Leading control room furniture manufacturer Winsted has helped equip a police command centre at Devonport Royal Dockyard, Plymouth. As one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy, Devonport is the largest naval base in Western Europe and the Navy’s sole nuclear repair and refuelling facility.
Winsted was commissioned to provide a console that would not only provide functionality for the control room operators manning it, but also fit within the confined space available and offer modularity to enable future configuration changes. Darryl Lymer, from Winsted’s Business Development team explains that the solution lay in using a Prestige Insight console. This incorporates all the benefits of Winsted’s popular Sight-Line range, but packages them within a compact profile that saves space and maximizes the number of operators able to staff the control room.
Winsted worked with Relay Engineering, which specialises in the installation and maintenance of electrical and mechanical systems. Winsted had previously collaborated with Relay Engineering on another security site within the Dockyard and for this project produced computer aided design (CAD) drawings and colour renders. These illustrated ergonomic solutions to the police command centre’s furniture performance requirements and led to an order for an L-shaped Prestige Insight console.
Attractively finished in Elimau beech, the console incorporates custom Versa-Trak desktop stacks and monitor poles that provide a flexible framework to house CCTV monitors and allow for expansion with additional screens, as required. “This was a two-man installation and we were able to fit the furniture in one day,” Darryl explains. “The area was located on the second floor, so goods couldn’t be preassembled. The Insight console’s small ‘footprint’ meant it could be housed in a corner area with a doorway, without taking up unnecessary space for the command centre’s other requirements.”
Meanwhile, Martin Moore, Business Unit Manager at Relay Engineering, explains Relay’s involvement in the command centre project. As a specialist engineering company operating in the marine, defence, construction, commercial and industrial industry sectors, Relay delivers a range of services including installation and maintenance of electrical and mechanical systems, as well as security and fire systems.
“Following our previous tie-up with Winsted, we were very happy to commission the company to produce this innovative console solution, which will enable the operators using it to maximise their operational effectiveness,” he comments. “Darryl and his team have delivered a first class installation that complements the service Relay Engineering has provided. We are committed to ensuring that we deliver a quality service to our customers on every project that we complete.”
