Manual Picking Warehouse Infrastructure Project (Part 1) | Electrical and ELV Integration

Project Overview

This project covered the integrated electrical and extra-low-voltage infrastructure for a large manual picking warehouse. The warehouse had an approximate floor area of 20,000 square meters and supported more than 200 operational staff.

The main infrastructure scope included approximately 50 wireless access points and 200 surveillance cameras, together with the firewall, Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) circuit, network cabinets, structured cabling, UPS systems, electrical distribution, video recording, access-control equipment, and the associated cable-containment system.

Project indicator	Approximate scale
Warehouse area	20,000 m²
Operational staff	More than 200 people
Wireless access points	Approximately 50 APs
Surveillance cameras	Approximately 200 cameras
Internet and security	DIA circuit and firewall
Main disciplines	Electrical, network, Wi-Fi, CCTV, access control, UPS, and containment

The building was used primarily for manual order picking. Warehouse staff moved through the storage area and selected goods directly from the racks. The racks were relatively low and introduced limited obstruction to Wi-Fi propagation compared with a high-bay or highly automated warehouse. This reduced some radio-frequency challenges, but coverage, roaming, capacity, device density, and the distance from each IDF to the final AP locations still had to be reviewed carefully.

The project had to be managed as one infrastructure system. Point planning affected cable lengths and containment. Containment affected landlord approval. Electrical capacity affected the UPS and active equipment. Equipment delivery affected construction sequencing. Network configuration and camera connectivity affected final commissioning and operational readiness.

My Role: Project Manager and Network Engineer

I served as both the Project Manager and Network Engineer for this warehouse infrastructure project.

As Project Manager, I coordinated the customer, landlord, equipment suppliers, electrical contractor, ELV contractor, security vendors, and other construction teams. I managed scope clarification, technical decisions, quotation assumptions, landlord submissions, delivery dependencies, project risks, changes, and the working schedule.

As Network Engineer, I was also responsible for the network configuration and the end-to-end communication paths required by the surveillance system. This included coordinating the firewall and DIA connectivity, configuring the network infrastructure, confirming VLAN and switching requirements, and validating that camera traffic could reach the required recording and management systems.

My combined responsibilities included:

• Reviewing customer CAD drawings and confirming the technical design baseline;

• Managing AP, camera, cabinet, power, UPS, and containment requirements;

• Confirming the installation method, device heights, cable routes, and maximum link distances;

• Reviewing equipment lists, auxiliary materials, quotation boundaries, and commercial settlement methods;

• Leading the site survey and converting site findings into design revisions;

• Preparing the electrical and ELV documentation required for landlord approval;

• Coordinating worker qualifications, permits, insurance evidence, and site-entry readiness;

• Planning the temporary network and electrical solution required before the permanent infrastructure was complete;

• Configuring the network and validating camera communication paths;

• Managing the transition from presales assumptions to an executable site-delivery plan.

Stage 1: Presales Design and Technical Confirmation

The first stage was the presales phase. The customer normally provided a CAD drawing showing the required AP, camera, and other infrastructure points. The purpose of the presales review was to convert that point drawing into a solution that could be priced, approved, and constructed.

Reviewing the customer CAD drawing

The point drawing was used as the initial design input, but every point still had to be checked against the warehouse layout and the expected installation conditions.

The review covered:

• AP and camera locations;

• IDF locations and the main ELV room;

• Electrical distribution-board requirements;

• Main and branch cable-tray routes;

• Estimated cable-tray length;

• AP and camera branch-cable lengths;

• Proposed cable installation methods;

• Mounting heights and access requirements;

• Interfaces with doors, gates, work areas, fire systems, and existing building services.

Confirming the electrical distribution scale

The electrical scope had to be estimated before the final site conditions were known. This included identifying the expected number and size of new distribution boards, estimating connected loads, separating normal and UPS-backed loads, and defining the assumed upstream power source.

The presales design also needed to consider:

• Spare capacity and circuit requirements;

• Breaker types and ratings;

• Cable sizing and route length;

• Power requirements for IDFs, network equipment, cameras, NVR systems, gates, and other ELV equipment;

• Space for future expansion and operational changes.

These assumptions became part of the quotation and later had to be verified during the site survey.

Estimating containment and branch cabling

I estimated the main cable-tray length and reviewed the branch routes from the containment system to every AP and camera point. The design had to identify whether the final section would use tray, ladder, conduit, flexible conduit, suspension, wall mounting, or another suitable method.

The calculation was not limited to the straight-line drawing distance. It also had to include:

• Vertical rises and drops;

• Routes around structural or fire-safety elements;

• Service loops and termination allowance;

• Separation between electrical and ELV cabling;

• Changes in elevation;

• Practical access for installation and maintenance.

