There are times when the more adverse circumstances become, the more the steel constructor is determined to prove he can still deliver.
Roofing well advanced
Supply Chain Solutions Ltd was expanding its operations and needed to move to bigger premises. One of its two existing leases had an end of August renewal date, which became the deadline by when the move to new premises would have to take place. The alternative of staying put was not what Supply Chain Solutions really wanted to do.
Developer Goodman (NZ) Limited identified a site in Mangere and engaged Macrennie to build a new customised warehouse and office. The Goodman philosophy of never being late was about to be put to the test. First site access was delayed because of building consent issues. Then the foundation conditions necessitated the excavation of some unsuitable and the driving of 68 steel piles each 18m in length. Begun in March, the piling continued through into April and bad weather forced further delays. For Managing Director Brad Lindsay, living on the horns of a dilemma was not comfortable, and if he wasn’t going to be able to move into the new facility at Mangere
by the end of August, he wasn’t going to need it come September – a potential project loss for Macrennies.
“Cometh the hour, cometh the man!” Auckland Steel Ltd, which had been subcontracted as the steel constructor, had watched the delays slice significant chunks of time from the building programme. Managing Director Tim Watkins still felt up to the challenge. “Macrennie offered an incentive bonus by way of an incentive to get the job done on time. While it sweetened the deal, what really mattered more to me and my team was the opportunity to show what we could do when the chips were down!”
On Wednesday, May 21, Auckland Steel started delivering fabricated steel to site. The following Friday, Tim Watkins went on site and found it choked. The first of the roof section lifts was scheduled for the next day but had to be postponed while the laid down steel was rearranged. Tim and his six-man crew utilised Saturday to organise the lifts for the next two bays (four roof sections per bay), so that the re-scheduled lifts for bay 2 on Sunday were followed on Monday by lifts for two more bays, 4 and 6. By Wednesday, bays5 and 3 had been infilled. These were followed by bay 1 and the building up of the end-wall, which meant that at the end of a week, half of the roof sections had been erected and were handed over to the roofers.
Sturdy Steltech portal frames, with a concrete pour about to start
Next week it was more of the same, with the roofers following along behind the steel erectors. “It was fortunate that we struck a better weather window,” says Tim. “Starting at 6.00am under lights, when it was cold with ice on the ground but usually dry, we worked in darkness for the first few hours and finished in darkness at the end of the day. We went out of our way to ensure that safety standards were never compromised. As a way of building camaraderie, we invented a system of fines for the smallest breach in task methodology – usually a tray of beers for each ‘incident’. The crane driver kept the tally and we averaged 10 trays a day. It helped to keep us on our toes. We weren’t drinking any beers, just using them as virtual penalties. The camaraderie spread to the other subcontractors, with whom we shared equipment and access gear because we all shared a common goal. My guys loved it, especially when they could eat mountains of fish and chips every day. But what we were doing was re-defining the programme of accomplishment in steel erection. Having proved our point, we’re making this the model by which we intend to tackle all future erection projects. We call it the ‘When the chips are down’ model, and it’s one of the best ways of achieving genuine co-operation from all parties involved.”
Clark Hopkins of C&A Hopkins Roofing Ltd says his team was also working to the very highest standard of safety. “We must do this if we are to beat the wind. But when working a 12 and sometimes 14-hour day, you have to monitor fatigue very carefully. Our team also took pride in performing very well. We like to think we perform as well as Zincalume roofing itself!”
It wasn’t done just for the fun of it. In fact, it had to be done to ensure that the building was water-tight before the pouring of the post-tensioned slabs. There were three of these, the first of which was done on July 4. Accuracy was critical to the subsequent installation of the Dexian racking system which rises at full height to 11m. It’s this that makes the tight tolerances imperative. With hoists capable of lifting one tonne loads, the slab must be level. Roughly half of the racks are accessed via Very Narrow Aisles. These are 1855mm wide and the hoists are wire guided along a groove in the concrete. The rest of the aisles are 3.2m wide.
On the two boundary walls, there are tilt-up 18m-tall precast concrete panels, while on the other two sides, up to 2.4m is precast with Colorsteel above that.
Coloursteel cladding and a 12m steel canopy
The warehouse is 113m long and 60m wide. The heavy Steltech beams free span this with ease. The total floor area of the warehouse is 7,000m². Brad Lindsay moved in and became operational even before all of the Dexian racks had been installed. In them you’ll find food, paper, apparel, toys, plastics – you name it! So what’s the rationale? “Most of our clients are good importers, but good distribution is not their core competency, so we do it for them, better and cheaper than they can do it for themselves. Much like the team that built our new premises. When the chips were down, they got going with their core competencies, and boy am I pleased!”
