A FAST growing manufacturing firm has secured a major contract to supply the electrical wiring for a new hospital development in Scotland.

Durham City based Apex Wiring Solutions will supply the wiring for a new emergency care centre at Aberdeen Royal Hospital, the largest hospital within NHS Grampian.

The contract, believed to be worth more than £1m, is the latest success for the business, based on the Meadowfield Industrial Estate, which has more than tripled its workforce in four years.

It builds on the success of a ready assembled "modular" cabling system developed by the company nine years ago, which can reduce installation times by up to 70 per cent.

In October the firm announced it had won a multi-million pound electrical wiring contract to supply the International Broadcast Centre, in Stratford, East London, which will accommodate 20,000 journalists, and broadcasters at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

In the past year it has secured a £2m deal for the Heathrow Airport Terminal Two building and recently completed a £9m contract for the Royal London Hospital, in Whitechapel.

It formed part of Barts and The London NHS Trust's redevelopment of hospital and healthcare facilities across the capital and saw Apex win an additional contract to provide systems for the redevelopment of St Bartholomew's Hospital.

Last night the firm's managing director Dave Lewis said: "We have quickly established ourselves as a leading playing in the healthcare sector providing modular systems to the Royal London Hospital and St Bartholomew's Hospital (Barts) and Southmead Hospital in Bristol.

"These, and other projects, reflect our ability to deliver added value, top quality solutions which deliver long term performance and cost benefits to customers and end users alike."

"The time saving and environmental benefits of modular wiring systems are becoming increasingly recognised in the UK, enabling electrical contractors to complete even the most complex installations quicker and more efficient than ever before," Mr Lewis added.

The 20,000 sq m centre in Aberdeen, located on a self-contained 125 acre site, will provide patient care facilities including accident and emergency, acute medical assessment, ward accommodation and a primary care out-of-hours service.

Apex's Durham workforce has grown from 50 in early 2007 to 170 today and its turnover has increased from £5m to £22.5m in that time.

In addition the firm opened a plant in Dubai last September, employing 40, to build on its work in the region which saw it win a £20m contract for work at a seven star hotel in Abu Dhabi, built ahead of the country's first Formula One Grand Prix in 2008.