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• The fast–track from inspection to invoice
• Complete the certificates as you go there on site
• Save hours transferring results to fair copy certificates

From test to certificate Yes, the new MFT1553 multifunction installation tester from Megger completely eliminates the time consuming and error–prone chore of entering test results manually into certificates. Instead, the innovative new tester sends results via a Bluetooth wireless link straight to test certificates in computers, Pocket PCs, Palms PDAs or even Smart–phones that are running Megger PowerSuite On–site, a new addition to the Megger software range. Flexibility when filling There is no fixed sequence for testing provided the cursor is on the line of the certificate appropriate to the circuit, users can specify the location in the certificate they want a particular result to appear from the test instrument.

Bluetooth enabled The Bluetooth–capable MFT1553, which is the latest addition to the UK´s best–selling family of multifunction testers, provides all of the advanced features offered by other models in the range, including automatic RCD testing, which dramatically reduces testing time by making it unnecessary for users to continually walk between the RCD and the tester while the tests are being carried out. 17th Edition ready Supplied as standard with a full calibration certificate, MFT1500 series testers combine, in a single compact and robust instrument, all of the testing facilities needed to meet the requirements of the IEE Wiring Regulations both 17th Editions and Part P of the Building Regulations. They feature an ergonomic design that was developed in close consultation with electrical contractors and have colour–coded controls which make them easy to use, allowing tests to be performed rapidly with minimal risk of mistakes.

PowerSuite On–site software Offering the only test management software package supports IET, NICEIC, ECA, SELECTand ELECSA certificates to BS7671:2008, the purchase of electronic certificates and the automatic posting of your building control notifications, PowerSuite On–site can take hours off your working day. What’s more by running the certificates on a mobile device you have the benefit of doing the certification in front of the customer, adding to your credibility.

There is the possibility of doing what some users are doing, printing the certificate and invoice on site, and leaving with a cheque to bank.

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The problem of sealing roof penetrations created by cables and pipes has been solved by the introduction of Klober’s Solar-Line range of accessories. Products ensure that roofs remain fully watertight and airtight while cables are protected from abrasion and bending. A Solar Outlet Kit contains Outlet, Collar, Universal Base Tile or Slate and a Sealing Collar which is available in a choice of sizes. The Outlet can be used with up to 8 cables of 4-8mm to connect PV-systems as well as sensors, aerials, security lights and cameras. Other products include a Universal Solar Panel Flashing Apron and a Panel Support which absorbs forces of up to 2500 N/m². The bracket’s design places no strain on tiles and prevents humidity from entering the roof. Products have been wind-tunnel tested on pitches from 20°-50° and are available in a selection of colours.

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Specialist healthcare glazing supplier, Fendor, has completed a turnkey contract to upgrade the fenestration on the bedroom blocks at a medium security hospital for women in West London, known as The Orchard.

Originally completed in 2007 by Kier Construction, The Orchard is operated by the West London Mental Health NHS Trust and provides treatment for females patients with a variety of conditions. While the premises are well designed and built to a high standard, staff and patients found that the original security windows – featuring restricted opening of just 125 mm – did not provide adequate ventilation.

Fendor was awarded a contract to replace a total of 60 windows in the bedrooms of The Orchard. The work involved a Fendor team, with their supervisor and security guards, being given access to secure areas on a daily basis to remove the original frames and replace them with steel outward opening CleanVent windows. For reasons of health and safety, as well as security, each operation, including making good the reveals and clearing away all equipment from the scene, had to be completed within each shift.

The buildings’ occupants have already noticed that the full opening operation of the CleanVent windows deliver a far better airflow than the original windows, while the mesh screens not only provide security but prevent patients secreting any items within the recesses of the frame or outside. A further benefit to the Trust and to patients is that CleanVent is uniquely easy to clean, overcoming cleaning issues inherent with traditional horizontal sliding windows. The inside of the window is completely ligature free and the rounded control mechanism incorporates a gearing system – called the Slipper Clutch – to prevent the mechanism being snapped.

Clive Nutley is the Project Manager, Capital Works, for the West London Mental Health NHS Trust and comments: “The team have consistently given 100 per cent in ensuring the installation process didn’t interrupt the day to day running of the wards, while maintaining a good working relationship with staff, patients, security and the project.

“In fact I regularly received comments from ward staff and security saying they wished all contractors were like Fendor: They are organised, work all day without any problems, clean up after themselves and make our job so much easier.”

The buildings’ occupants have already noticed that the full opening operation of the CleanVent windows deliver a far better airflow than the original windows, while the mesh screens not only provide security but prevent patients secreting any items within the recesses of the frame or outside. A further benefit to the Trust and to patients is that CleanVent is uniquely easy to clean, overcoming a problem inherent with traditional horizontal sliding windows. The inside of the window is completely ligature free and the rounded control device incorporates a gearing system, known as the Slipper Clutch, to prevent the mechanism being snapped.

The Orchard is just one of a growing number of mental health, medical and custodial establishments to take advantage of Fendor’s capabilities, both as a manufacturer and as a contractor.

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MX Group, the leading UK shower tray and shower accessory manufacturer and a major player in the thermostatic mixer shower and electric shower sectors, has announced further growth in its core markets through the acquisition of Aquatora, an exciting and established business based in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, best known for its Storm shower tray range and its AquaDek wet room products. The entire share capital of the company was acquired for an undisclosed six figure sum.

