Our work at Apex is really diverse. We work across every sector, and while many of our contracts are for large-scale, multi-million pound builds, we also work on quite architecturally sensitive regeneration projects that require a great deal of care and bespoke solutions. However, I have always had a particular focus on the healthcare sector. From overseeing the sales strategy, to directly engaging with clients to understand the unique needs of every development, I’m fascinated by the challenges posed by every project that comes our way.
‘Master problem-solvers’
Apex has spent the best part of four decades refining, updating, and adding innovation to our wiring solutions. Not only are we masters of delivering exactly what each customer needs, but we’re also master problem-solvers. Every project is different, but you can guarantee that each one will pose a unique challenge that we’ll need to overcome, and healthcare facilities are certainly no different. It’s fair to say that modular wiring is perfect for the health sector, in which rapid, reliable solutions not only help initial builds, but also make any future maintenance, extensions, or repairs easier. By removing all the challenges that come with traditional ‘twin and earth’ wiring methods, and incorporating the prefabricated elements of our ‘plug-and play’ design, projects are simplified enormously.
While the quick and easy installation of every component ensures reduced man-hours on site, aiding build programmes, it’s the system’s reliability that is so vital in healthcare, helping ensure smooth operations, patient wellbeing, and efficient service delivery, and powering critical equipment and communication systems. The shift from traditional methods to modular is transformative, and has streamlined installation, aiding the overall safety, efficiency, and flexibility of projects. The manufacture of ready-made components in a controlled environment reduces on-site labour, minimises disruption, and ensures quality.
Modular also allows electrical systems to be adaptable, in an environment where changes and expansions are commonplace, and traditional methods can fail to keep up. In such a dynamic environment, adaptability is crucial, and modular allows us to easily reconfigure or change electrical systems to accommodate new equipment, layout changes, or technology advancements. It’s essentially future-proofing healthcare infrastructure.
Patient safety and wellbeing, and ensuring regulatory compliance, are both paramount in healthcare facilities. Apex emphasises that modular systems adhere to strict safety standards and codes in order to minimise the risk of electrical failures, fire hazard, and operational disruptions, and puts all of its modular systems through rigorous testing and certification processes to ensure that safety standards are met or exceeded. In our industry, it is safety above all else. We make sure that everything that arrives on site is as safe as it can possibly be for patients and professionals. The whole process — from manufacture to installation — is hands-on to ensure consistent quality and welfare before the project is complete.
Streamlined maintenance
All of Apex’s modular systems are designed with simplicity and safety front of mind; from installation to maintenance, to upgrades, ‘going modular’ makes the process easier than with traditional methods. Thanks to modular, maintenance of electrical systems in healthcare facilities becomes systematic and less disruptive; components are universal and future-proofed, and easily accessed to replace, which helps to minimise downtime and optimise efficiency.
Older wiring methods require disassembly and troubleshooting to find any issues — you’re regularly chasing multiple cables around and finding all sorts of badly-finished connections, whereas with modular everything arrives on site cut to the correct lengths, with the correct components all ready to install. In the unlikely event that there are any glitches, we can quickly identify, locate, and repair faults with minimal disruption. Going modular also facilitates upgrades as healthcare developments evolve to meet new standards. Modular systems offer the flexibility to adapt without significant downtime, so the upgrade of technology and expanding infrastructure are achieved quickly and efficiently.
As the world strives to become more environmentally friendly, pressure is on everyone to reduce carbon output. Traditional wiring is characterised by its inefficiency and high levels of waste, whereas modular systems are designed with the environment in mind. Prefabricated components minimise waste during manufacture and installation, with modular removing the need for excess materials and on-site assembly, so fewer resources are consumed, and less waste is generated.
We must all think differently to address the climate crisis. Promoting efficient use of resources, and reducing the environmental impact, healthcare facilities can contribute to broader sustainability goals, as well as enhancing their own operational efficiency. Apex is committed to sustainable practices in everything we do, and the utilisation of modular instead of traditional ensures long-term sustainable solutions and a healthier future for generations to come.
An innovative force in modular, Apex has been driving advances in the healthcare sector for many years, with a commitment to quality, innovation, and customer satisfaction. Founded in Durham in 1980, Apex has forged a global reputation for the supply of cable, cable assemblies, and accessories, for high and low-level power distribution systems. With a fully trained and qualified team of experts, the business provides first-class service, developing and delivering solutions across the globe. Apex boasts a 160,000 ft2 HQ in the city of Durham, with overseas operations in the UAE and Australia.
With continuous investment in connector technology and manufacturing techniques, Apex Wiring completes the entire manufacturing process from design to supply.
Case studies
n Bournemouth and Poole Women and Children’s Hospital
Apex won a contract to supply and install modular wiring at Bournemouth and Poole Women and Children’s Hospital, due for completion in 2025. Further solidifying its reputation as a trusted supplier to healthcare facilities, the company worked with contractors, IHP and W Portsmouth, ensuring that the project benefited from the seamless integration of modular solutions. Modular systems will enhance the facility’s infrastructure and optimise patient care, providing an efficient, adaptable electrical system. The Apex team ensured quality, reliability, and safety for the project from start to finish.
St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London
The successful 10-year redevelopment of Britain’s oldest hospital saw Apex play a pivotal role in enhancing the facility’s infrastructure and reducing the hospital’s carbon footprint via modular wiring. Apex seamlessly integrated modular solutions into the project in collaboration with Skanska and other key stakeholders, ensuring that the installation aligned perfectly with client needs, contributing to the project’s success. By leveraging leading-edge wiring solutions, Apex reduced carbon emissions as well as energy costs, and modernised the development’s electrical system. These are just some of the benefits that going modular yielded. Apex enhanced operational efficiency, freeing up valuable resources redirected towards patient care.
Sunshine Coast University Hospital, Australia
Apex provided modular wiring solutions to the Queensland Tertiary and Teaching Hospital when the project developer recognised our expertise, trusting the team to ensure timely delivery of essential electrical services. Faced with the obvious geographical challenges, Apex leveraged its global network to streamline the process, overcoming hurdles to deliver seamless project execution. Thanks to modular solutions, the Sunshine Coast University Hospital was equipped with reliable and efficient electrical services, ensuring that it provides high-quality healthcare.
Royal London Hospital
This 160,000 m2 project faced numerous logistical challenges that Apex was selected to help overcome, providing modular solutions to the 727-bedded facility to allow electrical activity across all areas of the hospital. The size and complexity of the project presented challenges, such as coordinating installations across vast areas, and implementing modular systems within existing building work. Apex utilised its modular system, which offers flexibility, scalability, and easy installation, in collaboration with Skanska, mitigating challenges and ensuring that the client’s requirements were met.
This project was significant in the healthcare landscape due to being home of the Air Ambulance and housing Europe’s largest renal service. The dedication and expertise of Apex’s team saw the project successfully executed, highlighting Apex’s capacity to meet the unique needs of healthcare facilities globally.
Paul Hopps
With over two decades of experience in the electrical industry, Sales director at the company, Paul Hopps, has been with Apex Wiring Solutions for over 15 years, ‘delivering innovative, reliable wiring solutions to a wide range of sectors, with a keen focus in healthcare’. Spearheading many successful projects in the sector – including at Bournemouth and Poole Women and Children’s Hospital, Royal London Hospital, and Queen Alexandra in Portsmouth – he recognises ‘the need for rapid, reliable and safe wiring installations to help ease pressure on the NHS, which is still recovering from the impacts of the pandemic’.