Foodstuffs project a massive undertaking

Patton Engineering is nearing the end of its most recent Foodstuffs project – a bulk-store, dry-goods distribution centre in Palmerston North.

Although it’s been involved in other Foodstuffs projects, including the construction of both Masterton and Napier’s Pak’ n Save stores, a Toops Warehouse in Palmerston North, and the renovation of the Hastings New World, this is one of the bigger jobs undertaken to date.

A large complex, made up of a 30,000 square metre warehouse, with 2,500 square metre office block attached – the job has taken almost a year to complete, and has involved dealing with a huge volume of steel unmatched by any other single project to date.

Mainzeal Construction sub-contracted the steel manufacture and erection to Patton, and lower North Island construction manager Graeme Nixon says it will be October next year before the overall contract, worth a total of $28 million, is complete.

“This was a large project for Patton Engineering who supplied, manufactured and erected the structural steel components of the building.”

Logistically this involved precision co-ordination to procure and manufacture the steel at its workshop in Whakatu, before transporting to Palmerston North, and erecting on-site. Mr Nixon says Patton Engineering’s expertise was instrumental in getting the job done to specification, and on time.

“They have very good systems for designing and creating shop drawings and this meant they made the job easy for us.”

And it is this, combined with the ability to co-ordinate the design of the building with the engineers’ requirements, that makes them a favourite with Mainzeal, he says.

“They are our number one preferred contractor as far as structural steel is concerned.”