News
Heathrow has announced the names and locations of the 18
shortlisted sites that remain in the running to help deliver
the expanded airport, signalling the project has reached a
new and significant milestone on its path to delivery.
The shortlist includes three steel construction-related
sites: British Steel in Scunthorpe, Severfield UK in Dalton,
Yorkshire and Tata Steel’s Shotton premises in North Wales.
The sites have been selected from a longlist of 65, all
of which were visited during a nationwide tour which
concluded in the summer of 2018. The longlisted locations
were then all invited to take part in a pre-qualification
questionnaire which helped to determine which sites were
best placed to be involved in the delivery of Britain’s largest
infrastructure project.
In the autumn, the 18 sites shortlisted will have the
opportunity to pitch to the airport’s bosses for their chance
to become one of the final four construction centres, to be
announced early next year, ahead of work starting in 2021.
Steel supplier invests
in cutting-edge plate
processing
Murray Metals Group said it has made a significant
investment in its Plate Processing Centre of Excellence in
Middlesbrough, by installing a new profiling and machining
centre.
Part of a £1.3M investment, the company has also
increased its material storage and handling equipment, as
6 NSC
May 19
well as enhancing its stock range.
Murray Metals Group CEO Graeme Hill said: “This
investment programme is driven by strong customer
demand and our clear ambition to create one of the UK’s
foremost processing facilities.
“We already enjoy an enviable reputation for flexibility,
quality and delivery, and this latest investment will further
strengthen our position in the UK marketplace.”
The capabilities of our new profiling and machining
centre include the ability to profile steel plate in length
and width combinations of 15m × 3050mm and up to a
maximum thickness of 200mm.”
The new equipment is said to improve the Middlesbrough
plant’s modern, multi-head oxy-gas and high definition
plasma facilities with large area machine beds, together with
just-in-time CNC bevelling and drilling facilities.
Mr Hill added: “Following this investment, our group
strategy is to deliver increased efficiency and productivity
for our customers by consolidating Murray Plate Processing
at our Middlesbrough site. This will enable us to better
service customers in all construction, engineering and
manufacturing sectors, including the specialist Scottish
energy market.”
Steelwork is playing a significant role in the £75M
overhaul of the Trafford Centre’s Barton Square in
Manchester.
Designed by Leach Rhodes Walker, an extension will
add more than 10,000m2 of retail space to the centre, and
feature a steel-framed glazed roof and dome over the two
previously open malls and central courtyard.
Working on behalf of main contractor Vinci
Construction, S H Structures is supplying approximately
1,400t of steel for scheme, which started in August 2018.
In order to minimise the impact on shoppers, most of
the steel erection work is being carried out at night.
The project is due to open to the public in early 2020
with Primark having been secured as the anchor tenant.
The final four sites will become offsite construction
centres that will help to deliver Britain’s new runway,
bringing jobs and economic opportunities to every corner
of the country as Heathrow looks to construct as much of
the expanded airport offsite as possible.
This innovative approach will also help to make the
project more affordable and sustainable – by transporting
assembled components in consolidated loads.
Steel sites
make Heathrow
expansion hub
shortlist
New roof for
Manchester
shopping centre
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