Marshall-Tufflex supplies Plymouth Lighthouse Laboratory

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.

In March 2020, the Government launched facilities specifically dedicated to COVID-19 testing to support the UK’s fight against coronavirus. Known as Lighthouse Laboratories – or Lighthouse Labs this network of “mega” testing laboratories was set up to rapidly process thousands of samples per day. The Lighthouse Lab in Plymouth was approved in November 2020 and when fully operational, it will have the capacity to process up to 40,000 COVID-19 tests a day.

Due to the urgent nature of the build, the Department of Health appointed Kier and Totus Engineering due to their previous performances on Nightingale Hospitals. The clients brief was for the laboratories to be operational within eleven weeks from start of works. Therefore, the entire supply chain needed to adhere to a tight schedule of deliveries to ensure all necessary installation was completed.

Bob Corne, Contract Manager at Totus Engineering, recognised Marshall-Tufflex’s award-winning success in delivering its bio-trunking to ten emergency NHS Nightingale Hospitals nationwide, transforming its manufacturing and delivery procedures to meet demand for flexible and urgent deliveries – many within the same day.

Bob said, “The Lighthouse Lab in Plymouth required a cable management solution that would safely house power and data points, and we needed this incredibly quickly to meet the build programme.

“I knew from Marshall-Tufflex’s outstanding work on the NHS Nightingale Hospitals that the team would be able to meet the deadlines required for this project, as well as provide a robust, anti-microbial solution to help inhibit the spread of bacteria.”

Bob specified 46 double sided PowerPoles and 510 metres of Marshall-Tufflex’s Odyssey Bio PVC-U trunking. The trunking uses a silver ion solution that disrupts key cell functions of bacteria and prevents them from reproducing – meaning 99.9% of harmful bacteria will not survive on the surface: a key requirement for the build.

Within ten days of the order being placed, Area Sales Manager Nick Parkyn ensured product was delivered to site so the team at Totus Engineering could begin the installation as quickly as possible. Thanks to the ease of installation and Marshall-Tufflex’s ability to meet the schedule, the build has now been completed and the site was handed over to the NHS to begin operations on the 27th January 2021 – well within schedule.

“The NHS has worked tirelessly over the past year to face the challenges presented by coronavirus,” said Nick Parkyn. “In these unprecedented times, we want to support the fight against the virus and ensure we provide a robust, anti-microbial product as soon as contractors need it, to get mass testing and track and trace systems up and running as soon as possible.

“We worked closely with Bob Corne to ensure the requirements for both product and delivery were met, and we are thrilled to see the works were completed on time. I’m extremely proud of the team at Marshall-Tufflex and the key suppliers involved with meeting demand for this project.”

Download the Marshall-Tufflex Bio Trunking catalogue here.