CI Logistics, the Leicester based materials handling and storage specialist, has designed and installed a mezzanine for Paragon Laundry in a record two weeks from initial phone call to completion.
Working from four sites in the UK, Paragon Laundry employs over 550 people and is one of the country's biggest independent commercial laundry companies. Owned by the same family for three generations, Paragon prides itself on providing excellent service to its customers. So when disaster struck and one of its main sites at Bridgewater burnt down during a particularly busy period it turned to CI Logistics for assistance.
The task was to urgently build a 280m2 mezzanine floor with a fire rated suspended ceiling to create more space in their Ross on Wye facility. By doing this, the laundry production from Bridgewater could be transferred to Ross on Wye and the company's high service levels maintained.
Richard Langhorn, projects director for Paragon comments, "We'd used CI Logistics for other jobs, so we went straight to them as they'd previously looked after us very well. Typically, we'd expect this type of construction project to take 12 to 16 weeks to get scheduled in and finished, but as this was an emergency situation, we wanted it completed within two weeks.
"Fortunately the building was purpose built for us with a roof that is high enough for a mezzanine, which we'd planned to build in about four years' time.
The fire at Bridgewater made us reschedule. Although we needed it quickly, we wanted a mezzanine that would look like it was meant to be part of the building and that's what CI Logistics has achieved for us.
"We were amazed how quickly they managed to turn it around. To minimize disruption we closed the Ross on Wye site over a weekend and everyone pulled together to get the job done. They worked double shifts erecting the mezzanine and a new staircase, as well as knocking through an access doorway into our first floor offices so that we could also utilise an existing staircase if necessary. We were back to full production on Monday morning."
Over 110 people work at the Ross facility, which is the company's showpiece site. Laundry is moved around the site via an overhead bag transport system and large suction pipes. The busy facility washes and dries approximately two tonnes of laundry every hour which equates to more than 400,000 pieces a week.
A goods hoist was also installed by CI Logistics at a later stage in the proceedings. This is mainly used to transport Paragon's special occasion table linen to and from the mezzanine where it is dried and ironed.
"It is comforting to work with a partner that can pull out all the stops when necessary. CI certainly did that for us, saving our business from a potentially damaging situation," concludes Langhorn.