Office Power Goes Undercover

An office remodel at Crowley Maritime Corporation in Florida brought in the next generation of cable management.

cable managementThis shipping and logistics firm was making changes to one of its offices in Jacksonville, FL. To streamline power delivery as well as improve aesthetics, the next generation of a familiar cable management system was chosen.

Chuck Zufelt, maintenance operations manager at Crowley, discusses the project.

By Facility Executive Staff
From the June 2019 Issue

What are your responsibilities at Crowley? And, what was the motivating factor and goals for this project?

As maintenance operations manager for the company, I am responsible for the day to day operation of three buildings and two warehouses in Florida. And this includes office remodels.

cable management
In Jacksonville, FL, the Crowley office remodel included the need for efficient cable management. Throughout the 36,000-square-foot space, the 272 cubicles are connected to power and data with the 3.7 In-Carpet Wireway system from Connectrac. Shown above is a 20″ wall channel, a system component that provides a cable pathway to the ceiling. (Photos: Crowley Maritime Corporation)

For this project, we were remodeling a 36,000-square-foot building, which houses about 250 employees. There were new cubicles for the space, and we needed to run electrical and data lines to these new workstations. And, we needed this done within two months. In all, we installed 272 new cubicles. The main width of the cubes were 10-15 feet from the walls, where the electrical panels were located. We needed a way to connect the cubes to those panels.

How did you research the options? And how did you decide to use the cable management solution that you did?

I quickly looked to a floor-based cable management solution from Connectrac. I’ve seen it in action and there’s no better way in my opinion. I had used the company’s product before inside of a five-story building, installing an older version of the system. The newer version we used for this latest project is the 3.7 In-Carpet Wireway, which is hidden under the carpet. I saw the system at a trade show and loved how it looks and works.

What did the installation entail?

As with the earlier Connectrac product we’ve used, we didn’t have to perform core drilling. That saves time and money. The electrician we had working on-site for the remodel of the building installed it. And they had never heard of this product until I introduced it to them and showed them how it works.

What have the results been?

We completed the project and employees moved in on May 1, 2018. Before completion, the biggest hurdle I encountered was explaining to the employees that this system would not be a tripping hazard. So, I installed a sample in the facility prior and had them all try it out.

The results speak for themselves, as it looks great, and there are no issues. You do not even now that it is there. One way or another, I’ll always use this type of cable management system in my facilities.

Find out more about Connectrac here. Learn more about Crowley Maritime Corporation here.

Interested in learning more about creating connectivity in your facilities? Register for a free upcoming webinar, “Optimized Connectivity for Changing Office Spaces” to take place next Wednesday, November 6, 2019 at 2pmET. Presented by Connectrac, this presentation will highlight how floor-mounted raceways allow easier renovation as the workspace evolves.​ ​Register now!