• Large workshop and yard to service construction equipment, including crushers and 50 ton excavators, in a safer, cleaner environment.

• Increased electric supply, to cater for rapidly expanding range of electric excavators.

• Provide comfortable accommodation for in-house training activities.

• Mitigate against local flooding and tidal water levels.

• The business would need to remain operational during construction.

Blue Dot Construction was engaged by the Molson Group Board to provide a plan based on its outline scope and a comprehensive pre-construction pack, including detailed budgets and cashflow forecasts.

The pre-construction phase was quickly progressed from initial topographical, utility and drainage surveys to a complete construction-ready plan and budget. During surveying Blue Dot determined that the existing steel building frame could be reused, helping to substantially reduce the overall budget.

In order to tackle the issue of tidal and surface water, a complete storm water mitigation scheme was designed, with underground attenuation measures installed to control the impact of storm water.

The workshop’s need to support a wide variety of bespoke equipment with specific working practices meant that Blue Dot conducted in-depth studies of workflows, ensuring all M&E requirements were taken into account.

To this end, a new 50 ton heavy-lifting gantry crane was designed to fit within the existing building frame, requiring a substantial piled foundation design. A complete new utility network was also installed to provide sufficient electrical and data capacity for the future.

The new training centre took the form of a two-storey steel frame portal added as an extension to the refurbished workshop building. As well as accommodating the necessary training facilities and office space, Blue Dot also successfully integrated a welfare centre, including showers and changing rooms, which had been overlooked in the initial scope.

With the business’s 12-acre site continuing to operate 24/7, Blue Dot Construction developed safe working practices across the facility for the duration of the construction phase.

This strategically important and technically complex project was delivered on-time and on-budget by Blue Dot Construction. Importantly, the Molson Group’s activities at Avonmouth were able to continue unhindered throughout all phases of the construction process.

The outcome of this exciting project is a 1,800m2 state-of-the-art workshop, a 3,500m2 concrete marshalling yard and a dedicated in-house training centre for supporting a wide range of world-class construction plant and equipment.

The new workshop measures 61m long x 32m wide x 11.5m tall and provides Molson with an additional 10 fully-equipped working bays, that can increase production capacity by an additional 40 units per month.

Since the new facility was built, the client has reported an increase in sales, not only due to the extra service and training capacity it has provided, but also due to its role as a visitor showpiece, inspiring new levels of customer confidence.