SUPPLY INFRASTRUCTURE
reject any and lose valuable days on the install. The firm was also available seven days per week in the event of us needing to order more stock.” – Roses Medical.
n “It was our responsibility to deliver the infrastructure that would carry the medical oxygen and air around the NEC Nightingale, a massive operation that involved two 108 mm ring mains, each 3 km long, together with another 12 km of 54, 35, and 15 mm pipework. This had to be completed in just a two-week period, so we immediately turned to established partner, Lawton Tubes, to supply all of the copper pipes for the project. Communication started within minutes of us being appointed, and the response was fantastic, with the first delivery arriving on site the next day. I know Rob and the production team increased manufacturing capacity, in order to meet the need for 18 km of tube and thousands of fittings. “The quality, as normal, was first-class, and we also used Lawton to help identify installers who could quickly join our team to help us meet the most demanding deadlines we’ve ever taken on. While it’s not its core expertise, the standing the firm enjoys in the sector means that it is very well connected.” – Midland Medical Services.
with all of the material supplied by Lawton Tubes.
The Coventry factory in the 1970s, where the company is still based to this day.
n “We have worked with Lawton Tubes for over eight years, and turned to them in 2020 to work with us on well over a hundred projects at hospitals across the UK. The company, with its quality of product and customer service, has helped us meet our commitment to providing superior medical gas pipeline services to our customers in the NHS and the private healthcare sector.” – SHJ Medical Gas Specialists.
n “During the first wave of COVID-19 projects we were involved with a large number of acute hospitals requiring oxygen pipeline resilience works, as well as ICU and COVID ward extensions. To support these projects, thousands of meters of degreased copper pipe and fittings were installed by our team,
Robert Lawton and Lawton Tubes
Robert Lawton, Business Development director at Lawton Tubes, is a fourth generation member of the 103-year-old copper tube company (founded by Albert Lawton [inset]), which was originally established as a small engineering company in the heart of Coventry supplying copper and brass tubes for the transport industries. Now well-known in the construction sector, today’s business employs over 100 staff, has a turnover of circa £155 m, and annual sales of 63 million metres of tube, ‘enough to circle the earth 1.5 times’ Before joining the company, Robert Lawton completed a Logistics and Supply Chain Degree at Bournemouth University, followed by a career modelling various logistical strategies for blue chip companies, as well as smaller, privately-owned companies across the UK in a whole spectrum of industries, which he says provided the ‘strong foundations’ for him to become recognised as a leading young entrepreneurial director in the private sector by the age of 32.
Joining Lawton Tubes in 2003 as Technical Sales manager, he focused on building a plumbing and heating market within independent retailers. Having achieved 40% growth year on year for four consecutive years, he then turned his attention to developing markets away from core activities as well as international sales.
He adds: “Medical gas copper tubes were already part of Lawton Tubes’ remit, but neither the standard for medical grade copper tube, nor our brand, were widely known. Through a determination to have the correct product installed when the current Health Technical Memorandum HTM 02 came into being in 2006, I was instrumental in promoting the use of medical grade (EN13448) copper tube and fittings. Today, all but one UK medical gas plant
60 Health Estate Journal March 2021
manufacturer, and the bulk of UK medical gas engineers, insist on using our products.”
Lawton Tubes won The Queen’s Award for International Trade in 2019, principally for its supply of UK medical gas products to over 35 countries across the world. Lawton Tubes adds that it has established a global reputation for supplying high quality copper tube to clients involved in air-conditioning, engineering, plumbing, and the medical sector. Regular investment in new warehousing, equipment, and company-wide training, has seen it achieve year-on-year growth for the last decade, with a workforce of just over 100 located across its headquarters in Coventry, and a second site in Poole.
What was different in the early projects was the size of tube needed. Many scenarios used 108 mm as a norm, but some then decided to move to the larger 159 mm size. Large amounts of 76 mm and 54 m pipe were also consumed. These sizes are not normally used in the same volume as 42 mm pipe, and are not kept in stock as readily, so the entire industry was after the same material at the same time. Therefore, I have to give huge credit to Lawton Tubes for managing the requirements of all the different medical gas installers, keeping us all going at what was a critical time for the country. “After the first wave of Nightingales, we were also chosen to deliver medical gas pipeline supplies at the Nightingale Exeter, a project that was delayed due to the time it took to find a suitable location. This meant having Lawton Tubes ready to respond at any given moment, with the uncertainty that it may never ‘go live’. This was a huge challenge, but thanks to excellent communication and the strength of the partnership, we were able to fulfil requirements on time and to budget when the decision eventually came to proceed.” – BeaconMedaes.
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