Upgrade will enable firm to test stacking of modules before they are sent to site

Offsite specialist Merit is planning to expand its Northumberland factory to add 4,000 sq m of floorspace.

The mechanical services firm, which installed M&E systems for the British Antarctic Survey’s Halley VI research station, switched to offsite manufacturing in 2015 and currently operates a 25,084 sq m factory in Cramlington.

Chief executive Tony Wells said the expansion would enable the firm to optimise its way of working, with the additional space allowing Merit to test the stacking of modules before they are sent to site.

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Source: Merit

Merit specialises in manufacturing and building high technology cleanrooms, laboratories and complex M&E services such as this complex for the British Antartic Survey

The improvements will also include an extended high-bay facility to accommodate two new manufacturing lines for Merit’s UltraPOD+ product, a full building technology for use in a range of biomedical settings.

Two gantry cranes and a module lifting frame will also be added to Merit’s operation in the north-east.

“Merit’s strategic objective is to deliver a step change in productivity within the construction industry and to show that investment in R&D and leveraging innovative approaches, such as advanced 4D BIM modelling technology, can lead to significant improvements,” Wells added.

Merit’s Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult expansion was a runner-up for the Building Awards

 

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