Author: Igor Warzocha

The Importance of Stancold’s South-Western Roots

Posted on by Igor Warzocha

Our history started 75+ years ago with early hand-made composite panels we installed in practically every food industry business local to our HQ in Bristol. While the times have slightly changed, we have not forgotten our humble roots.

The UK’s food manufacturing landscape is widely varied – massive, automated facilities on one side of the spectrum and artisan businesses on the other, equally important in the big picture.

“Making a difference feels good”, Rich Chaplin, Stancold’s Construction Manager, starts. “Sometimes these local jobs are the ones you’re the proudest of, especially when you see the brand on the shelf of your corner shop.”

Supporting up-and-coming food industry businesses in our locality has always been one of our priorities. We have recently taken it a step forward by strengthening our relationship with Taste of The West, an organisation we’ve been a member of for over a decade.

“My team is currently wrapping up a project that came to us from our networking efforts. A lovely company who hand-make the most delicious flapjacks I’ve ever had. They want to grow their business and decided to try composite panels as a quicker, less invasive way to adjust their production areas to their current needs. Ryan & Rhys have just completed an internal kitchen extension for them as the first step of their plans, with plenty more in the pipeline.”

We’re excited for our clients. Stancold have been there before and seen such companies flourish when given the space to grow.

Based in the South-West and thinking of expanding your food manufacturing business?

info@stancold.co.uk

Firewall Partitions for an Industrial Park in Devon

Posted on by Igor Warzocha

Stancold industrial partitions team is on track to finish the year on a high note as we start a whitewalling project in a business park in Devon.

 

“If I counted correctly, we have secured 40 contracts this year. A busy one, and it’s far from over”, says Shaun Jones, our Senior Business Development Manager.

“Our client is a rapidly expanding real estate developer specialising in building mixed-use units. They somehow never used composite partitioning before, but when you’re in this kind of business, you’re bound to realise that blockwork is slowing you down and costing you money.”

Stancold were tasked with partitioning two new build warehouses totalling approximately 48,000 ft² into 32 units. Our installation scope included fire-rating to 60 minutes, with low U-Values of 0.27 W/m²K contributing to BREEAM Excellent certification for the build.

It’s our second week on site – more news coming up soon!

Introducing Shaun Gustard, Stancold’s Design Manager

Posted on by Igor Warzocha

To further our BIM capabilities, Stancold were on the lookout for a Design Manager capable of strengthening the integration with main contractors and fully embracing modern 3D industry standards. Shaun, a highly experienced designer from Cardiff, joined us in July.

 

Shaun Gustard, CAD Designer, “retired from all things rugby related”.

It was a long chapter of my life. I had played rugby since I was 11 years old, at various competition levels. Clubs, the Welsh “Masters” Team, coached a long list of junior and senior teams. It lasted for 35 years until my body said no.

And you became sort of an advocate for safe rugby.

I’m open about my injury. Players take bumps on their heads – it comes with the nature of the sport. One day, it was just one too many, and my brain hasn’t been the same ever since. Sports are great for your body and mind when you know your limits and tread cautiously.

But you always had a backup plan…

I love rugby, but I knew I would eventually have to retire. My dad used to work in civil engineering, and I was helping him out from my early teenage years. I ended up in design, but I also have this hands-on background and an idea of how it fits together. The office team should make it easier for people on-site, not harder. And as we know, that’s not always the case in our industry!

When did you get into design?

It’s hard to point to a date, but I vividly remember the first time I fired up AutoCAD. That was 1992, over three decades ago now. I still like the old-school ways, pencil & paper and all. But we’ve come way too far for that.

BIM.

Indeed. My long-term plan is to use Revit as much as possible. Whether for visualisation purposes or full integration into main contractor builds, clients always come first, and they kept asking Stancold about BIM. These days, the designer’s job is not only to produce drawings for the sake of doing it for building control, LPCB or insurance. We’re here to optimise material use, minimise installation issues, lower the project’s carbon footprint and – most importantly for me – support the on-site crew to understand the big picture better.

