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Case Study: Power Strip for University Libraries & Study Areas
A major university system serving over 20,000 students across five campus libraries—and several regional state library locations—needed a dependable, long-term solution to keep laptops, tablets, and phones charged throughout high-traffic study areas. With thousands of students relying on these spaces daily, the university required a power solution that was durable, safe, low-maintenance, and capable of supporting constant use.
The Challenge
The university faced increasing pressure to modernize its study environments as students became more dependent on personal devices. Off-the-shelf power strips were not rugged enough to withstand the daily wear and tear of packed libraries, nor could they be easily secured to furniture without causing damage or loosening over time. Downtime for repairs or replacements was unacceptable—any disruption would affect thousands of students and create operational challenges for library staff.
“The success of this project hinged on moving beyond off-the-shelf products. We recognized that the university required a power solution that was essentially ‘set-it-and-forget-it.’ By designing custom, furniture-secured brackets and using high-grade, resilient internal components, we delivered a system guaranteed to handle continuous student use for years without fail, meeting their critical safety and durability needs.”
The Solution
Alert Reel partnered with the university to engineer a custom, permanently mounted power strip system explicitly designed for high-use academic environments. The solution included:
- Tabletop-Mounted Power Strips: Outlets and USB charging ports built for constant daily use across study carrels and group tables.
- Custom Mounting Brackets: Rigid, furniture-secured brackets designed to prevent loosening, reduce maintenance, and eliminate movement during use.
- Durable, Long-Life Construction: Materials and components selected to withstand years of continuous handling, plugging, and unplugging without degrading.
Each installation was engineered to blend seamlessly with existing campus furniture while providing stable, reliable power access in every study area.
The Results
Contact Alert Reel Manufacturing
Alert Reel Manufacturing is a leading manufacturer of retractable cord reels, cord reels with lights, extension cords & cord management, and handheld task lighting. We can also develop and manufacture unique private-label products and custom solutions for all of these product categories.
