x
Central Manchester & Manchester Children’s University Hospitals NHS Trust (CMMC NHS Trust), has had a Category 6 structured cabling network installed at its new Acute Medical Building in Manchester. This Category 6 solution was supplied by Molex Premise Networks, designed by Chris Jones, CMMC NHS Trust and installed by Salford based Certified Installer, INS Sudlows.
The partial closure of Withington Hospital and its change of status to a Community Hospital required a new Acute Medical Facility at the CMMC site. The Acute Medical Building, part of one of the largest teaching hospitals in the UK, was built in just sixty-five weeks. This new cross shaped building consists of acute medical wards, theatres, day surgery and offices located over three floors.
The need for a first class clinical and operational system, including radiology image transfer, meant that strategically, Category 6 was the only choice for CMMC NHS Trust – the chosen solution had to meet the Trusts needs for the foreseeable future.
For Chris Jones, Networking Services Manager, CMMC NHS Trust, Future-proofing was a crucial issue for the Trust. Molex’s PowerCat 6 solution was chosen as it provides the required bandwidth to support a variety of equipment and applications, both now and in the future.
The Category 6 network is designed to meet all the hospitals needs, covering clinical, educational, business conferencing and administration areas. 524 Category 6 outlets were installed, catering for current requirements whilst also being able to cope with new technologies such as Low-Cost Gigabit Ethernet. With the possible introduction of this technology, the cost-effectiveness issue is hard to ignore. For Chris Jones and the Trust, the importance was placed on selecting a solution that would not only support their needs well into the future but, be backed by a recognised industry warranty the Molex 25-Year System Performance and Application Assurance Warranty.
The Molex solution was selected by the CMMC Trust due to the extensive warranty it offered. The Trust can rest assured that even if the standard for Category 6 changes, the warranty still covers the system installed, said Andrew Tipper, Technical Director, INS Sudlows Ltd. INS Sudlows is a long established partner of the CMMC NHS Trust, dating back over six years. INS has worked with the Trust on a number of different projects, proving its installation capabilities for projects within the health sector.
INS has been a Certified Installer for Molex for over seven years. We have an excellent working relationship with the Molex Technical Services department who are always on hand to update/train existing and new employees, give technical updates, and assist with tender notifications as well as regular on-site visits. Being an accredited installer is a key distinction in the eyes of many consultants, commented Andrew Tipper.
Installers often prepare themselves for complex cable route scenarios, particularly when handling sensitive Category 6 cables. There is also the potential in a building site environment for cables to become damaged, either by pallet trucks or other on-site personnel. In areas where cable had to be laid out, barriers were erected by INS and guarded by an engineer. For sections where many different types of contractors were working, four-by-four trunking was attached to the vertical cable tray with the cables running inside. This proved effective in preventing damage to the installed cables.
Molex’s involvement throughout the project was summarised by Simon Barnard, Technical Services Manager, Molex Premise Networks: Molex has been in regular contact with INS and the CMMC NHS Trust over the last 18 months. We have been on hand to provide technical support when needed and, will continue this level of commitment even though this project is now complete.
Molex has instilled a huge level of confidence in the Trust as Chris Jones explains: Molex is a provider of very competitive solutions and has key personnel on board with exceptional insight, to understand the needs of organisations like the Trust. These elements make them a sound choice for the Trust, together with their experience and backing from Molex Incorporated.
