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A bespoke cable management solution was delivered to a tight deadline ensuring halls of residence at the University of Warwick were ready to welcome students in time for the new term.
Marshall-Tufflex’s sleek Odyssey PVC-U trunking system offers a completely curved profile and is the only one of its kind on the market. It has been designed specifically with health, education and office environments in mind.

Bespoke lengths of 2.25m were cut to size to fit-out student rooms in the Arthur Vick Residence at the university. The Odyssey trunking was supplied in white with flush fitting charcoal accessory boxes to comply with Part M of the Building Regulations.

The dado trunking delivers data and electricity to desk areas in each of the 150 study rooms and was part of a refit of the whole residence. The halls are in constant use so the pressure was on to complete the refurbishment during the university vacation time.

Marshall-Tufflex has a dedicated team to deal with special projects where cable management products are fabricated to customised design and specification. The team was able to provide the bespoke cut lengths with a quick turnaround, helping the refit stay on track and on budget.

This specialist service offered by Marshall-Tufflex was a key consideration, but Odyssey was also chosen for its stylish curved profile, which has the added benefit of avoiding dust traps or cluttered surfaces and makes cleaning easy. Specially designed wrap-around covers give added security and result in smoother lines to further enhance Odyssey’s unique appearance.

Electrical Design Engineer Gary Price, from the University of Warwick Estates Office, said the system was chosen to enhance the look of the student rooms and also to provide the most cost-effective and timely solution. He said: “I have used Odyssey many times in the past and it looks aesthetically pleasing and is a very good product. We only had 10 weeks on site and I wanted to limit any waste in terms of time and materials. Having the product cut to size in the factory and delivered as a complete package for each study bedroom meant that it could be easily fitted into place with no waste. This has delivered a very good result.”

With a tight turnaround to get the project completed, ease of installation was another key factor. As well as being cut to size off-site, the base is pre-punched so does not require drilling. The trunking has adjustable bends with a 25mm bend radius to manage difficult angles, and cabling is made easier thanks to a specially designed internal cable tray.

The three compartments allow full cable segregation and both trunking and accompanying fittings are suitable for installations up to Cat 7a. The system is even tamper resistant thanks to fittings that locate with a special clip design, which is useful in school or high security settings.

Supplied by Edmundson Electrical in Coventry, the Odyssey range is also available as an antimicrobial option, and with electromagnetic shielding.

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Designed to appeal to the contracts sector, a new range of Kinedo shower enclosures has been added to the portfolio of showering products by Saniflo.

Fast 2000, named as such because of the 2000mm high profiles and the rapidity of installation, is a collection of enclosures designed to suit every size and shape of bathroom. Offering exceptional value for money, the collection includes:

• Pivot doors: 700 – 1200mm
• Sliding doors: 1000 – 1700mm
• Corner entry sliding doors: 700 – 1200mm
• Quads with sliding doors: 800 or 900mm
• Fixed panels: 700 – 900mm

As is synonymous with the Kinedo range the Fast 2000 is quick and easy to install and manufactured using quality components throughout. Interlocking aluminium profiles ensure the frame is very simple to assemble whilst easy release rollers can be fixed to the door profiles without any tools. Handles are attached using pre-supplied screws and fixings for the glass panels slot neatly and securely into place. The whole job is easily completed by one person.

The design of the Fast 2000 range is both high quality and provides an elegant shower space for new build and renovation projects alike.  Features include:

• 20 – 40mm of adjustment for ease of fitting
• Top and bottom rollers on slider doors for ease of release and excellent stability
• Anti-limescale treatment as standard for an easy clean solution
• Reversible glass panels
• Quick release rollers on slider doors
• 2m height enclosure with 6mm glass
• Easy fit profile covers and concealed fixings for a neat finish

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Condair plc has been accredited by the Workplace Wellbeing Charter, the national accreditation standard that recognises an organisation’s commitment to improving the lives of those who work there.  Condair achieved the standard through initiatives such as the introduction of free staff health MOTs, subsidizing gym subscriptions, investing in sit-stand desks and appointing trained mental health first aiders.

