The flexible solution
October 1st 2003

In these days of just-in-time delivery demands relocatable buildings could be the cost effective answer to flexible storage needs One of the problems associated with bulk materials is the inflexibility of storage availability. Traditionally constructed facilities such as silos, concrete domes or regular steel/brick buildings cannot provide the speed of response that is required by todays market. Many are impossible to dismantle and relocate, or at best take considerable time and cost to do so. Nowadays fewer and fewer companies hold stock and product reserves on site, as this can tie up cash. More and more businesses are following the just-in-time route and demanding product to meet orders as they are placed. One obvious solution to the problem is to simply store product if it is relatively weatherproof and of low volume in the open air. However, this strategy is becoming increasingly questionable as regulations make the physical covering and protection of product necessary. Rapid response A number of companies are meeting the markets need for a rapid response by providing relocatable flat storage buildings as an alternative to traditional solutions. These buildings are extremely rugged, meeting stringent standards and are made of a steel framework, usually galvanised, covered in PVC impregnated polyester fabric. They offer many advantages over traditional storage amenities. In the first instance they are more economical and easier to install. Furthermore, they are not hampered by any of the planning requirements associated with other buildings. The result is a storage facility that is erected in weeks rather than months. Just as they are easy to erect, they are easy to dismantle too and so provide a cost effective storage solution that can be moved, at short notice, from location to location as and when required. Relocatable buildings are also flexible in design and can be provided with steel or metal sides as required, with easy to move interior retaining walls. Recently Rubb Buildings provided such a building in Cumbria, where the Port of Workington is now able to provide high quality storage thanks to the construction of two relocatable Rubb buildings, 25m span x 32m long and 25m span x 60m long. Split storage The brief was to provide storage facilities for animal feed, which needed to be completely secure against weather and light. The units also needed to provide split storage. Ray Colby, sales manager of the UK division of Rubb explains the solution: Because that part of the West coast of England is susceptible to severe winds and rain, the building was purpose designed to meet these conditions taking into account that it was to be erected on top of a four metre high retaining wall. The walls comprise a steel support structure complete with pre-stressed concrete infill panels, allowing for quick and easy construction. This method not only provides a fully sealed facility to prevent water ingress, but allows for internal retaining walls to be built for different storage needs. The client required a dark covered structure as animal feed is susceptible to light, however clearer PVC material can be used to provide a brighter working environment without the need for real windows. Apart from the advantages of lower costs and speed of erection, Rubb buildings are flexible enough to be built on ground susceptible to differential settlement and have much lower maintenance costs than traditional storage facilities. Another important benefit of relocatable storage is its ability to meet requirements such as climate control and dust and odour containment. Rubb Buildings associate company in the US, Rubb Inc, has recently completed a contract for Silver and Baryte for the provision of a bulk storage facility for perlite. The new facility needed to be 40m span x 132m long, to service the companys southern customers base. Sited near Mobile, Alabama, the facility is equipped with a sophisticated dust containment system. Large 5 x 5m shutter doors in each gable end facilitate the loading and unloading of large trucks.

More articles from Rubb Building Systems: