Power in Position

11 May 2011

Specialist technology distributor, Steljes, has selected the award-winning and highly versatile Mainline mains power distribution system for at its headquarters in Bagshot, Surrey, and its refurbished offices in Dublin.

WHEN STELJES’ BAGSHOT MANOR offices were originally refurbished at the beginning of 2006, a traditional, fixed double power socket was installed centrally within each of the 20 principal offices within the two-storey building. However, approximately half of all the sockets in the building haven’t been used since Steljes moved in, due to their positioning not being suitable for how the rooms were subsequently configured and utilised.
As much of the equipment distributed by Steljes is high tech, the company is keen to ensure it is in the vanguard when it comes to making the best use of the latest technology.
Mainline is a new, innovative and extremely flexible mains power distribution system, which is ideally suited to providing versatile access to mains power – a fundamental requirement of much of the technology it sells.
“Flexibility, ease of use and the prospect of further cost savings down the line were the main reasons why I opted for Mainline ahead of more traditional fixed power sockets,” explained Steljes facilities and operations manager, Alex Blackmun. “From an FM and an end-user’s perspective, Mainline is a great system to have on-site as once it has been installed you can almost forget about it. Mainline makes rooms extremely versatile in how they are used and configured, and because it is so simple it frees up a significant chunk of the FM team’s time and budget. For instance, we don’t need to call in £300/day professional electricians every time power sockets need to be moved.”
So far, Mainline has been installed within the Reception area at Steljes, making it easy for the company to showcase a selection of its products to visitors on arrival. Mainline was also fitted within four, multi-use training, demonstration and meeting rooms, as well as in the Technical Workshop where a team of six engineers work in an L-shaped format on a constantly changing mix of projects and assignments.
From day to day, and even from hour to hour, the power access requirements vary quite considerably within the four multi-use training, demonstration and meeting rooms at Steljes’ Bagshot site. However, because Mainline is so versatile and easy to use, it is simple for Steljes employees to use these rooms without having to ask their facilities team to either get power points moved or provide various extension leads and multi-gang power blocks to power any ancillary electrical items that might be needed.
Blackmun added: “As an FM professional, I would say that the decision of whether or not to get Mainline installed, either in a new build or at refurb stage, is a complete no brainer. Once Mainline has been fitted you can almost forget about it, because it is so simple for room users to get access to mains power when and where they need it.”
According to Greg Leach, the electrician who installed more than 50 metres of Mainline track at Bagshot and a smaller amount at Steljes’ refurbished Dublin office, “It was much, much quicker fitting Mainline than if I had instead had to put in an equivalent number of fixed power points.”
Mainline is an innovative, multi awardwinning (Red Dot and Australian International Design Award), track-based power distribution solution which provides quick, easy and extremely flexible access to mains power whenever and wherever it is needed. Suitable for installation in new builds and refurbished developments, Mainline can also be used as a retro fit in rooms where additional power outlets are required.
It can be “stand-alone” or integrated into skirting boards, chair rails and along work surfaces in offices, retail Point of Sale locations, school classrooms, laboratories, workshops, kitchens, behind multi-media systems in the home and in many other commercial and domestic environments.
www.mainlinepower.co.uk
More info

● Mainline track is rated to 32 Amp, 250 Volt a.c single phase and conforms to: BS EN 61534-1, BS EN 61534-21 and BS EN 60999-1.
● The outlet adaptor conforms to: BS 1363-2: 1995+A1,A2 and BS 5733: 1995+A1,A2, and is rated to 13 Amp. 250 Volt a.c. MLA2 British.
● Mainline power track comes in standard lengths of 2.2m and can be easily cut to size on-site for shorter length requirements, or joined together for longer spans.
● Up to 16 adaptors can be fitted onto a single metre of track.