Museums and Display

North Tyneside Council had a large operational base at the Harvey Combe Industrial Estate in Killingworth and during 2019 plans were revealed for the interior to be refurbished to include the reinstatement of the original reception, installation of a new lift in reception to improve building access and installation of a new mezzanine floor within the main workshops and storage area to accommodate different areas of council operations.

Layouts & designs for workshops and storage area were drawn up by North Tyneside Council staff in consultation with a local architect and Historic England (due to the building having a Grade 2 listing). A tendering process was begun in Autumn 2020 to find a turnkey solution supplier to carry out the works. The contract, for supply and installation of all equipment, was awarded through the Crown Commercial Service supplier framework, following extensive evaluation by both the Procurement Department and advisors brought in for the project. Rotadex were awarded the contract, based on their submission and their long standing presence on the Crown Commercial Service framework.

The main element of the new works was a 300m², 4.5m high mezzanine floor, which included handrail to all exposed edges, two access staircases and a pallet gate. One hour fire protection was also fitted to the floor, comprising a suspended ceiling below the floor, cavity barrier, bulkhead and fascia protection. The floor columns were also clad in fire protective material retained within column cases. The main workshop and warehouse were subdivided by using security cages to form 8 separate enclosures, allowing differing council departments space to store and pick spare parts. The cages included single pedestrian, double and sliding doors to allow access for fork lift trucks. Inside the cages were a variety of storage mediums ranging from pallet racking, heavy duty and small parts racking, through to Kanban units and industrial workstations. The new layout enabled workflow to be improved, with palletised deliveries being able to be delivered direct from goods inwards, into each individual department’s secure cage.

Following award of the contract, Rotadex carried out a detailed site survey to establish a schedule of works to fit into the overall project programme. At the same time plans were submitted to the local authority for Building Regulations approval, along with the necessary structural calculations. Installation of the mezzanine floor took 10 working days, and was followed by the fitting of the security cages and storage equipment comprising Rotadex Fineline delta edge, Rax 1 and Rax 2 shelving systems, louvre panels, parts bins and workbenches.

In 2017, Fife Council announced that it would be sourcing steel storage systems for a one off project to fit out a new area for its Libraries, Art, Museums and Archives (LAMA) Department at its Bankhead Central Depot. The requirement was for the installation of high density storage systems to house various service items, such as museum objects, archives, textiles and fine art, and included the supply, delivery and installation of plan chests, mesh picture racking, library shelving, drawer cabinets and glazed-front object cabinets.

All products were made from steel to the BS EN 10130:1991 standard with a powder coated finish accredited to BS3900. The project manager Michael O’Gorman commented: “The LAMA storage requirements were varied and they required a range of solutions. The opportunity to procure such a broad range of storage systems from a single supplier was advantageous. The installation crew worked flexibly, working around other contractors on site and adapting to changing timescales. On completion, all necessary training was provided, with snagging items attended to quickly. I would recommend the Rotadex products and team to others.”