How can off-site fabrication benefit your project?

Set up by one PERI employee in 1998, our fabrication workshop has evolved to become an integral part of our formwork business. Over the years, Workshop Manager Steve Wightman has built up the function’s expertise and knowledge to deliver the unique and fast-paced requirements of construction projects today, which once involved over 20 carpenters operating in the workshop to meet demand.

Steve provides an insight into off-site fabrication at PERI and how customers can benefit from this service.

Experts at our craft

Customers choose PERI for fabrication because we can build almost any requirement. If there’s a detailed drawing behind it from our technical team, it’s possible.

The projects we have worked on are proof of what we are capable of. We’ve fabricated formwork shutters and systems for some of the most iconic projects in the UK, from the London Aquatics Centre to the V&A Museum in Scotland, where we were challenged to produce 1000m2 of bespoke shutters per month. With each project, we’ve learnt something new and improved our craft, ready for the next challenge.

Benefits of fabrication

When we first decided to provide a fabrication service 23 years ago, it was down to me to set the workshop up ready to serve customers who were becoming accustomed to the PERI brand. As the business started to grow, it was important to build a team with the right skills and expertise to meet the demand for bespoke formwork and climbing systems across the UK.

Today, we have a team of seven skilled carpenters that check designs, assess buildability, fabricate, and ensure deliveries are loaded safely. With the expertise across the team, we can help reduce the pressure on site labour and the requirement for these specialist skills because it can all be achieved successfully in-house.

Fabricating off-site at our depot means that we can offer our customers a distinct advantage on their projects. We can provide ready-to-use systems that can be erected as soon as it’s delivered to site. This means kit can be delivered in line with the customer’s desired construction sequence which saves space and time.

A lot of the fabrication projects we work on are based in and around central London where land is limited and at a premium, so the just-in-time delivery service that we’re able to offer plays a big part in reducing equipment hire periods and the cost of renting additional space.

One of the biggest advantages is that our production process isn’t affected by external factors like bad weather and the availability of the crane. As there’s no downtime, we can get the job done to meet the programme on time without increases in cost and uncertainty.

Ensuring customer success

Every job is different, and we embrace the challenge. We’ve produced 11m-high shutters that needed to be turned over inside our workshop, which wasn’t an easy task .

These sorts of challenges require us to adapt our approach to each project and always consider the end process. How will it be transported depending on site conditions? Will the customer be able to offload safely? It’s important to have the answers to these questions and mitigate risks before we build.

We’re able to get it right first time by working closely with our technical teams to review blueprints thoroughly and assessing how the 2D drawing translates in the real world. Fabrication is a process that has to be perfect. That’s why we work with specialist companies to produce unique 3D components for all kinds of freeform formwork requirements. Individual elements are sent for CNC cutting and brought back to our Rugby depot ready for assembly. Outsourcing where we need to increases productivity and time, without compromising on quality.

Knowing there’s an expert from start to finish across our business means we can also work alongside our logistics team to plan the best way to deliver fabricated equipment to our customer.

Versatility

From systems to skills to solutions – versatility is the key to our and our customers’ success.

Many of the systems we work with, like our VARIO system, are made up of off-the-shelf components from our VARIOKIT range, so we have the flexibility to build almost any design.