Currys National Distribution Centre

Sitewide PAVIRO System

Gold standard Public Address and Voice Evacuation

OMNEO

Dante-based module connecting diverse application domains across 2 buildings

PLENA Matrix System

Allowing individual control of levels across 8 zones

Background Music

Providing high quality audio throughout the warehousing and office areas

Projects / Distribution / Currys

Phase 1: Legacy System Maintenance

Designed before the site’s use had been fully defined, and even ahead of essential operational elements like racking, the existing PA systems at Currys National Distribution Centre were severely lacking, especially for a site of this size. Spread over 1.5 million square feet of warehousing and office spaces across 2 interlinked hubs, the legacy systems were an amalgamation of the originally installed PA systems and ad hoc additions accumulated over the years.

Each hub was served by a totally separate system, divided into office zones and warehousing areas, alongside warehouse office pods and a full mezzanine-based repair lab that had been added at a later date.

We worked to minimise time and cost expenditures by integrating aspects of the original infrastructure into our new design, including the existing loudspeakers and wiring. This was made possible by the use of Bosch’s PAVIRO system, whose inbuilt facility monitoring identified any circuits exhibiting ground faults, and thus served as the basis for our later replacement and upgrade program.

Phase 2: Improving Audibility

Our survey revealed that when the mezzanine had been constructed, the existing PA loudspeakers had simply been divided between the upper and lower levels, resulting in both inadequate coverage and – due to the difference in height between areas – the wrong loudspeaker types being employed.

Using a combination of the knowledge we gleaned from PAVIRO’s monitoring function and our own survey, we replaced the sparse downward projecting loudspeakers for a combination of uni and bi-directional sound projectors located specifically to provide coverage along the aisles between the ceiling height racks.

Meanwhile, above the mezzanine and in the other chambers of the 2 warehouse areas, we replaced a large number of poor-quality, downward projecting and wedge bi-directional loudspeakers with a combination of conventional ball pendant loudspeakers in the lower areas and high efficiency 360° dispersion pendant loudspeakers in the higher areas – once again transforming the performance of the PA system.

These changes instantly transformed both the coverage and performance of the PA system.

Bosch paging microphone system for Currys national distribution centre, providing high quality audio to the office and warehousing zones

Networked, rack-mounted PA system in Currys national distribution centre

Public address speakers in the interior of Currys national distribution centre

Networked, rack-mounted PA system in Currys national distribution centre

Aerial

Networked, rack-mounted PA system in Currys national distribution centre

Installed rack-mounted 4Evac amplifiers for voice evacuation in Currys national distribution centre

Phase 3: Volume Control

In our new design, the mezzanine was still served via local amplifiers, now receiving line level signals from the main PAVIRO system. On top of this, we provided local, rack-mounted volume controls for each of the office zones and pods.

The lab area was serviced by splitting the large zones and feeding them from the main PAVIRO system using the router’s spare capacity. This allowed for the simultaneously programming of those areas that receive music alongside those that do not. We also provided local volume controls across multiple areas, allowing people to select the level of background music. This was accompanied by a series of overrides, triggered by the PAVIRO system in the case of pre-recorded or live PA announcements, which return the system to predetermined levels for the duration of the announcement.

This approach was implemented for both buildings’ office areas and proved particularly effective in the pod areas where access to the volume controls were limited.

Phase 4: Fixing Audio Hotspots

We found that an inadequate number of loudspeakers had been used in the office and lab areas during the original install. This was causing a number of issues, with staff seated close to the loudspeakers reporting excessive volume levels, while those farther away found the audio levels too low.

The advent of the COVID pandemic spotlighted these pre-existing issues. What with the extensive utilisation of the PA system, continually evolving health and safety information, and the introduction of COVID safety screens in the lab, it was clear that the system needed an upgrade.

To improve sound quality and eliminate audio hotspots, we redesigned the loudspeaker layout to provide consistent coverage while overcoming the acoustic challenges posed by COVID screens.

On top of this, to give management more control – without increasing system complexity – we recommended dividing the main office areas into smaller, more manageable zones via Bosch’s PLENA Matrix system. By integrating the PAVIRO and PLENA systems, we created 8 individual zones across the main office and mezzanine.

Each zone offers independent volume control delivering precise audio control exactly where it is needed.

Another invaluable addition was the use of an iPad as a digital console. Using Wi-Fi links into each PLENA Matrix controller, this places control squarely with site facilities management, which in turn reduces misunderstandings and unnecessary callouts.

This also freed up amplification power on the main systems, allowing us to install additional loudspeakers in areas – like the picking zone – where coverage had historically been poor, without changing the control and amplification equipment.