A Milestone for Olympus

The Japanese Olympus Group has based one of its biggest medical repair centers at its Coimbra site in the heart of Portugal. Olympus invested 32 million euros in the building plus two million euros in a climate-friendly solar system. For Olympus, this is a long-term investment in a strategic site and a milestone on the way to becoming a world-leading medical technology company. Demand for medical device repair services is growing. Around 15,000 appliances are currently repaired in Coimbra each year. By 2024, the number is expected to rise to 30,000 per year.

Medical technology sets new standards

The repair center fulfills industry standards that meet the special conditions of medical technology. Strict standards apply for quality management as well as for efficiency, data processing, delivery reliability, and security. Olympus will be able to optimize all processes in the new building. This will increase the quality of repairs and shorten throughput times.

Solid data network required

Project management called for a solid data network to support the diverse requirements and services of the repair center. Other criteria were:

• Functionality: Olympus wants to use the LAN not only for data processing, quality management, the ERP system, and Internet applications. It is also intended to support significantly more functions and applications. Among other things, CCTV monitoring, the control of technical equipment, and industrial applications are to be integrated into the LAN.
• Future viability: In conjunction with strategic investment planning, the passive network infrastructure was to have reasonable reserves. The data network was to be configured for the growth of repair services from the outset.
• Distributors and cabling were to be configured for decades of sustainable operation and to support future IT generations.
• «Top quality» was another selection criterion for the network technology.
• Ability to deliver: Project participants should adhere to a fixed schedule. The availability of skilled workers and the necessary materials should be reliable.

Olympus chose GAP LDA as its partner, an experienced, innovative, and leading Portuguese engineering, installation, and service company based in Lisbon. Founded in 2004, the supplier combines expertise in copper, fiber optic, and measurement technology for data and communications networks. GAP is a certified R&M partner.

Cooperation in planning

GAP was awarded the contract to develop and implement the entire network with fiber optic backbone and Cat. 7A/Cat. 6A copper technology. The GAP team worked together with R&M from an early stage of planning. Specialists from dst s.a., a leading planning office for large construction and infrastructure projects in Portugal, provided technical support. Olympus had commissioned dst s.a. with the overall supervision of the construction project.

This made it possible to define the structural and technical specifications for the data network at an early stage and optimally prepare the installation work. However, the pandemic caused considerable disruption. The partners faced unexpected logistical and personnel challenges. In addition, there were several changes to the plan.

Long-term warranty included

Alexandre Pacheco, CEO and partner of GAP, regards what happened as an astonishing feat. Thanks to the close cooperation of all those involved in the project and despite the restrictions, production at R&M, transport, and installation were all carried out on time.

The GAP installers completed the entire LAN infrastructure within 12 months. The building network was ready for operation in July 2022 – including a 25-year system warranty from R&M, which confirms the desired investment security for the customer Olympus.

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