Former owner of Aquatora, Andrew Bullingham, well respected in the sector, joins the MX-Group as Commercial Director as part of the deal. He will work closely with Robert Johnson, MX’s Sales Director, and between them they will be responsible for all Group sales. The Aquatora name will survive the acquisition with the business continuing to be run independently. The MX-Group has plans to invest in and build the brand in the coming months, with the current imported shower tray range from China being rapidly replaced by UK manufactured trays, to add essential quality and an additional range of sizes to the brand.

Supporting the newly acquired business, MX Group’s Dominic Condon has been promoted to the role of National Sales Manager for Aquatora. “With more than 7 million products or components already heading out onto the market each year, we are a company to reckon with,” says MX-Group chairman Bernard Robinson. “We’re rightly proud of our place in the sector and the quality of the products we produce. The acquisition of Aquatora and the appointment of Andrew Bullingham, strengthens our already strong grip on the shower tray sector and offers us an advanced entry point into the wet room marketplace.”

“I’m delighted to be joining the MX-Group which has an excellent reputation for quality and innovation in our marketplace,” says Andrew Bullingham. “It’s strong in a number of channels and I believe the Aquatora brand and my involvement will help MX-Group to service a number of new channels, allowing the Group to sell its excellent range of products across a far wider spectrum of outlets than is currently the case. These are exciting times for MX and I’m very pleased to be a part of it.”

Exciting times indeed, with the imminent launch of a new range of shower screens and enclosures, and other product launches later in the year.

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Laidlaw Solutions has supplied 450 Orbis timber laminated and painted doorsets with factory-fitted Orbis Commercial ironmongery to Sussex South Coast College, a £65M element of the £71m Hastings Station Plaza mixed residential, educational, office and retail development. The variety of door colours, coded for each of the 6 floors, is immediately evident when entering the atrium which links the 4 BREEAM 'Excellent' 6-storey buildings.

The college houses IT suites, a gym, performing arts and dance studios, an art gallery, audio-visual / media facilities, coffee shop, hair salon and restaurant. 190 internal doors, glass internal timber screens and external timber doors were supplied to the development’s Primary Care Centre as well as 170 primed doorsets to the linked Sussex South Coast College Ore Valley campus.

Major Projects Manager David Manley concluded, “Laidlaw’s involvement in these key education projects provides further proof of our experience in handling diverse and complex doorset scheduling. Fitting out time is always tight so the supply of integrated doorsets provides the perfect answer for both the main contractor and the installer.”

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At HOUSING 2010, Eaton, an expert in the management of electrical power, is launching some new additions to their range of consumer units with integrated energy monitoring facilities. These innovative products are an ideal choice not only for environmentally aware homeowners who want to keep a close eye on their electricity usage, but will also be of interest to local authorities that are striving to meet the requirements laid down in National Indicator 186 for reductions in CO2 emissions.

The new consumer units, which are part of Eaton’s popular and well-proven Memera product family, offer important benefits. The efergy wireless energy monitoring system transmitter is pre-installed by Eaton, so the inconvenience and potential hazards associated with fitting current sensors supplied as separate items are eliminated. In addition, the sensor transmitters get their power direct from the consumer unit, so no batteries are needed.

Memera consumer units with energy monitoring are available in main switch isolator controlled and dual RCCB versions to comply with the 17th Edition of the IEE Wiring Regulations. Both versions transmit data wirelessly to a remote LCD display that shows energy usage and costs in real time. The device also stores historical information about energy costs, usage and CO2 emissions for up to 24 months.

Sharing the spotlight on the Eaton stand are products from the innovative Xcomfort wireless home automation range. The Xcomfort system has been specifically developed to provide convenient control and monitoring for all electrical equipment in the home, including lighting and heating, enabling a user to maximize energy savings, comfort, safety and security.

Bi-directional wireless operation provides exceptional flexibility, as switches and controllers can be sited exactly where they are needed without concerns over access for cabling, and it also helps to minimise installation costs. A further benefit is that Xcomfort products can readily be retrofitted to existing premises with no risk of damage to structure or decorations.

Visitors to the Eaton stand at HOUSING 2010 will also be able to see the new COPA range of wiring accessories, which features clip-on fascia plates that make it easy to match the appearance of the items with the room dǸcor, and which have no visible fixing screws. These accessories can be installed, energized and tested safely without the fascia plates. Finishing trades can then decorate right up to the accessories without risk of damage and, when the work is complete, the fascias can be simply clipped into place quickly and easily.

Throughout the exhibition, experienced engineers from Eaton will be available on the stand to discuss and explain the benefits of the company’s products for housing applications, and to help visitors to identify the best and most cost-effective products for their own specific applications.

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The Solar-Line Solar Outlet from Klober is being used as part of the installation of photovoltaic panels on 1200 new homes being built by Alliance Homes. The housing association is placing heavy emphasis on renewables to help meet carbon reduction targets and the Solar Outlet creates the all-important watertight seal around cables as they pass through the roof. The Solar Outlet’s 8 cable insert allows additional cables to be retrofitted if necessary while enabling services to be accessed with ease. It is fully wind-tunnel tested, available in versions for use with tiles and slates and a variety of colours.

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