One of the largest rice companies in the UK has been working with HBPW to double its warehousing capacity.
Veetee Rice Limited supplies product to major supermarkets and exports internationally to more than 50 countries out of itsheadquarters in Rochester, Kent.
However, warehousing at the Neptune Close site had been under considerable strain, prompting the need for expansion.
Senior engineer, Shaun Strugnell, said: “The site faced similar challenges to those we met at Arco’s warehouse in Hull in that we were required to drive 400mm wide x 13m long piles into the ground, so that contractors could lay the new floor to stringent DM2 flatness tolerance ahead of high bay racking being placed over it.”
The new extension, which measures 32m x 72m and, at 12m, is already 4.5m higher than the similar in size original structure, will need to accommodate high-mast forklift trucks as well as tall racking.
“These special forklift trucks have to operate on exact surfaces – hence the DM2 flatness requirement, something we also had to achieve in Hull for Arco – otherwise they run the risk of toppling over.
“Piling at site enables this key client requirement to be achieved as part of the extension to Veetee’s ‘Building One’ and, by doubling the warehouse footprint, we will hopefully, have played a key part in future proofing warehouse operations for one the most important rice operations in the UK,” said Shaun.
HBPW has provided all engineering design for both the sub and superstructures.