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SANDRINGHAM LODGE

Commercial Redevelopment
(Mike Newman, General Manager Abacus Unitel)

When you run a business which has 450 accommodation rooms in five buildings scattererd across Auckland, you tend to be a little picky about safety issues. The last thing you want is a building burning down because the electrical wiring wasn’t installed correctly or because routine maintenance procedures weren’t followed.

The lodges operated by Abacus Unitel began life as factories. They have been converted to lodges either by complete rebuilds or using some of the existing features like walls and floors. The motel-style rooms are each around 150 square feet and each lodge has large communal areas for kitchens and TV lounges. These need three phase power while each separate room requires a number of power points. Each lodge is a complete project in itself; requiring a significant amount of set up and installation work, followed by careful ongoing routine maintenance.

Abacus Unitel’s preferred electrical contracting supplier is Hall Electrical. The two companies have forged a strong business relationship over the several years they’ve worked together. During that time Hall Electrical has carried out all the electrical work on the Abacus lodges.

General manager of Abacus, Mike Newman, says part of the objective for each redevelopment has been future-proofing; that’s in order to avoid any potential safety or maintenance problems in the years ahead. That means careful, competent work by a team of careful, competent electricians. Which exactly describes the Hall team.

Mike says, “They are a very easy company to deal with. They’re good operators. They get on to jobs quickly and deal with them fast. Despite the size of some of this work, it’s all gone smoothly and it’s down to them doing a quality job the first time.” He makes it quite clear that if Hall Electrical were not doing the job right, they’d be on their bikes and down the road. Instead, they’re planning the next job.