Steel Structure Building A Highly Efficient Warehouse For A Growing Business

Exchange Engineering is an expanding family-run business and the UK’s number one supplier of spare parts for the pressure cleaning trade.

The challenge
The business wanted to improve the efficiency of their warehouse and increase their storage capacity. Providing next day delivery means high frequency traffic movement for goods in and out.

Expanding the existing warehouse was considered, but with no viable options to do this, a new building was required.

During the consultation process with Exchange Engineering, we discussed specific challenges the new building needed to overcome:
Additional storage to accommodate the growing business
Streamlined warehouse operations to make the pick process more efficient
Easy access without compromising security or health and safety.

Key Issues
The area designated for the building is at the corner of the plot where the ground sloped away. The site needed to be levelled, the team agreed a finished floor level with the client, this had to take into consideration future site development, ability for surface water to drain away and allowance for foul waste to connect to the existing system. With this requirement the team built up the stone to create a solid level base for the foundations.

Given the close proximity to the boundary, the building specification needed to accommodate a fire barrier on two sides, to protect adjacent properties in the event of a fire. This meant specifying a fire rated cladding, increase footing sizes, fire rated base plates and the team fire lined the columns to fulfil the requirements.

Solutions
With access into the building a priority, vehicle movements were considered at the design phase. The team planned both access into the building and the approach. A large roller shutter door to the front of the building accommodates vehicular access and stock movement. A pedestrian door was added to enable staff safe access, away from mechanical handling equipment. A concrete road and apron (a perimeter to the building) were also constructed.

Drainage was a concern. Slopes and falls to a drainage channel were built to ensure surface water could drain away efficiently. A soak away was constructed for both the surface water and the storm water from the roof of the building.

The large insulated steel framed building provides significantly more storage space than Exchange Engineering’s previous accommodation. The experts specified insulated cladding, as opposed to using a fleece liner, as it provides a more stable environment.

Warehouse lighting and small power outlets were required throughout. As part of our complete build solution, we carried out all the electrical works, extending the supply from the existing building into the new warehouse via trench and duct.

Onsite operations ran smoothly. The installation was carried out from scaffolding, as access was tight on two sides of the building.

Operations manager said “It was great to work on a full start to finish project, it went from an area of wasted ground to a smart usable space outside and great storage space for their growing engineering business inside”.

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