Shuttabloc™ creates a new era in push walls

Staples Vegetables Ltd is one of the largest producers of vegetables in the UK, and as part of their Anaerobic Digestion Plant development they have selected the Poundfield Products Shuttabloc™ walling system.

Staples’ project is one of five that has been chosen as an exemplar project to receive support from the Environmental Transformation Fund from WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme). This new resource will maximise the use of the residual vegetable product produced by the main manufacturing site. The AD plant will have a 50,000t capacity that will generate 1.4 megawatts of power - which corresponds to 11m kilowatt hours per year.

The Poundfield Products’ Shuttabloc™ system will be used as the retaining wall for the 5000m² silage clamp. The vegetable material will be retained in three interconnected 5m high bays with a wall thickness of 450mm.

The Shuttabloc™ walling system was designed to provide an economical alternative to casting retaining walls on site. It is a patented precast concrete hollow unit design with an internal reinforcing system. Each unit is linked together to prevent individual blocks being displaced. By pumping concrete into the units the reinforcing becomes part of the structure in the same way as if it was cast on site.

The Shuttabloc™ system provides a wall with similar properties to an in situ structure but removes the requirement for formwork and a foundation slab. This ultimately minimises installation cost.

Vernon Read, Managing Director of Staples Vegetables, said:

“We initially approached Poundfield Products in September 2008 because of their expertise in the design and manufacturing of precast concrete retaining walls. They advised us that they were in the process of designing an alternative to in situ poured walls which would meet our required specifications.

“We therefore contracted Poundfield to manufacture over three hundred 5m high x 1.22m long x 450mm thick Shuttabloc™ units. The units were delivered in March 2010.

“We chose the Shuttabloc™ because of the speed of the installation, the cost, and to ensure a factory-controlled finish. This has been a significant investment for Staples Vegetables and the success of the development was dependent on selecting the right partners. The Poundfield Products’ Shuttabloc™ walling system was an intrinsic element in the successful construction of the plant.”

The new Poundfield 6m Alfabloc used in 40,000t Organic Waste Treatment Facility

Greenview Environmental – the largest independent organic material refiner in the UK requested Poundfield Products to develop a 6m high Alfabloc for primary use in the construction of a 40,000t organic waste treatment facility based in Corby.

Greenview has been using Poundfield’s Alfablocs and L-blocs for many years and the new 6m Alfabloc represents a significant development in both product and application.

The new £4.5m Corby facility will use both in-vessel composting and anaerobic digestion technologies to generate 1MW-3MW of electricity.

Poundfield Products 5m high pre-stressed, interlocking L-blocs used for Grain Store

E F Wootton & Son have developed an existing storage facility into a 7000t grain store using Poundfield Products 5m high pre-stressed, interlocking L-blocs.

The Barn was not initially built for grain storage and the existing steel infrastructure of the building was not sufficient to make use of traditional concrete grain panelling. Poundfield Products therefore recommended using their unique 5m high pre-stressed L-blocs which would not affect the infrastructure of the building.

E F Wootton have now developed and maximised the use of an existing resource that has significantly increased their storage capacity.

Poundfield Products has been developing its pre-stressed L-bloc product portfolio and is now able to manufacture units up to 6m high.

POUNDFIELD PRODUCTS COMPLETES £2m MOD CONTRACT

Poundfield Products has recently completed a £2m MOD contract for the supply of 3km of pre-cast concrete walling for a new training facility.

Poundfield designed the precast units and developed the finish to ensure that they looked as similar as possible to the conditions found in Afghanistan the resulting structure has become a significant part of the training programme for British Army units prior to deployment.

Production was implemented using both the existing manufacturing facilities and our new 8.5acre production site.

This contract demonstrates that Poundfield Products has developed a reputation for innovation. Its existing Alfabloc product is still the only freestanding retaining wall system available and is used extensively in a variety of industry sectors.

Poundfield Products supplies Lawrence Recycling & Waste Management new £10m recycling facility

Lawrence Recycling and Waste Management have developed a £10m recycling facility that will be the largest of its kind in Europe.

The new 210,000 sq ft site is located in Kidderminster and will process 250,000 tonnes of commercial, industrial and construction waste. This will reduce the amount of waste currently sent to landfill helping local authorities and businesses meet their waste targets.

Poundfield Products had been in discussion with Paul J Fleming Associates – the construction consultants on the project for over 12 months in relation to the type of retaining wall system that would be suitable for the application. Ultimately Poundfield’s unique pre-stressed; interconnecting L-bloc system was selected in heights varying from 5m to 3m.

This facility has been a significant development opportunity for Lawrence Recycling which has created more the 70 jobs in the West Midlands and will become a showpiece for other waste operators.