ThyssenKrupp Materials, West Midlands Factory

Client: ThyssenKrupp Materials
Type of works: creation of materials storage and processing areas.

Troax has used its fire-rated Elan double-skin, steel partitioning to create materials storage and processing areas for ThyssenKrupp Materials’ new plastics division at their factory in the West Midlands. The partitioning forms a fire-retardant bulk storage facility for flammable plastics together with a noise insulated enclosure housing CNC machinery and aluminium saws.

One of the leading suppliers of materials to the manufacturing industry throughout the UK and Europe, ThyssenKrupp Materials has recently set up a new plastics division and brought in Troax to construct the storage and processing facilities for the new business. The facilities are located at ThyssenKrupp’s central warehouse in Cradley Heath which services the company’s six business divisions encompassing 15 sites across the UK.

Troax used full steel, fire-rated Elan panels to build the fire-retardant bulk plastics storage facility which houses large (3 x 2m) sheets of acrylic which are either distributed to other ThyssenKrupp companies or sold direct to customers. The Elan panels, which meet the fire resistance integrity criteria specified in BS 476-22:1987 for a period of 60 minutes, reach fully up into the roof void to a height of 8.6m to ensure compliance with all fire regulations.

In addition, Troax used Elan partitioning to construct a separate enclosure for processing equipment such as CNC machinery and aluminium saws. Elan's double skin design provides excellent noise insulation to improve the working environment for personnel in adjacent areas of the factory. It also helps to keep dust contained within the area, again to improve the working environment nearby. Fire-rated Elan doors have been fitted to both enclosures.

Elan's modular construction was an important advantage for this project as it meant that Troax’s design team could adapt the partitioning easily to fit the two new enclosures into an existing warehouse on the Cradley Heath site, creating a bespoke yet cost-effective solution for ThyssenKrupp.

Comments Jonathan Whitehouse at ThyssenKrupp Materials: “Troax’s installation team were first class – they’re a tight knit team and just got on with the job, providing excellent service throughout. The Elan system is a very good product; it’s robust, hardwearing and looks smart too and is certainly far superior to other products that we looked at. Its modular design also makes it quick to install on site, minimising disruption. Overall, we’ve been very impressed with Troax and their products.”