Corus celebrates double milestone with Project Allenby/Connaught

13 Jan 2009

CLS is subcontracted by Aspire Defence – the Carillion and KBR joint venture chosen by the MoD to manage delivery of Project Allenby/Connaught – to design, supply and erect fully factory fitted-out steel-framed modules for single living accommodation to exacting MoD standards. The modules are manufactured off site at CLS’s Shotton facility before being erected on site by a Corus installation team.

Neil Lawley, Director Living Solutions comments: “This is a significant double milestone for CLS - the manufacture of the 5000th module and the achievement of more than one million hours worked on site and in the factory without a lost time injury (LTI).”

Corus has worked closely with Aspire Defence to develop a long-term relationship that has resulted in significant supply chain innovations when it comes to the manufacture and construction of modular buildings.

Lawley explains: “As a business we strive to achieve and maintain injury free high performance both in our factory and on site operations. Therefore taking this contract to the very heart of Corus operations, emphasis was put on the delivery of effective training prior to construction commencing to ensure the successful transfer of knowledge and health and safety best practice from the factory floor to the construction site.

As well as undertaking a programme of workshops and training days, our site erection team were required to work on the Shotton production line to gain a full understanding of the product. They then had to erect a trial building under controlled conditions on a prototype construction site so they could familiarise themselves with the actual construction process prior to arrival.”

The benefits of Corus’ approach have paid off. As well as maintaining an exemplar health and safety record, the site installation team is consistently raising the benchmark in terms of speed of delivery for each building, having reduced erection time from 14 days to four days since the first building was delivered in October 2006.[1]

Aspire Defence Capital Works’ senior project manager, Rhod McGregor, comments: “Building ‘within the wire’ presents a number of difficulties for contractors – not least because every tradesperson, vehicle and delivery has to gain security clearance before being allowed onto operational Army bases. For this reason it was decided early on to go down the modular route as off-site manufacturing means that the majority of construction takes place on the factory floor, moving much of the labour off-site and drastically cutting down vehicle movement as deliveries can be scheduled to arrive on base coinciding with immediate requirements by using ‘just-in-time’ logistics. 

McGregor continues: “However to see this translate into tangible results on site is testament to the success of Corus’ advanced manufacturing assembly line philosophy and continuous improvement techniques to deliver high dimensional and finish qualities, economy of scale and project savings.”

For further information on Corus Living Solutions go to: www.coruslivingsolutions.com

Editor’s Notes:

1. Corus Living Solutions, the North Wales based modular manufacturing division of Corus, was awarded a subcontract by Aspire Defence – the Carillion and KBR joint venture - for the design, supply and erection of modular buildings for Project Allenby/Connaught the 35-year £8billion PFI contract to upgrade accommodation and provide a range of services for the British Army garrisons at Aldershot and around Salisbury Plain. 

2. Aspire Defence Ltd is delivering and managing the £1.2billion construction programme to re-build or refurbish over 500 buildings across a series of MOD sites - the majority of which are located at Tidworth and Aldershot. The work involved requires 365 new builds, 170 refurbishments, and the demolition of 430 existing buildings. Corus has been subcontracted by Aspire to deliver 155 36-bedroom Junior Ranks Single Living accommodation flats in a three-storey design over the next six years. The buildings will be erected on six sites of Project Allenby/Connaught including; Tidworth, Bulford, Larkhill, Perham Down, Warminster and Aldershot.

[1] Each building consists of approximately 50 modules manufactured by Corus Living Solutions plus corridor cassettes and staircase modules. It takes Corus team approximately two weeks to bolt together the 50 modules that make up each building. Each building is erected in four days, being handed over at day seven for the plant room installation and brickwork. Work on the 1st and 2nd floors – plus internal work – takes a further seven to 12 days. A further 12 weeks are required for cladding, roofing and services.