Condair plc, the UK’s leading humidification specialist, employs 75 people, located either at its headquarters in West Sussex, or remotely situated around the UK, across its nationwide sales and service teams.

Tim Scott, head of sales at Condair plc, comments, “Employees who are happy and healthy are more engaged and productive in the workplace. We are very proud to have obtained this important accreditation, as it objectively demonstrates our commitment to continually improving the happiness, health and wellbeing of our staff.

“Condair has been at the forefront of the UK’s humidity control for 37 years. The fact that over half our staff have been with us for at least 10 years, and many for much longer, is testament to the importance we place on employee wellbeing and happiness. This doesn’t just make our day-to-day working lives more enjoyable but has a direct impact on the business’ profits. It helps us retain talented individuals, builds the most experienced workforce in the marketplace and ensures we deliver the best possible service to our customers.”

As part of the Workplace Wellbeing Charter accreditation, Condair was independently reviewed by a consultant, against a set of eight topic areas. These topics ranged from leadership and absence management to physical activity and healthy eating. The objective is to assess the company’s level of commitment to creating a culture that values health and wellbeing.

Tim Scott continues, “As an organisation, we have always been proactive about creating a happy workplace, with regular social events playing an important part in building a cooperative and friendly team atmosphere. We also encourage staff to manage their own health through subsidizing gym subscriptions, promoting tax-free bike-to-work schemes, offering sit/stand desks, company bikes for staff use, free bi-annual health MOTs and offering medical cash plans, which allow staff access to cheaper healthcare services for things like dental, optometry or podiatry.

“Alongside these investments, we also provide services to employees such as workshops on stress management, healthy eating and mindfulness, give staff support to stop smoking and allow time-shifting in working hours. Simply starting and finishing a working day at a slightly different time can improve a person’s work life balance and alleviate stress.

“Mental health has also been a focus for us in recent years. As well as internally promoting government initiatives like Mental Health Awareness Week, we have appointed and trained two mental health first aiders. These individuals are able to offer direct and confidential support to people who need it. As well as this one-to-one support, employees also have access to a confidential helpline, with experts who can provide advice on a range of topics from bereavement and debt to health and relationships.” Tim concludes.

The Condair Group is the world’s leading specialist in humidification and evaporative cooling, with energy efficient, hygienic and innovative technologies for commercial, industrial and heritage applications. Condair is represented in the UK by Condair plc, which offers system design, manufacture, supply, installation, commissioning, maintenance and spares.

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Condair is appearing at the forthcoming Data Centre World exhibition on stand D921, at the Excel Centre in London from 12th to 13th March. The company will be displaying the latest in adiabatic and steam humidifier technology, which provides in-duct evaporative cooling and humidification to data centres.

Condair has extensive experience in working with data centre designers and air handling unit manufacturers that need to incorporate evaporative coolers or humidifiers into their systems. Previous data centre projects have involved clients such as Facebook, Microsoft, Digital Realty, Hewlett Packard, Amazon and eBay.

Condair’s experts will be on-hand at Data Centre World to give advice on how the latest humidifier technology can reduce data centre operating costs through improved energy consumption and reduced maintenance requirements.

Products on display include the Condair ME evaporative humidifier that offers 0.68kW of adiabatic cooling to an air handling system for every 1kg of moisture evaporated into the air stream. As the humidifier can provide up to 1,440kg/hr of humidity while operating on less than 1kW, it presents significant benefits to data centres using free air cooling systems. The technology can be employed to deliver direct or indirect evaporative cooling to facilities in warmer climates or add massive amounts of low energy humidification to data centres using cold, dry outside air in cold climates.

Alongside its market-leading in-duct evaporative system, Condair will have the Condair RS resistive steam humidifier on its stand. The Condair RS offers steam humidification to data centres without the need to frequently replace boiling cylinders, as is the case with many on-board humidification systems supplied with CRAC units. The humidifier has a scale management system that allows lime scale that builds up in the boiling chamber to fall into a removable tank at the base of the unit. Routine scale removal can be carried out by in-house maintenance staff in minutes, saving costs on consumables and maintenance time.

