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Service Containers
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INDENTIFICATION OF SUITABLE PRODUCTS
The extent to which services and partitions are able to be uncoupled on
any particular project will be directly linked to the cost and availability of
suitable products for containing the services.
Ideally, the service containers would comprise a whole system of easily
movable appliances, ranging in complexity from the simplest electrical
raceway or pole to the most complex, highly specialized medical
equipment consoles. These would all be dimensionally and aesthetically
coordinated, and several competing manufacturers would each fabricate
the total range required for the whole hospital.
This ideal is far from the present state of fragmented, uncoordinated
product development, however, and very few products can be described
as "appliance-like". Several manufacturers have indicated a willingness to
modify their products or engage in new product development if a need
could be demonstrated and/or specifications were made available. It also
appears that more and more types of manufacturers are entering this field
of development. These include manufacturers of hospital equipment such
as monitors, nurse call systems, etc., who are beginning to realize the
marketing possibilities of coordinating their own products into containers
or "consoles" rather than leaving this function to others. The whole field
of product development in the area of service containers appears to be
very fluid at present, with a great deal of interest in the hospital market
displayed by all types of manufacturers.
In order to identify the many manufacturers and products necessary to
comprise a complete range of service containers for a total hospital, the
word "container" was loosely defined as any product which would free the
partitions of the function of containing services. Six broad categories
emerged. A description of each category and a list of manufacturers is
included below.
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