Marshall-Tufflex Ltd

Electrical engineering contractor Meckel has installed MT Supertube and Wire Basket to ensure an efficient, compliant and durable cable management system as part of the £105m major redevelopment works at Luton & Dunstable University Hospital. The products were crucial in meeting the stringent requirements of the hospital environment, contributing to the success of this significant healthcare development.The substantial project, procured through the Crown Commercial Services (CCS) framework, which started in 2022 and is due for completion by Summer 2025, involves constructing a new clinical building to improve maternity, neonatal, theatres and critical care services. The five-storey acute services and ward blocks will house modern and enhanced facilities, including a delivery suite, midwifery-led birthing and neonatal intensive care units with parent accommodation, ambulatory surgery, theatre suites and a critical care unit with bespoke accommodation for relatives.Working in collaboration with Kier Mechanical Electrical Division (KME), Meckel was contracted to carry out all the electrical installation works, including cable containment. As the specification of the right cable management solution for the extensive project was critical, Meckel approached Marshall-Tufflex to discuss the requirements and the suitability of MT Supertube and Wire Basket solutions.After confirming that these products met the specific needs of the hospital’s environment, Meckel has used MT Supertube and Wire Basket extensively throughout the project. MT Supertube is a unique, three-layer heavy gauge conduit comprising polyethylene internal and external layers over a continuous aluminium tube that provides additional mechanical strength. It was chosen for its LS0H properties and excellent electromagnetic interference (EMI) screening performance – all of which are essential for ensuring continued, issue-free performance in a healthcare setting."MT Supertube with EMC fittings was chosen for the ELV services as it provides a fully compliant solution. It also has the further benefit of being supplied in coils which means it’s easy to move around the site and the amount of wastage from off-cuts is kept to a minimum."Mark Turnbull - Director, MeckelMeckel specified the Wire Basket for cable routing at Luton & Dunstable Hospital as the company had used it on a previous job and was impressed with its performance. As a result, it is now Meckel’s preferred product and is being installed in several other healthcare projects. The Wire Basket is made from steel with an electro-zinc finish and offers a unique rippled design that enhances strength while remaining lightweight. Importantly, Wire Basket is very quick to install, thanks to integral ‘quick-fit’ connectors. It also provides easy cable threading, high load capacity, resistance to flexing, and an excellent aesthetic finish."Marshall-Tufflex’s Wire Basket is a great product. It is quick and easy to install and cost-effective. We’re pleased with the overall cable management installation. The products are quick to install and provide a long-lasting, robust solution that meets the demanding requirements of the hospital environment."Mark Turnbull - Director, Meckel

Whilst developing the new Engineering Innovation Centre (EIC) at the University of Central Lancashire, contractor NG Bailey required a durable trunking system that would have the capacity to accommodate large data cables. After discussions with Marshall-Tufflex, a high-quality PVC-U solution was specified.Founded in 1828, the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) is one of the UK’s largest, with the student and staff headcount approaching 38,000. As part of its continuing efforts to shape the future of its students, the university is currently building the Engineering Innovation Centre (EIC).Supporting the future of engineering skills development within the North West, the EIC will be a state-of-the-art facility located on the Preston campus. Exploiting the location of the university, the EIC will be at the centre of one pof the most active engineering and manufacturing areas in the UK and will establish UCLan as a leader in engineering innovation.It was decided that larger than standard Cat 6a copper clad aluminium data cables would be used throughout the EIC. As such, Sean Chaplin, site engineer for NG Bailey, required a cable management solution that would not only achieve a sleek, professional finish, but also be durable and large enough to house the chosen data cables.After onsite discussions with Dave Burt, National Contract and Sustainability Manager for Marshall-Tufflex, Sean specified the PVC-U XL dado trunking system to be placed in various classrooms, engineering workshops and flight simulator rooms.As the students would be using the rooms for a range of engineering courses, including aerospace, mechanical and robotics, cables needed to be protected by a robust solution that would prevent any data from being compromised. Able to house all cables up to Cat 7a, the versatile trunking is easy to install and was supplied with Charcoal accessory boxes, to ensure compliance with Part M.In addition, an Inscreed Underfloor to desk system was also specified, including floor boxes and junction boxes to accommodate the large data cables. This was to ensure health and safety within the centre as no cables would be loose in the engineering rooms.“NG Bailey installed the products whilst I oversaw the work. This is a prestigious project, and with the centre expected to experience high volumes of traffic on a regular basis, we required a high-end cable management system that would stand up to the day to day knocks from a busy environment. In line with the EIC’s state of the art facility, the product also needed to look good too. We were able to install the dado trunking incredibly easily, and the product’s gloss finish looks fantastic in the classrooms.”Sean Chaplin, NG BaileyThe Marshall-Tufflex PVC-U XL dado trunking also comes with the additional benefit that the profiles have been manufactured from 70% recycled material. This is in line with the company’s commitment to responsible manufacturing.“We’re thrilled to see our work become part of an innovative centre at the heart of an esteemed university. It is our vision that by 2028, all PVC-U products installed in buildings should be manufactured using at least 50% recycled material and being part of this build we can continue to promote that message.Our PVC-U products are manufactured using PVC-U from post-industrial windows - meaning the trunking is incredibly robust as the raw material was designed to withstand external elements. This ensures a quality product that is environmentally beneficial.”Dave Burt , Marshall-Tufflex

Marshall-Tufflex’s corrosion resistant Glass Reinforced Polyester (GRP) cable management trays, have been used to carry all power and lighting services to an unloading station for Parker Steel at Shoreham Harbour in West Sussex.With four 9m high x 120m long gantries plus cranes to power and suspended gantries to light, the mechanical and electrical services company, DW Electrical, needed cable trays for the entire length of the gantries that would not become corroded when in contact with sea spray.Seeking an alternative to metal, DW Electrical chose Marshall-Tufflex’s GRP trays, which are corrosion resistant and equal in strength but up to 40% lighter than steel.They are therefore far easier to handle and can help to reduce the overall weight of heavy structures.Approximately 500 linear metres of Marshall-Tufflex GRP tray was supplied for the installation.In using the GRP cable management system for the first time, Russell Gorringe of DW Electrical confirmed that the product performed to expectation: “It went in well and is a good product that meets the criteria we required. We shall use it again.”To simplify installation, Marshall-Tufflex GRP products require fewer fasteners and benefit from interlocking and self-adjusting couplings for fast, on-site assembly without modification, earth bonding or de-burring.Marshall-Tufflex GRP ladder and tray systems are developed for challenging environments such as rail, road and sea installations, swimming pools, petrochemical and processing plants, where extremes of weather and temperatures are commonplace.

When the power supply within the Stansted Tunnel needed upgrading, Marshall-Tufflex was the only company able to supply Network Rail’s specified Class 1 GRP cable tray system and meet the tight deadlines J Murphy & Sons has to complete the work.

When a new COVID-19 Lighthouse Laboratory was approved in Plymouth in November 2020, the Government required a quick turnaround to set up the testing facility in order to meet demand and tackle the virus. After its proven success in supplying the Nightingale Hospitals, Totus Engineering specified Marshall-Tufflex PowerPoles and Odyssey Bio trunking to complete the fit out.