WAGO’s tender was convincing. The designers at Gnuse, an engineering firm specializing in hospital technology, and at Röhe Elektrotechnik, the company assigned the electrical work, were especially interested in the time and design advantages. Pluggable WINSTA® cable assemblies save, according to WAGO’s calculations, up to 70 % of the time usually required for wiring and allow significantly more flexible personnel deployment. Frank Röhe, CEO at Röhe Elektrotechnik, confirms their suitability in practice: “We didn’t have to strip any cables during the initial assembly; wiring junction boxes, clamping units, and strain relief devices were unnecessary. So everything went much, much more quickly.” He doesn’t see this as devaluing their work as a specialized company: “Our well-trained employees don’t need as much time to set up cables, wire them and ensure that the wires are correctly connected. That saves us time for more ambitious tasks.”
Marco Neugebauer, project manager at Röhe Elektrotechnik, also mentions the lower rate of errors during cabling. In his experience, errors can never be completely avoided in conventional wiring on projects under great time pressure. The pluggable and pre-coded components, on the other hand, guarantee correct connection due to their predefined design. The color-coded networks can also be distinguished more easily. In addition, troubleshooting, which is often time-consuming, is now a thing of the past. The advantage also becomes clear when third-party companies have to be involved in the cabling. “During the final phase of a project, the time for electrical installation gets very tight. With pluggable cabling, final installation is easier, the wiring is easier to understand, the risk of confusion is reduced, and it’s more immediately obvious which tasks remain. Workers new to the construction site can be integrated faster to support the project,” adds Neugebauer, the project manager.
“Using WAGO’s line of WINSTA® Pluggable Connectors has changed the philosophy of electrical wiring. The cabling can be replicated and prepared for assembly much more efficiently. This saves us time during the final on-site wiring phase, which is often hectic. It has been an interesting and positive experience,” reports Holger Vogel of the engineering firm Gnuse. In preparation, one patient room at Herford Hospital was designed and completely constructed as blueprint for the other rooms. This made it possible to verify whether the planned cabling would work in an actual installation. Designers and project managers only have to enter the cable lengths once into an Excel list; the number of rooms then automatically yields the parts list. WAGO then pre-assembled the cables, which were delivered early during the shell construction phase and installed by Röhe Elektrotechnik.
Since the hospital expansion and renovation are being carried out in four construction sections, each with nine floors with structurally identical patient rooms, all the patient rooms can be implemented using the same pattern. The engineering firm’s highest priority is completing the project on time. The pluggable connection system dramatically cuts down on time thanks to the repeating patient room arrangements and technically identical installation; protection against mismatching also ensures error-free connections. “The highly repetitive wiring, the identical cable lengths and identical implementation in the final installation are ideal for a pluggable connection system. In this type of construction, the potential time savings, as well as savings on materials, becomes apparent quickly, since waste is reduced during work on connections,” reports Holger Vogel.
Based on Röhe Elektrotechnik’s experiences, there is still sufficient flexibility for adjustments or subsequent expansions in spite of the standardization at the construction site. “The WINSTA® Pluggable Connection System offers a wonderfully diverse assortment and has great alternatives when needed,” says Frank Röhe. Due to the variety of products, wiring tasks can be solved in a variety of ways. The product portfolio includes power supplies for sockets in wall ducts, floor boxes in double floors and distribution boxes for controlling the blinds and for lighting installations. Lights can also be connected, since the major lighting manufacturers support the pluggable connection technology through the cross-vendor Linect® system. Therefore, the hall lighting in the hospital was also equipped with a pluggable connection system with color coding to distinguish “general power supply (AV)” from “safety power supply (SV)” and “control cables” for efficient lighting control.
“As an engineering firm, we specialize in hospital projects and can confirm the suitability of pluggable connection technology in this sector. It is very advantageous for construction projects with repeating modules. Everyone involved in this construction project is very willing to use pluggable connection technology in hospital construction. The project management at WAGO was proactive and ensured fast implementation,” says the planner, summarizing his experience. Compliance with the special requirements on hospital construction according to DIN VDE 0100, Part 710, already comes standard with WINSTA®.
By Jörg Gruner | 2014-06-23
Photo: WAGO
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