You still sound like you’re coaching…

A rugby team, I know! Construction is also a team sport. Due to my health situation, I work from home most days, but I do my best to share this spirit with my colleagues whenever I’m in the office. We can only grow as people when we work on things together.

Space Engineering Cleanroom Fit Out Completed

Posted on by Igor Warzocha

CREST continues its contributions towards global science development with a 185 m² ISO5 cleanroom envelope for an optical lab fit-out.

 

“We’re always excited for a challenge – space engineering demands very strict cleanroom environments,” starts Mark Kendrick, CREST’s Business Development Director. “After consultations and many pre-construction meetings, we put forward Puracore as the best system for the project.”

The plenum design required us to install the envelope on a raised access floor – a common solution for critical environments within industries dealing with electronics.

“Lee Duffield and I visited the site to ensure smooth project delivery. The facility was to remain open during the build. With our scope including partial strip-out of existing walls and limited access via main reception, we had to coordinate and plan ahead not to interfere with the end user’s day-to-day operations.”

The design incorporated a full-height fire-rated partition, separating the internal envelope from the office areas, and a bespoke removable section to allow for future equipment installation. Steve Gunning ran the project.

“I’m very pleased with the outcome. Between the bespoke elements, high ISO specification and working on a live site, our installation team did well to deliver a world-class critical environment”, he says.

Need an involved architectural envelope partner for a cleanroom facility?

Email info@crestcleanrooms.co.uk for early feasibility, buildability, and specification consultation.

 

CREST Expands Into Bi-Panel Partitioning Solutions

Posted on by Igor Warzocha

As a part of the continued development of CREST’s range of services, we are proud to report we recently completed our first non-progressive cleanroom envelope build, following training and familiarisation with the MIDDAS system.

“Bouygues brought us on board with specification & layout almost confirmed between themselves, the specified panel manufacturer, MIDDAS, and the customer”, says Mark Kendrick, CREST’s Business Development Director.

“Even with the above agreed upon, we conducted multiple site surveys to advise on buildability from a cleanroom envelope specialist point of view. The scope also required alterations within the existing lab and included a one-hour fire-rated wall, something best left to partitioning specialists to advise on.”

“The client knows our capabilities – this was a project not many subcontractors could successfully take on”, starts Lee Duffield, CREST Construction Director. “Not only was it a live site, but it included many different elements – the lab fit out itself, a firewall, complex layout of lining panels, reveals, and on top of everything, breaking into the existing clean area to reconfigure it. All of it within a fast-track programme.”

Our installation team completed the extension in 6 weeks proving its versatility in intricate projects.

Read more about the MIDDAS Bi-Panel Partitioning System here or email info@crestcleanrooms.co.uk for expert consultation.

Becky’s Two Years at Stancold

Posted on by Igor Warzocha

 

Recent additions to the Stancold family changed our company, but our projects team’s transformation really started two years ago, when Becky joined us. We spoke to her to see how her role evolved over time.

Two years. How does it feel?
It feels like ten! And not in a negative way. It’s just that so much has changed it’s hard to say it’s the same job role I started in.

How come?
Many things. Firstly, we didn’t have anyone like Rich to focus on making the department run smoother, so there were many choke points. When a project manager was off for a week, you would see how things slowed down massively. There weren’t many procedures in place for what I was doing. Not so much anymore.

But that’s not all Rich…
Oh, definitely not. We’ve got a great team, and I can’t speak well enough about my colleagues, but if not for my endless hours of self-studying and reading between emails and calls, it would all look very different. I take pride in my work, and if things are not perfect, they need improving.

You did have some background in construction.
Yeah, I worked for a scaffolding and building company for five years. Simliarly hectic and very much a co-ordination job, but it was as far from what Stancold do as it gets.

Hence the need for self-study. How did you find the time for this tough?
Ever since our team expanded, I’ve found the time to pay even more attention to the technical aspects of what I’m dealing with. It’s not just ordering what the designs say to buy. It’s anticipating what the guys on site will need, as opposed to what “the office” deemed necessary. When someone on site realises they need something and calls me, it’s already too late. I’m a lot more involved than my predecessors, and I try my best to prevent these situations.

