Collective strength

Shufflebottom is delighted to share the news that it has recently been appointed by Knights Brown to manufacture, galvanise, and erect the steel framework for a state-of- the-art manufacturing and distribution facility they are delivering for their client, Associated British Ports (ABP) at the Port of Newport.

With a network of 21 ports, ABP is the UK’s leading ports group, handling 25% of the UK’s seaborne trade, contributing £7.5 billion to the UK economy annually, and supporting over 119,000 jobs.

At Newport, they are instigating what they term a ‘port-centric solution’ to manufacturing and distribution by cutting road miles and in so doing, reducing both costs and carbon emissions. This flagship project is poised to stimulate business growth around the port and act as a magnet for business investment in Newport and the wider S.E Wales region. As such, it has attracted considerable financial investment, both from overseas and Welsh Government, totalling over £23 million.

A project of this scale and scope, that has green power, on-site renewables, including wind and solar power at its heart, demands the very best expertise to deliver within a short time frame and on budget. For this reason, Knights Brown was appointed as principal contractor for the design and construction of the facility. Knights Brown is an independent regional construction business with specialist energy sector capability and a multi-sector portfolio across the UK. Knights Brown believes in bringing together ‘collective strength to benefit their customers’ and so appointed Cardiff-based Bingham Hall, consultant civil and structural engineers to work with on the design. They are one of the leading practices in the UK, with over 40 years’ experience in projects such as this.

The new facility encompasses manufacturing, storage and office capacity in one structure with an overall length of 200m and 115m at its widest point. The steelwork frame – the inner strength Shufflebottom is delivering - totals over 1,340 fabricated hot-rolled members, totalling 540 tonnes of material plus an additional 90 tonnes of Metsec cold-rolled material.

Shufflebottom is well underway with its commitments to the project having commenced steel erection of the structure on 7 October with a completion date planned for early November 2021.

Shufflebottom is proud to be an integral part of this collective strength and an important part of a local supply chain of partners built on relationships of trust and experience.