FDBusiness.com

NG Bailey has started work at Arla’s new flagship dairy being built in Aylesbury, delivering 17 pre-fabricated modules to site to create the dairy’s main services distribution corridor.

Each of the 12m long, 3.5m wide modules has been designed and constructed at NG Bailey’s offsite facility in Bradford and delivered to site on standard step deck trailers.

When bolted together, the modules will form a 204m run of main services distribution for the new dairy, equating to around 70 per cent of the total main services distribution required to operate it.

Each module contains all process piped services, including chilled water, low temperature hot water heating, steam and condensate, process ice water and glycol circuits. They also include high and low voltage distribution and separate containment runs for data and building management system control cabling. Pre wired lighting trunking – with plug-in rockrose connections – is also included in every module, so light fittings to provide the corridor lighting can be easily installed.

By using offsite construction methods, NG Bailey has delivered the spine corridor project in just five weeks – compared to the usual 12 weeks it would have taken using more traditional construction methods.

Speaking about the project, Paul Beeton, project lead at NG Bailey, said: “This is a flagship project for us and the delivery of the spine corridor marks our first phase of work at Arla’s dairy.

“To fully meet the brief, we have implemented a variety of innovative solutions into the design of the distribution services corridor. This includes pipe work that has been specially designed to suit the facility and which is made from modern and progressive materials such as thin walled stainless steel. We have also incorporated a full expansion design for the steam main into each module.

“Constructing the modules at our offsite facility has massively reduced the time it’s taken us to deliver the corridor compared to traditional installation methods and was the only solution to achieve the tight programme requirements of the project. It has also helped eliminate safety risks on site and improved quality control.

“Smooth delivery of each module was an important element of this part of the job and we worked closely with Arla to ensure a strict traffic plan was adhered to, which avoided neighboring villages and eliminated any disruption to local residents.”

Once complete, the £150m dairy will be the biggest in Europe and one of the most environmentally advanced in the world, with the capacity to process one billion litres of milk a year. NG Bailey has been contracted to provide all mechanical and electrical work, as well as the facilities management contract.

NG Bailey’s next task at the dairy is to deliver offsite solutions, including 14 heavy duty plant skids, for the energy centre being constructed.