The Condair Group is the world’s leading specialist in humidification and evaporative cooling, with energy efficient, hygienic and innovative technologies for commercial, industrial and heritage applications. Condair is represented in the UK by Condair plc, which offers system design, manufacture, supply, installation, commissioning, maintenance and spares.

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Armourcoat created a ‘quiet zone’ on their stand at the Surface Design Show in February to highlight the benefits of their acoustic plaster system. The company also featured among the main stage speakers and presentation to the 2019 Surface Design Award winners.

The Surface Design Show, held at Islington’s Business Design Centre, is a must-attend annual trade event to source products, gain new insights and connect with innovative and exciting materials such as Armourcoat Acoustic.
The system comprises of a special mineral wool composite panel that is bonded onto the substrate and finished with a seamless layer, presenting an elegant marble-based plaster finish while allowing sound energy to pass through the surface.

The Armourcoat stand focused on creating a ‘quiet zone’ at the show using the new acoustic plaster system recently granted the Quiet Mark Award – the international mark of approval from the Noise Abatement Society Charitable Foundation. Through its pioneering acoustic tests, Quiet Mark awards its distinctive Purple Q Mark to products and services that show excellence in low-noise and high performance.

Poppy Szkiler, founder and managing director of Quiet Mark shared seasoned insights as a third generation noise reduction campaigner on the main stage, discussing acoustic solutions for a noisy world.

Armourcoat were also delighted to support the 2019 Surface Design Awards, sponsoring the ‘Sustainability’ categories.

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Humidification specialist, Condair, has appointed Tony Fleming as the Head of Sales Cluster Northern Europe. Tony takes on responsibility for the operations of Condair’s two sales and manufacturing facilities based in the UK and Denmark, as well as the Condair sales offices in Ireland and Sweden.

Tony Fleming comments, “I am delighted to take on this new role of developing Condair’s operations in the key markets of the UK, Ireland and Scandinavia. The Condair Group has made significant investment in these regions as part of its recent global expansion and has seen good growth in all fields of humidification, evaporative cooling and dehumidification.”

Tony’s appointment follows a restructuring of Condair’s regional operations and the association of the UK and Ireland with Scandinavia as “Sales Cluster Northern Europe”. Tony’s previous position at Condair was Technical & Operations Director at Condair plc, for which he was and continues to be based in the Condair office in West Sussex, UK. Alongside his role at Condair, Tony also serves as a Non-Executive Director on the board of BSRIA.

All positions within Condair’s regional operations remain unchanged, including Tim Scott remaining as Sales Director for Condair in the UK and Ireland.

The Condair Group is the world’s leading specialist in humidity control and evaporative cooling, with energy efficient, hygienic and innovative technologies for commercial, industrial and heritage applications.

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Low surface temperature radiators – known as LSTs – are increasingly being specified for buildings used by vulnerable people where safe heat is required – for either the young or the elderly. The leading supplier of LST radiators in the UK is Stelrad and the company has recently released two new additions to its already extensive range by adding an LST Standard Deco and LST iPlus Deco design. They both feature its popular Deco horizontal lined fascia to the casings.

LSTs are clearly the safe solution in hospitals, care and nursing homes, doctors and dentists’ surgeries and in universities, colleges, schools and nurseries.

The addition of the Deco fascias is a response to demand from customers to have a ‘designer look’ version of these popular but functional radiators and Stelrad has been happy to respond to this.

LSTs comply with the strict requirements of the NHS Guidance Note for ‘Safe hot water and surface temperature’ and can be installed in commercial and public buildings with total public safety assured. The surface temperature of these LSTs will never exceed 43°C.

For more details, head for www.stelrad.com.

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It’s thought that there are still many millions of old, uncontrolled small circulators operating in heating systems across the UK, and they are using far more energy than they need to.

Especially now that leading pump manufacturer Wilo now offers the new generation of the Wilo-Yonos PICO series small circulators to the UK market. There’s a range of new features that have been added to this popular circulator, targeted primarily at residential homes and properties, for both heating systems and air conditioning equipment.

