[ Focus: Cable management ]


their solutions and differentiate themselves on the basis of availability, technical support and excellent service. Cablofil’s managing director, Paul-Edouard Courson,


comments: ‘Service continues to be significant in a competitive marketplace. Contractors value technical support, training, troubleshooting and a willingness to provide bespoke solutions where required. It may not be the reason why they choose one system over another to begin with, but it can certainly be a factor in ensuring repeat business.’ Being able to recognise the difference between a ‘quality’ cable management solution and an inferior one is important – but exactly what constitutes the former is the subject of some conjecture. According to Nigel Leaver, lead marketing manager for


Legrand’s cable management division, there are three key questions that contractors should ask. He says: ‘Firstly, does the system comply with the relevant standards? Secondly, has the manufacturer achieved ISO 9001: 2008 status? Finally, does it also have an ISO 14001:2004 environmental management system? If all three answers are positive, then this gives a good indication as to the quality of the product.’


Material gain


Steel wire and uPVC are by far the most popular types of cable management and each has its respective advantages. When deciding which to choose, the application that the product will be ultimately be used for should be uppermost in a contractor’s thoughts. As these systems are often fitted in areas that experience a lot of usage, they need to be extremely robust. David Williams, category manager for cable management solutions at Schneider Electric, comments: ‘Take a public building such as a school or hospital, for example – perimeter trunking systems can be exposed to a huge volume of human contact. They need to be able to withstand these types of environments.’


This is why design is such a vital consideration. Emma


Segelov, MK Electric’s head of marketing for UK and Ireland, explains: ‘Studying the quality and robustness of the material used and its design are paramount, especially in uPVC systems. The parts should also fit together tightly, otherwise it is easy for the coverings to be accidentally knocked off.’ With steel wire, poor quality materials will make it inflexible


Legrand’s Salamandre solution is fast and easy to install


Contractors value technical support, training, troubleshooting – and a


willingness to provide bespoke solutions where required


Glasgow Royal Infirmary


Health and safety


Glasgow Royal Infirmary’s Intensive Care Unit was the first hospital in the UK to take advantage of the solutions provided by MK Electric’s Prestige 3D Antibac Blue.


Approximately 55m of the product was chosen due to its excellent hygienic qualities and ease of installation. Gary Dyer of the project’s M&E consultant, Hulley & Kirkwood, said: ‘One of the main reasons for utilising this type of product is infection control, which is a major issue within the healthcare sector these days.’ Prestige 3D Antibac Blue kills bacteria that can grow on surfaces such as trunking systems. It uses a silver-based additive inherent within the uPVC that acts as an effective weapon in fighting harmful bacteria. As the additive is homogenous with the uPVC compound, the protection runs throughout. There is no loss of effectiveness where the trunking lengths are cut on-site or if the surface becomes scuffed or scratched.


By also using the company’s Logic Plus wiring devices, the entire installation met the requirements of an anti-bacterial specification. As the trunking and wiring devices are both open to contact, the control of the spread of bacteria and infections can only be effective with such a complete solution. MK Electric has commissioned independent tests


to verify the antibacterial properties of Prestige 3D Antibac Blue. The results show, over a 24 hour period, 99.9 per cent kill rates on both MRSA and Klebsiella pneumoniae. It has also commissioned independent tests to verify the antibacterial properties of Logic Plus. The results, also collected over a 24 hour period, similarly show 99.9 per cent kill rates on MRSA and 98.9 per cent kill rates on Klebsiella pneumoniae.


May 2012 ECA Today 35


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