Portakabin has reaffirmed its position as the leading modular building specialist with an investment of more than £6m in a new state-of-the-art production facility at its international headquarters in York. The manufacturing centre is now the most advanced of its kind in Europe.
Following a three-year research and development programme, the production facility in York is now manufacturing the company’s revolutionary new steel-framed building system. It features a host of innovative new processes and production technology, which will give its customers even more design options and choice.
The investment, which is the biggest single investment in the history of Portakabin, has provided:
- A new production line specifically designed to manufacture the largest range of module sizes and building configurations now available in the UK
- A highly efficient single man module movement capability
- A production system that uses the very latest open pour polyurethane insulation technology which has zero ozone depletion potential, offers consistent quality, and reduces manufacturing time
- A new CNC router with full CAD/CAM interface which cuts apertures to a fraction of a millimetre for even greater accuracy for windows, doors and air conditioning vents
- Additional production capacity to meet future demand and even larger scale projects.
Commenting on this significant initiative, Kevin Jones, Director and General Manager of Portakabin Sales, said, “At a time when a number of modular building companies have gone out of business and the UK is suffering tremendous economic challenges, we have made the biggest single investment in the history of our business and a clear commitment to the future of our sector and the construction industry.”
“We are taking modular construction to the next phase – leading the way in innovation to produce buildings with the highest levels of architectural appeal, the widest choice of modules currently available in the UK, unprecedented design flexibility – all manufactured sustainably, and backed up with outstanding customer service.”
"The new production facility gives us the opportunity to compete head on with traditional site-based construction, as well as the modular building sector – with greater capacity. We can now produce even bigger, better buildings and I am delighted to report that all visitors to the factory have been hugely impressed, a credit to our technical, engineering, design and production teams.”
The new Portakabin modular building system, which will be manufactured in this factory, now has the benefit of:
- A 30-year structural warranty
- The widest range of module length, widths and heights to suit almost any site, building footprint or configuration
- Columns that are not visible either internally or externally for greater visual appeal and ease of cladding if required
- A new wall construction with enhanced insulation and acoustic performance
- A wider choice of fenestration options.
The Portakabin building system has many applications, ranging from hospital facilities, clinics and treatment centres; teaching accommodation and nurseries, to commercial headquarters, self-contained ancillary buildings and office extensions. These are all delivered with less impact on the environment, up to 50 per cent faster than site-based construction, with less disruption to existing operations, on time and on budget.
