Cement handling facility to meet booming demand in construction sector
Design and build contractors Spencer Group and specialist firm Slipform Engineering are delivering a huge new cement handling facility to meet soaring construction industry demand.
The 171 ft high silo is being built on Hull’s William Wright Dock amid a construction boom across the UK, which has led to bulk powder import and transport specialist Damac Group requiring greater cement handling capacity.
Spencer Group and Slipform Engineering were selected by Damac Group to carry out the project following the successful delivery of a similar 151 ft high facility to expand the company’s operations at the Port of Goole, in East Yorkshire.
The two companies have also worked together to deliver a 164 ft high biomass fuel storage silo at King George Dock, in Hull, to store and transport wooden pellets for Drax Power Station, as well as collaborating on similar storage facilities for other power suppliers.
The main structure has been built using Slipform Engineering’s slip forming techniques, meaning the construction of the silo walls from ground level to the peak took just 10 days.
Slip forming is a method of construction in which concrete is moved into a continuously moving form, used specifically for tall buildings while also being the construction method used to construct the Humber Bridge towers in 1976.
Richard Green-Morgan, off site construction director, is leading the project for Spencer Group.
He said: “Spencer Group and Slipform Engineering collectively have all the required in-house design and construction capabilities to deliver an outstanding facility, which will meet all of Damac’s requirements, quickly, safely, and to the highest possible standards.”
The quayside silo will have a 6,000 m3 capacity. The imported cement powder will be received from ships at William Wright Dock directly into the silo, where it will be handled by Damac Group, who will then distribute it using their fleet of bulk powder tankers for construction works across the UK.
A mechanical handling system is being undertaken by Silo Services Ltd, which will be used to transfer the cement onto trucks in a loading bay directly beneath the silo, which will stand on stilts.
Eamon Hanley, managing director of Slipform Engineering, said: “It’s a pleasure to once again be working collaboratively with our colleagues at Spencer Group on behalf of a long-standing client.
“We had to carry out the slip forming construction 24/7, as it was crucial the product didn’t get wet, and that’s why our expertise, technologies and experience have been so important.”
Damac managing director, Cathy Plaskitt, added: “The UK construction industry is buoyant, increasing the demand for bulk powder cement.
“This increase in demand means we need to import more from abroad and the new silo, in a highly accessible location with good motorway access, will be vital for our capacity to meet demand.”
