Project Overview

WH88 delivered the structured cabling and fibre infrastructure for Assan Panel’s new UK manufacturing facility in Stowmarket, working alongside Wilten as Main Contractor.

The facility was developed to support the manufacture of Assan Panel’s insulated sandwich panel systems, incorporating production, warehouse and office environments across a single site.

The operational nature and scale of the facility required a communications network capable of supporting manufacturing equipment, operational workstations, office users and wider site infrastructure.

WH88 delivered a site-wide structured network comprising 248 Cat6A data points, multiple internal and external network cabinets and 11 fibre backbone connections distributed across the facility.

Scope of Works

The WH88 structured cabling package included:

• 248 Cat6A data points

• Cat6A structured cabling across manufacturing, warehouse and office areas

• 11 fibre backbone connections

• Internal network cabinets

• External network cabinets

• Associated containment and cable routing

• Network labelling and identification

• Testing, commissioning and certification

Manufacturing & Operational Infrastructure

Unlike a conventional office installation, the network infrastructure had to support a combination of production, logistics and administrative environments.

Assan Panel manufactures insulated sandwich panel systems for industrial and commercial applications, including wall, roof and specialist insulated panel products using a range of insulation technologies.

The communications infrastructure therefore needed to extend well beyond the office accommodation, providing connectivity throughout the wider manufacturing operation.

A total of 248 Cat6A outlets were distributed across the site to support operational equipment, workstations and network-connected services.

Fibre Backbone

The copper network was supported by 11 fibre connections, forming the backbone between network locations positioned throughout the manufacturing facility.

Using fibre between the main distribution points allowed the network to be extended efficiently across the large site while providing the capacity and reliability required for the wider communications infrastructure.

Multiple internal and external cabinets were incorporated into the installation to create practical distribution points and maintain manageable copper cable lengths across the facility.

Coordination & Installation

The scale and layout of the site required detailed planning of containment routes, cabinet locations and cable distribution before and throughout the installation.

WH88 coordinated the structured cabling works with Wilten and the wider project team to ensure the network infrastructure could be integrated alongside the electrical, mechanical and manufacturing services.

Particular attention was given to cable management, identification and cabinet organisation, ensuring the completed installation remained accessible and practical for future maintenance, fault finding and expansion.

The combination of internal and external network locations also required the installation methodology and cable routing to be considered around the different environments encountered across the manufacturing site.

Testing & Certification

All Cat6A and fibre infrastructure was tested and commissioned on completion, with test results and certification incorporated within the project handover documentation.

This provided verification of the completed network infrastructure before the facility became fully operational.

Outcome

The completed installation provided Assan Panel’s new Stowmarket manufacturing facility with a coordinated communications network spanning the production, warehouse and office environments.

With 248 Cat6A data points, 11 fibre backbone connections and multiple internal and external network cabinets, the project represents a substantial structured cabling installation delivered across a large and operationally diverse industrial facility.

The project demonstrates WH88’s capability to deliver structured cabling and fibre infrastructure where communications services form part of the wider operational requirements of a modern manufacturing environment.