Pre-Fabricating 6,500 Bespoke Conduit Assemblies

Kernow Fixings often provides tailored solutions to solve our customers' on-site challenges, but this project involved a slightly more unusual request.

The client requiring our services, was part of the installation team involved in the construction of a 30-storey residential tower in Cardiff. Once complete, this building would provide 272 built-to-rent homes, along with shared amenities including communal areas and a rooftop terrace.

What Was Required?

Kernow was approached in the very early stages of this project by the Electrical Contractor who required a large volume of prefabricated conduit assemblies.

These assemblies were to be made up of pre-cut lengths of conduit, complete with all necessary fittings and backboxes.  Once produced, these assemblies would need to be shipped in batches to a concrete pouring facility in Northern Ireland for the next part of the process. There, the assemblies would be placed into 4 metre square moulds ready for concrete to be poured in. Once hardened, these concrete / conduit slabs would be transported to site in Cardiff, where they’d form part of the modularised tower construction.

Why Was This Method Chosen?

While this process deviates from the industry’s usual methods, it does bring significant advantages such as notable time and cost savings. The 4m x 4m conduit / concrete slabs were pre-fabricated ahead of time so they were available on-site, ready to be craned into position when needed. This meant the conduit was installed before the electrical phase began, speeding up this stage of the project and reducing the labour required.

How Did Kernow Help?

Kernow received the exact dimensions, requirements and delivery timeframes for the bespoke assemblies direct from the client. With fixed dates set by the concrete casting facility, production began promptly to meet the schedule. In total, our pre-fab workshop fabricated 6,500 conduit assemblies made up of 11 variations, ranging in length from 260mm to 1900mm.

To protect the assemblies during the concrete pour, Kernow securely wrapped the backboxes on each assembly to prevent any ingress.

The assemblies were securely palletised and delivered to Northern Ireland in 3 batches as per the schedule. Kernow dealt with all the customs requirements ensuring each pallet arrived on time to maintain the production timeline.

Conclusion

Producing these assemblies on-site in the given timeframe would not have been cost-effective or practical. By entrusting Kernow with the off-site fabrication of these assemblies, they could be manufactured in a quality-controlled workshop, ensuring speed, consistency, and precision throughout the process.

This collaborative and well-coordinated approach ensured the project stayed on schedule, with the client satisfied by the smooth delivery and quality workmanship.

If you have a bespoke requirement or need a run of custom brackets or supports manufactured quickly, do get in touch!