Checking the IDF-to-device distance

One important technical check was the distance from each IDF to the furthest AP or camera. The complete installed route, rather than the direct CAD distance, had to remain within the permitted design limit for the selected cabling system.

Where a point was too far from the proposed IDF, the design options included:

• Adjusting the IDF position;

• Assigning the point to another cabinet;

• Adding a distributed cabinet;

• Changing the backbone or access design;

• Revising the containment route.

This check prevented a drawing from being commercially accepted even though it could not later meet the required network-cabling distance.

Confirming installation details

Before finalizing the presales solution, I also coordinated the following design details:

• IDF position and wall-mounting height;

• Location of the main ELV room;

• UPS location, orientation, clearance, and maintenance access;

• Main and branch cable-tray elevations;

• AP mounting height;

• Camera mounting height and viewing direction;

• Cabinet access, cooling, power, and cable-entry requirements;

• Installation assumptions for areas that could not yet be verified on site.

The output of this stage was a coordinated technical concept, a list of design assumptions and open items, and the basis for the equipment and material review.

Stage 2: BOM Review and Commercial Scope Confirmation

When the customer already had a completed design, the customer generally also provided an associated equipment list. The next stage was to verify whether that list represented everything required to deliver the design in practice.

Reviewing equipment and auxiliary materials

The main equipment list could include APs, cameras, switches, cabinets, UPS systems, NVR equipment, distribution boards, and access-control devices. However, the auxiliary and installation materials still required a separate detailed review.

Typical items requiring confirmation included:

• Cable trays, cable ladders, covers, dividers, bends, tees, and reducers;

• Supports, brackets, threaded rods, anchors, and mounting hardware;

• Data cables, power cables, fiber cables, patch cords, and optical modules;

• Patch panels, outlets, termination modules, labels, and cable-management accessories;

• Camera brackets, poles, junction boxes, and weather or impact protection where required;

• Conduits, flexible conduits, glands, connectors, and protective fittings;

• Fire-stopping and reinstatement materials;

• Earthing and bonding materials;

• Consumables, test materials, and spare quantities.

A complete design drawing did not automatically mean that every required installation item was included in the customer list. Missing auxiliary materials could create immediate site delays even when all major equipment had arrived.

Confirming the commercial settlement method

The commercial settlement method had to be agreed with the customer before construction.

The main options included:

• Fixed unit rates with final measured quantities: the agreed unit price remained fixed, while the final amount was calculated from the verified installed quantity;

• Total lump-sum or turnkey price: the contractor accepted responsibility for delivering the agreed scope for one total price;

• Hybrid arrangement: major equipment, measured installation quantities, and change work were handled under different commercial rules.

The selected method affected quantity risk, design-change handling, evidence requirements, and final settlement. It was therefore important to define how installed cable length, tray length, device points, openings, accessories, and additional work would be measured and approved.

Identifying missing operational systems

Warehouse projects could also include metal-detector gates, access gates, turnstiles, metal doors, and related access-control equipment. If these systems were not shown in the drawing or equipment list, I raised the omission with the customer and asked whether they were required.

This check had to happen early because an additional gate or controlled entrance could affect:

• Power and network points;

• Door and access-control interfaces;

• Camera coverage;

• Cable routes and containment;

• Equipment lead times;

• Landlord approval;

• Civil or builder's work;

• The final project schedule and cost.

The output of this stage was a verified BOM, an auxiliary-material list, a responsibility matrix, a documented commercial basis, and a list of systems requiring customer confirmation.

Stage 3: Site Survey and Landlord Submission Preparation

The third stage combined the site survey with preparation of the landlord-review package. The site survey was used to verify presales assumptions, identify conflicts, and collect the evidence required to convert the initial design into an approvable construction proposal.

1. Checking the cable-tray route against actual conditions

I compared the proposed drawing route with the physical installation area. The survey checked whether the planned containment conflicted with:

• Fire curtains;

• Existing cable trays;

• Sprinkler and fire-protection services;

• Lighting, ventilation, mechanical, or structural elements;

• Doors, loading areas, emergency routes, or operational equipment;

• Areas without safe installation or maintenance access.

If the proposed route crossed a fire curtain or an occupied containment zone, the cable-tray route could need to be moved as a complete system rather than adjusted at one isolated point. The revised position then affected branch-cable lengths, support methods, elevations, quantities, and possibly the IDF assignment.

2. Checking spare circuits in local electrical panels

The local electrical panels were checked for spare outgoing circuits that could supply the proposed new distribution boards or infrastructure loads.

The survey recorded:

• Available spare circuits;

• Breaker type and rating;

• Remaining panel capacity;

• Physical space for additional protection devices;

• Cable-entry conditions;

• Isolation and connection constraints;

• The party authorized to complete the electrical modification.

This information was required before confirming the final power-distribution concept.

3. Checking whether loading-dock outlets could be reused

Existing power outlets around the loading docks were reviewed to determine whether they could be reused for the new operational requirement.

