Urbanise was instructed to remove the RC bases for two flour silos, which had reached their end of life, and install new bases at Mission Foods’ manufacturing plant in Coventry, otherwise known as ‘Europe’s Tortilla Factory’.
If you’ve ever made fajitas at home or been to a Mexican restaurant, then chances are you’ve eaten a Mission Foods tortilla. Mission Foods is one of the world’s largest producers of flatbread, tortilla and corn flour products and the UK’s favourite branded wrap.
Demolition and groundworks
Our first task was to remove the existing RC bases, using a 14-tonne excavator with a breaker on the front. We then carried out eight lots of continuous flight auger (CFA) piling to prepare the foundations for installation of the new bases. Finally, we installed new 5m x 5m x 1m heavily reinforced concrete bases for the new silos and associated plants.
Project challenges
Our team was operating in a live factory environment with Mission Foods’ employees working on site, as well as daily deliveries. We worked closely with Mission Foods to ensure that our construction programme didn’t interfere with the company’s day-to-day operations and, of course, to ensure the safety and welfare of its staff and visitors.
Uncovering history
During the piling works, we encountered a 10m x 5m x 2.2m obstruction in the ground, uncovering the foundations of the Triumph Engineering Co factory, which was built in 1888. Triumph Engineering Co, now Triumph Motorcycles, produced motorcycles at the site until 1940 when the city was virtually destroyed in the Coventry Blitz during the Second World War.
That’s a wrap!
We delivered the project on time and to budget, enabling Mission Foods to move on to the next stage of the installation and continue producing millions of tortillas every day.