Shortlisted for an award

Named as a finalist in the ‘Retrofit Project of the Year’ category, Big Foot supplied a custom Safe Access solution and HD Beams rooftop plant support to a project at CCEP GB’s Wakefield manufacturing plant.

CCEP GB wanted to increase the production hall cooling ventilation capacity by adding two new air handling units to the existing lightweight standing seam roof. The project needed to ensure minimal disruption to operations during installation and reduce the risk of a leaking roof above a facility capable of producing 6000 cans of soft drink and up to 2200 bottles/min. 

Having previously worked with Big Foot Systems, the CCEP GB consultant on the project suggested the possibility of using Big Foot to provide a plant and service support strategy which would eliminate the need to penetrate the roof. 

The lightweight roof construction posed an additional challenge for the project, but one that Big Foot Solutions met. The Big Foot technical team worked collaboratively with HE Barnes, the contractor for the project. Big Foot’s technical team was able to propose several options for consideration, leading to a fully-developed solution using their HD Beam product to span the main rafters and the purlins, while taking the load back to the main rafters. The solution also provided safe access for maintenance of the newly installed AHUs.

To assist the smooth installation, Big Foot’s Technical Team carried out several site surveys. The engineered design and technical support by Big Foot allowed HE Barnes to provide a detailed lifting plan and method statement to the CCEP GB Health and Safety team. Big Foot’s Technical Team was also on site for the frame erection and AHU crane lift to the roof, using a 250t crane with a 60m reach. The full installation was carried out seamlessly within 5h of the crane being set up.

An HD Beam is a non-penetrative support frame for chillers, AHUs, packaged plant, generators, pipes and steels. It is a robust but flexible solution where space may be limited, or there is a requirement to position directly over existing structural roof steels. Weight is then evenly distributed across the specified quantity of HD Beams. It is also height adjustable to maintain a level system on roof falls up to 5°.

The Big Foot Safe Access range is designed to allow a secure route for service engineers and other trades to gain access to plant and for managing the flow of other personnel. Offering secure and easy access to roof-top services, Big Foot will survey and design custom Safe Access systems tailored to individual design parameters.