voestalpine Metsec Purlins deliver efficient solution at major port

voestalpine Metsec light gauge steel purlins, side rails and eaves beams have been used extensively in the construction of new transit storage facilities at Grangemouth, Scotland’s largest individual port.

Operated by Forth Ports, Grangemouth handles some nine million tonnes of cargo every year through liquid, specialist container and general cargo terminals. The new storage facilities are situated within the port’s container terminal, which handles the equivalent of 225,000 twenty-foot containers per annum.

Measuring 52 x 197 metres, the warehouse is constructed from hot-rolled steel sections, fabricated and erected by specialist sub-contractor, GR Contracts of Wishaw for main contractor, Luddon Construction.

GR Contracts also supplied and installed the 52 tonnes of voestalpine Metsec purlins, side rails and eaves beams to support the cladding for the roof and external walls of the warehouse.

With the purpose-built warehouse consisting of multiple bays, voestalpine Metsec Purlins’ technical team designed a solution using their Heavy End Bay sleeved system to meet loading specifications supplied by structural engineers, Ramage Young. Using the company’s proprietary Metspec14 software to calculate purlin requirements, the structure was designed with heavier gauge sleeved purlins for the two end bays and lighter purlins for the internal bays.

Commenting on the project, George McColl of GR Contracts states, “voestalpine Metsec proved to be the perfect choice for the new warehouse at Grangemouth. Their technical team created a fully costed design at the pre-contract stage and we worked closely with them throughout the project.

“The partnership assured efficiency at every stage, from scheduling of production to delivery and final installation, ensuring that we delivered the project on time and within budget.”