With this new version, Wilo has succeeded in not only upgrading one of the most established products in the market, but also to an extent, it has been able to reinvent it thanks to new functions built in to it and its ease of use.

Together with these new functions, the compactness of Wilo-Yonos PICO has been dramatically improved to make it even easier to install and make maintenance far easier for the installer.

For more information on the Yonos PICO and the other small pumps in the energy efficient Wilo family of circulators, head for www.wilo.co.uk.

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One hundred years ago John Ashworth Crabtree designed and patented a quick make and quick break switch. This innovation, which safely managed electric arcs that can occur in switching devices, was the beginning of the philosophy that became the culture of electrical safety for Crabtree.

One hundred years later and Crabtree remain at the forefront of electrical safety, this time with digital technology in Arc Fault Detection Devices. Crabtree AFDDs automatically detect and disconnect arc faults and prevent fires occurring in electrical cables and final circuits, providing higher levels of safety for homes and workplaces.

A lot can change in 100 years. Technology develops, new challenges emerge, solutions are found. But despite it all, the earth continues to turn, and those with a passion continue to design and innovate.

For a business that has weathered the storms of time, changed ownership, evolved its working methods and undoubtedly over 100 years, engaged many staff; one thing hasn’t changed, and that is the drive for new product development – a vital ingredient in the success of the brand.

We’re now on the 18th Edition of the Wiring Regulations, but back when the 12th Edition of the wiring regulations was just being published in 1950, Crabtree had been operating for over 30 years. It had launched during that time a number of innovations, including one still used today – British standard 13A twin sockets. Now a staple in homes and businesses across the UK, British standard 13A twin sockets first introduced by Crabtree in 1947.

In 1956, Crabtree introduced its first earth leakage circuit breaker, the voltage operated E.60 range. Earth leakage circuit breakers (or RCDs as we now know them) are standard products these days, but they were new in the 1950s when Crabtree developed this technology for devices that protect people from risks of electric shock. Fast forward 60-odd years to the very latest earth leakage devices and you will find innovative “A Class” Miniature RCBOs that include two-pole switching as standard for even higher levels of personal protection.

Mike Cash, Group Marketing & Channel Manager at Electrium commented: “When Crabtree launched, we had a motto: That which is built soundly endures well. It was inscribed onto the company plaque and rightly so. Crabtree was built soundly enough to provide 100 years of electrical safety for our customers. And with a 100-year solid foundation what else can we do in the years to come?”

For more information go to www.electrium.co.uk/crabtree

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March is set to be a busy month for Saniflo with two important exhibitions. From 5-7 March, catch the experts from Saniflo at Future Build, Excel, London on stand B165. At Future Build, Saniflo will also deliver a talk in the ‘Let’s Talk Specification’ seminar programme. From 11-15 March 2018, visitors to ISH in Frankfurt, Germany, will find Saniflo in Hall 9.0 on stand E62 with the complete range of macerators, pumps & lifting stations; and, in Hall 3.0 on stand C93 with the Kinedo range of shower solutions and some related products, including the new Sanifloor+.

Saniflo – inventors of the macerator with more than 60 years’ experience and the number one in the UK macerator market – is no stranger to exhibitions and consistently exhibit at a variety of industry events across the UK and Europe.

Saniflo UK Head of Marketing and Product Development, Ann Boardman, says: “We are looking forward to welcoming visitors to Future Build and ISH where they will find an extensive range of Saniflo products on display.

“Future Build is a new exhibition for us and an ideal opportunity to connect with our UK customers. This year we are focusing on displaying our range of Kinedo shower cubicles, enclosures and trays, and we will also deliver a talk in the ‘Let’s Talk Specification’ seminar programme.

“ISH is always a valuable event for us, hence why we choose to have a strong presence there. It allows us to have many products on show at one time to reach a high volume of people in a short period of time. It’s important to demonstrate how we innovate to remain ahead of market demand. Saniflo literally has an easy solution for every situation and ISH offers a great opportunity to show that. People can experience for themselves our hassle-free, plug and play range designed to be the best on the market featuring ease of installation and maintenance with new and improved styling and vibration reduction.”

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