7.30.09 | Chicago, IL | Bretford Manufacturing, Inc., manufacturer of dependable furniture products that improve how people work and learn, today announced it has upgraded its Connections™ SmartDeck Work Center to accommodate hardwired components. As a result of this enhancement, schools and training centers can now have a safer learning environment filled with tables that are easier to power, configure and manage.

“Many computer/table systems are daisy-chained together with power strips, which is considered unsafe by Underwriters Laboratories and local electrical regulators,” noted Dave Smith, product manager for Bretford Manufacturing, Inc. “The new feature offers the ability to hardwire several tables together into a building’s electrical infrastructure to reduce the risk of circuit overload. With hard-wiring, the power is connected from one table to another, as opposed to having the power strip from each table plug into a separate outlet.”

With the new hardwired system, the SmartDeck tables can be daisy-chained together and obtain power from a single source at the end of each row of tables. Up to four electrical circuits can run per row, so more tables can fit into a room, the rows can be longer and the tables can be powered from fewer locations. The new hardwired components are certified by Underwriters Laboratories and meet local electrical codes when installed by a qualified electrician. Once the main electrical distribution points are set up and the power in-feed cable is installed, the remainder of the system simply plugs in and is easy to configure. The tables can be used next to the original tables in an existing installation; however, only the upgraded model can accommodate hardwired electrical components. The new SmartDeck Work Centers also have a larger cord management bin to accommodate the hardwired components while their new bridge kits close the gaps between tables and create an uninterrupted modesty in rows.