Out-of-the-box power distribution

September 2018 - Vuren, The Netherlands

Sometimes things just need to be done differently. That is what Van Weerdenburg Electrotechniek BV and Elektro Internationaal experienced during their work on the electrical installation of the new distribution center of Medical Export Group (MEG) along the A15 motorway in Vuren.

In recent months F5 Project Group from IJsselstein has been building a sustainable business location at Zeiving business park in Vuren for the pharmaceutical wholesaler MEG. In addition to some 2,000 m2 of office space, the building covers 12,000 m2 of commercial floor that serves as a GDP-compliant warehouse complex with some 15,000 pallet locations in a fully climate-controlled environment. All intended for the optimal storage and distribution of pharmaceutical and medical products.
 

QUALITY PARTNERS
F5 Project Group appealed to B&V Installatietechniek and Van Weerdenburg Electrotechniek BV for the design and layout of the electrical installation. Project manager Raymond van Weerdenburg approached panel builder Elektro Internationaal from Woerden for this challenging job. And with reason. ”I like to work with regular partners who have proven their quality. One of them is Elektro Internationaal. I can really get along with project manager Dirk Blom. He is a barrel of knowledge in the field of energy distribution. He loves to help me figure things out. And because of the short lines we can work fast and effectively and offer added value on a project, such as that of MEG. ”

OUT OF THE BOX

After extensive trouble shooting with Elektro Internationaal, Van Weerdenburg worked out the engineering of the power distribution for the expedition, assembly hall and 4 warehouse of the distribution center. The condition was that the main distributor should not be placed at a central point in the building. The transformer is located at a corner location, which entailed the necessary challenge for distributing power over the large distances in the building. ”Normally the main board is set up centrally and power can be fanned out from there to the sub-distributors, but Raymond has had to devise an unconventional solution”, Dirk Blom says in turn. ”That has resulted in a distribution rack on the transformer, which now serves as a main distributor.”

CONNECTING CABLES AND BUTTING HEADS
To distribute the energy from the transformer location across the building, Van Weerdenburg installed six power cables in the ground to the various distribution boxes during construction. Blom: ”We then connected the cables, which was quite the undertaking given the stiffness of the cables. Raymond and I have butted heads to think the whole thing through. One supply cable leads from the transformer to a main distributor built in Prisma P from Schneider Electric for the power supply of the office part of the building and the mechanical installations. The main board supplies three sub-distributors and a PV distributor. The other power cables lead to the 5 storage halls where Prism G distributors acts as ’small main distributors’ in each hall. ”Blom speaks of the project with visible enthusiasm. ”I have been working at Elektro Internationaal since 1981 and power distribution has no more secrets for me. And if there are any left, I want to find out about them this instant”, he laughs.

LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS
The switching of the lighting plan for the distribution center was also devised by Dirk Blom. His extensive schedule package was then worked out to the last detail by Rob van Dijk, KNX expert at Elektro Internationaal. For the complete lighting of the building and the switching of the outdoor lighting, sweeping circuits were included to deal with the energy consumption as efficiently as possible.

Raymond van Weerdenburg is very pleased with the joint activities. ”It is as I am accustomed to: together with Elektro Internationaal we got the job done. I did not expect anything less.”

[*Image: F5 Projectengroep B.V.]

RETURN TO PROJECT OVERVIEW (https://www.elektro-internationaal.com/tp-28933-2/nieuws/project)