ASDA has more than 200 stores throughout the UK and the number is constantly growing. Together with Siemens, Electron has installed new and upgraded telephone cabling at 170 stores throughout the UK.
There were two types of installation, new builds and existing stores.
The new builds were standard building site installations involving a phased installation as the building site progressed. Close liaison was required between Electron’s project team, the electrical site manager, and Siemens’ project manager.
Ensuring that ASDA’s exact requirements were met on the day of completion took a lot of communication. “I seemed to spend a lot of the time with the phone against my ear talking about ASDA” states Simon Rhodes of Electron, responsible for the new build installations. “The site schedule would change daily, depending on the builders, and I had to be up to speed all of the time.”
The existing stores involved a different set of skills. Electron have upgraded or rewired over 150 existing stores throughout the UK. The whole rollout was done in 5 phases, each phase taking 3-4 weeks.
The program of works was very challenging, each site taking 3 days from start to finish, with most of the work done out of shopping hours. “This was a very demanding project for all parties, but a very rewarding one also”, said Mark Wood, Electron’s Technical Director.
Electron and Siemens put together a six-team schedule, allowing each team 3 nights to: -
1. Upgrade Existing Cabling [Electron]
2. Install up to 6 cordless telephone concentrators [Electron]
3. Install the console and tanoy links [Electron]
4. Plug in, label and test the telephone handsets [Electron]
5. Commission the PABX [Siemens]
6. Connection to the PSTN [Siemens]
7. Train Users [Siemens]
As you can see this was truly a joint effort.
