for ten new schools.
Looking for an innovative approach that would combine flexibility and performance with economy, Balfour Kilpatrick invited Schneider Electric to submit proposals for equipment to be used for the electrical content of the contract. The requirements included main switchboards, sub-distribution panels, final distribution boards and wiring accessories worth, in total, £300,000.
The offer submitted follows the principles of modern methods of construction (MMC) advocated by the Egan Report on the building industry. The complete solution included equipment from the Square D and Clipsal brands of Schneider Electric, together with final distribution products developed jointly by Schneider Electric and Wieland.
A key innovation was that the products would form the basis of a plug-in installation, from the final distribution boards to the furthest point of each final circuit. Since no conventional wiring would be needed from this point, this approach had the potential to offer big savings.
In addition, most of the equipment including, for example, the final distribution boards would be delivered to site as factory built assemblies – in other words pre-wired and 100% type tested, ready for immediate installation.
Having won the contract, Schneider Electric worked closely with Balfour Kilpatrick from the earliest stages of the project to develop integrated distribution solutions tailored to meet the precise requirements of each of the schools involved.
The modular plug-in approach delivered a number of important benefits. For example, it allowed a high degree of cost certainty at an early stage, making preparation of the final bid documents faster and easier, and it also reduced bidding costs. Overall programme times needed for the work were also cut, allowing the project’s very tight deadlines to be met with ease.
Additional benefits included greater flexibility with site labour, as the skills needed to install plug-in equipment are significantly less than those needed to install equipment with conventional wiring; easier maintenance; lower costs, as only standard products are used; and enhanced safety, as the installation uses type-tested equipment throughout.
“Working with Schneider Electric right from the project design concept stage has been very beneficial in that it has improved safety, reduced the amount of work involved in the overall design approval process and added a high degree of flexibility,” said Phil Paddock of Balfour Kilpatrick. “It also resulted in a system which was much easier to install, as it was supplied with accurate and detailed installation drawings.”
Tony O’Toole, Regional Operations Manager for PFI/BSF Schools, was equally enthusiastic. “Working together as a team with Schneider Electric has been beneficial not only from a cost point of view, but has also ensured continuity in design and personnel. It has enabled project bids to be put forward with confidence in an atmosphere of mutual support and trust.”
The plug-in solution has made possible enormous savings in installation time. According to a study carried out by Mark Beardmore of Balfour Kilpatrick, 8-, 12- and 24-way distribution boards now all take around 2.5 hours to install and connect. With conventional techniques, the times required are nearer to 55, 65 and 90 hours respectively.
The study also revealed that, with the new system, a two-storey primary school could be wired by four men in just two days from start to finish.
“These savings are already impressive,” said Mark Beardmore, “but we’re actually seeing continuous improvement as the project progresses and we become more familiar with the equipment. There’s no doubt at all, therefore, that future savings will be even greater.”
While the most direct benefits of Schneider Electric’s off-site manufacture of electrical systems are undoubtedly with the installer and end user, this approach also has significant environmental advantages.
The amount of waste produced during the assembly of the equipment is reduced, the need for packaging is minimised, and the equipment required at each site can usually be supplied in a single delivery. Furthermore, the equipment is supplied in re-usable packaging, and it complies fully with the requirements of the European WEEE Directive. Finally, all manufacturing is carried out under environmental management systems certified to ISO14001.
Schneider Electric’s plug-in systems for building installations fully satisfy today’s requirements for systems that are safe, versatile and dependable. In addition, as Balfour Kilpatrick has discovered on the Birmingham Schools project, they offer big cost and time savings allied with excellent environmental credentials.
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Related contacts
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Tel: 0870 608 8 608
Fax: 0870 608 8 606 |
Debra Pearce
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Source: Schneider Electric |
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