Sounds like quite the task.
In a project co-ordinator’s role, you need to be constantly switched on. Between the live jobs, the ones we’re preparing to go live and the ones in design stages, there isn’t much leeway for mistakes. Things won’t happen on time, which can be costly in construction – you have to consider the whole supply chain. It’s project co-ordination that makes this work. Yet, at the same time, we’re very underappreciated in the industry.

You can come to the office on Monday in a good mood, and your first phone is… of the not-so-easy kind. But I get it, the construction industry is stressful, and not everyone knows who’s responsible for what when running a job.

So, how do you deal with it?
Oh, the ups easily outnumber the downs. You move on, do your job, and a day later, a call with the same person can be the nicest phone conversation you’ve ever had. It’s what co-ordinators do. We put the wheels in motion to fix things.

It’s challenging but rewarding. And I have to admit my two years at Stancold have far exceeded my expectations. It’s not “just a job” for me and my colleagues all share that attitude. What more can you ask?

What more… Aren’t you tempted to try project management?
I cannot comment on that! <laughs>

 

Two-Storey Fit-Out For an ADC Manufacturing Facility Completed

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Yet another significant construction success for CREST, as our team completes a project we’ve been building for 10 months under a long-standing main-contractor partner.

The end-user is in the process of transforming its manufacturing capability in Scotland. Mark Kendrick, CREST Business Development Director, was involved with the project from day 1.

“The facility comprises multiple grade C & D cleanrooms and offices across three storeys”, he says. “We were brought in very early to ensure our designs align with other trades. It was the first time CREST would run two big projects concurrently and being a part of the early meetings helped us greatly to coordinate our work between Grangemouth and Stevenage.”

CREST was responsible for the envelope fit-out of two levels of the building: production rooms, QC labs, along with CNC corridors and a large pharma-grade cold store. “We used two different systems – Puracore for the first-floor cleanroom area; and Kingspan for the second-floor labs and the cold store on the ground floor. 1750 m² total floor space. A tremendous success for the teams, both our and our client’s,” Mark sums up.

“We had all hands on deck in Grangemouth, with full-time project managers on site and myself visiting whenever available”, says Lee Duffield, CREST Construction Director. “It was a challenging build. Our team did great, showing efficiency, flexibility and experience at all stages from pre-construction to installation.”

The facility is soon to be handed over to the end user. Our teams are already working hard on other projects – stay tuned for more news.

Want to work with the best cleanroom envelope and cold store contractor in the UK?

info@crestcleanrooms.co.uk

Work Progresses on New Covent Garden Market Site

Posted on by Igor Warzocha

 

Vinci Construction contracted the Stancold industrial partitions team to install whitewalls for phase two of their works two miles from the centre of London.

“It’s one of the biggest jobs in our recent history”, says Shaun Jones, who secured the job. “Vinci were pleased with the work we did for them on phase one last year, and trusting your subcontractor is a big part of such builds.”

Stancold is fitting out the 5500 m² unit to a maximum 60-minute fire rating with 7,000 m² Kingspan Quadcore food-safe panels. The interior comprises four areas and a large service corridor, with an average height of 13 metres.

Stay tuned for more news from the site, as we’re on a steady pace towards completion.

info@stancold.co.uk

Starch Processing Room

Posted on by Igor Warzocha
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Stancold returned to a food facility we recently had built a fire-rated partition to construct an enclosure for a starch processing plant.

The 150 m² room didn’t need to be LPCB-certified for fire-rating. Instead of mineral fibre core panels, we used a Quadcore-based system we normally utilise for temperature-controlled storage.

Initially, the projects team assumed it would be possible to move or build the plant into the room. This, however, implied more site visits and could complicate our client’s delivery programme.

We decided the best approach is to build a steel frame and the enclosure with the plant already in place, saving the clients time and additional costs.

Industrial Partitions Team Completes a Project in Stroud

Posted on by Igor Warzocha

A local, Gloucester-based main contractor contacted Stancold’s industrial partition team looking for assistance on the fire-rated scope of their works.

 

“It’s a new client, a company with 60 years of history, but not very involved in warehouse construction, which would explain how we have never worked with them before”, Shaun Jones, our industrial partitions expert, starts. “A company very much like Stancold, family-owned and run.”