Reuse depended on:

• Circuit ownership and purpose;

• Voltage, rating, and protective device;

• Existing connected load;

• Cable and outlet condition;

• Required operating pattern;

• Landlord and customer approval;

• Whether the outlet needed normal power or UPS-backed power.

An existing socket could only be included in the solution after its circuit and capacity had been verified.

4. Inspecting the main and distributed ELV rooms

The main ELV room and each proposed IDF location were inspected to confirm whether they were suitable for the network, UPS, and surveillance equipment.

The survey checked:

• Whether cable trunking or cable-entry slots had already been prepared;

• Whether the room had air conditioning or another suitable cooling arrangement;

• Whether the available floor and wall space was sufficient;

• Whether cabinet doors and equipment could be installed and maintained safely;

• Whether suitable power and earthing were available;

• Whether the room was dry, secure, clean, and protected from warehouse operations;

• Whether cable ladders were required between the wall, ceiling, and cabinets;

• Whether the final IDF height and position remained practical.

5. Inspecting the main electrical room

The main electrical room was reviewed to confirm whether spare circuits or sufficient physical space were available for additional industrial circuit breakers and outgoing feeders.

The result of this inspection could change the assumed upstream power source, cable route, distribution-board location, project cost, and construction schedule. Any required shutdown or modification by the landlord's authorized electrical contractor also had to be identified.

Preparing the Landlord Review Package

After the survey, I updated the design to reflect the actual site conditions. The landlord submission included both the original design basis and the revised proposal so that the changes and their reasons could be reviewed clearly.

The review package covered:

• Revised electrical and ELV layouts;

• Original drawings used as the design baseline;

• Cable-tray and cable-ladder routes, sizes, elevations, and support methods;

• Estimated cable and containment weight;

• Support loading and fixing information where required;

• Wall, slab, and other permitted penetrations;

• Drilling locations, opening dimensions, and reinstatement method;

• Fire-stopping for penetrations through rated elements;

• Distributed cabinet locations and the cable ladders serving them;

• Electrical distribution and upstream connection concept;

• Work methods, access equipment, and site-protection measures;

• Drawing revision, submission, comment, and approval records.

No structural drilling or building modification could proceed solely on the basis of the project drawing. The required landlord and structural approval had to be completed before construction.

Contractor certificates and insurance

The landlord review also included legal and safety documents for the construction team. Depending on the landlord's requirements, the submission could include:

• Electrician qualifications and electrical-work certificates;

• Mobile elevating work platform or high-level access certificates;

• Worker identification and company information;

• Construction-team insurance documents;

• Additional worker insurance requested by the landlord;

• Risk assessments, method statements, and other site-entry documentation.

The approval was therefore both a technical review and a compliance gate for site access.

Stage 4: Pre-Entry Preparation and Temporary Infrastructure

After landlord approval, the project moved into site-entry preparation. In many warehouse projects, the customer could not wait for the complete permanent infrastructure before starting operations. A temporary network and electrical solution was therefore required to enable the business as early as possible.

Temporary business-enablement objective

The temporary solution was designed to provide the minimum usable infrastructure for early warehouse operations while the permanent DIA, firewall, structured cabling, electrical distribution, containment, and full device deployment were still being completed.

The temporary scope had to be controlled carefully because temporary services could not be allowed to become undocumented permanent infrastructure. The plan needed to define:

• Which operational areas required immediate service;

• Which devices and users were supported;

• Expected bandwidth, coverage, and availability limitations;

• Temporary power-source and cable-protection arrangements;

• Installation and safety responsibilities;

• Monitoring and support during temporary operation;

• The migration method from the temporary solution to the permanent network and power systems;

• The removal or reuse of temporary equipment after cutover.

Starlink and TP-Link temporary network

For this warehouse, the temporary network was based on a Starlink connection combined with TP-Link network equipment. This allowed the customer to obtain initial connectivity and begin selected warehouse activities before the permanent infrastructure was ready.

Before the permanent cable trays were installed, the data cables serving temporary network points could be routed along the approved steelwork beneath the roof beams. Each temporary AP could then be lowered from the high-level route inside a PVC conduit so that it was positioned closer to the working area. This provided a practical interim coverage method without waiting for the complete permanent containment system.

The temporary route, fixing method, PVC conduit, cable support, AP height, and clearance from fire-safety and mechanical services still required site approval. Temporary cables also had to be supported and protected correctly rather than left loose across the structure.

I created a dedicated deployment document explaining how to install and deploy this temporary solution. The guide is available here:

Temporary Warehouse Network Deployment Guide - Starlink and TP-Link

The temporary electrical arrangement was coordinated alongside the network solution so that the required Starlink, TP-Link, workstation, and supporting devices could be powered safely until the permanent electrical installation was completed.