Challenge
As part of the major multimillion pound refurbishment of Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI), our client was contracted to undertake the refurbishment of 10 different wards, ancillary offices and corridors.
The requirements were for the installation of a wide range of bespoke door sets and panelling, including fire rated doors, IPS panels, shelving and worktops. This represented a small part of the overall project but the scale of the upgrade is put into context by the fact that there are over 10,000 doors across the entire MRI site. The main challenge was to bring the old buildings on site up to 21st century performance standards.
Solution
Starbank used its manufacturing expertise to deliver a bespoke package of products, which has so far included more than 500 door sets, 200 IPS panel sets, arange of worktops and shelving across three wards, as well as bespoke nurses’ stations. These products include a number of high performance fire rated doors and medical standard, antibacterial worktops designed to cope with the pressures of such a demanding environment.
The vigorous usage of metal trolleys and stretchers in the hospital means that doors are generally upgraded on a ten year cycle, so the products specified had to have the highest standards of durability and rigidity. Hygiene-driven worktop surfaces also needed specially postformed, curved edges for safety which Starbank were also able to provide. Lean, efficient manufacturing techniques at our state of the art production facility meant that we were able to keep the project on track through, quick and highly responsive turnaround times, often within one to two weeks. The ward refurbishment project started in December 2009 and is expected to be completed in 2012. Once the ward upgrades are completed, Starbank will also be working closely with the contractor to provide further door sets and panelling for a temporary decamp ward and main corridors across the site.
In addition Starbank has provided IPS panels and worktops for another hospital upgrade at Burnley General Hospital.