Having never used composite panel solutions for warehouse office enclosures, our clients needed to subcontract the fire-rated whitewall portion of their project. Two units that will eventually become a medical manufacturing company’s warehouse required a fire rating of 120 mins.

“Everything went very smoothly, and my contacts were very receptive to our feedback – which is important when you want to get things built without significant redesigns and delays”, Shaun continues. “Based on the U-value and the 100 mm thickness requirements, I suggested Trimo panels. Less common than the Eurobond Firemasters we’re known for, but in this case, their specification aligned perfectly.”

The spans in steelworks, Shaun’s usual concern, were not an issue. “Both parties were flexible, and from what I heard from the projects team, the installation also went very well and was completed in a week.”

Whether you’re a veteran warehouse contractor looking for an equally seasoned white walling partner, or you’ve never built anything with fire ratings in scope and are looking for guidance, our team has got you covered.

info@stancold.co.uk

Stancold Return to a Telecoms Manufacturing Facility

Posted on by Igor Warzocha

Radio-frequency anechoic chambers are essential in validating telecommunications equipment and a significant fire risk. Shaun Jones elaborates.

 

“Not only the RF ones but the acoustic chambers as well. It is not the operations inside these that are dangerous, at least not as long as the electrical equipment is functioning correctly. The pyramid-shaped diffusers are the problem – you want to ensure whatever fire breaks out inside the room is contained for as long as possible”, Stancold’s industrial partitioning expert starts. The diffusers in question are made of rubber foam and coated in substances that melt into toxic fumes while accelerating the fire spread. 

Based on our previous successful visit, when we built two similar rooms, the client contacted Stancold to add more chambers to their facilities.  

“They’re a global manufacturer who needed to up their capacity for testing industrial wireless devices. Validation procedures are important in their process – we don’t like our networks to run slowly at home, so you can imagine what it’s like when your Wi-Fi reliability is business critical”, Shaun continues. 

The 50 m² room required a fire rating of 60 minutes. Unusual to our typical installations, it required no fire-stopping. 

“We would only do this if the panels connect to an existing structure – this chamber is a self-standing box, therefore requiring no fire-stopping. These situations can be quite confusing and always need an expert’s eye, otherwise, the clients are wasting their money on unnecessary costs. It’s important to value-engineer whenever possible, given recent price increases. We installed two such rooms in this facility a few years ago, and the rising costs surprised our clients… We try to cut costs as best as we can without cutting corners – not with fire risk being a factor”, Shaun explains.  

Our team is starting the installation soon, with Sam Glover leading the project. 

Wondering what level of passive-fire protection you need? Reach out to info@stancold.co.uk for consultation, design and build services. 

Food-safe Coldrooms built for Sample Testing Labs

Posted on by Igor Warzocha

Not every laboratory has to be ISO or GMP graded. Food-safe clean fit-outs services apply to many situations. Patrick Ball, Stancold’s food industry expert, shares his insights into a recently completed project.

 

“It was just over a year ago when our long-time installation partner, Adcock Refrigeration, approached us with a job in one of 350 locations of a global sample testing company that wanted to up their capacity”, he starts. “At first, I thought it might be something CREST would be interested in – contaminated soil & water for brownfield construction doesn’t exactly sound like food industry cold storage. It was quite refreshing, actually.”

Patrick has worked with Adcock’s engineers since his first day at Stancold, developing a deep understanding of their processes. Such partnerships speed up every project stage and make working towards specifications a breeze.

“It turned out the requirements weren’t as strict as a typical lab, and our scope was more value than specs oriented. I enjoy these. Figuring out how to deliver a space that is just right and optimising budgets for all the parties involved is a rewarding exercise”, Patrick sums up.

Stancold’s on-site team built the 105 & 30 m² spaces across two storeys in less time than we expected, allowing Adcock to hand over the areas to the end user within a strict deadline.

We’ve partnered with various companies to deliver turnkey food-safe cold rooms over the past 75+ years.

Why not see how such experience can help your business grow?

info@stancold.co.uk