Air Technology System provided a Heating & Ventilation System for one of the world’s premier suppliers of body, chassis, and engineering solutions to the automotive industry.
Client – Magna International
The building services company, Hartle Ltd, engaged ATS on this project for Magna International.
Project Scope & Objectives
Air Technology Systems was asked to provide a heating & ventilation solution for Magna’s purpose-built aluminium casting facility, in Telford, for supplying automotive parts to Jaguar Land Rover.
We were required to design, supply, and install a system to create comfortable and safe working environments across the foundry, offices, and shipping areas, within the project site.
Challenges
There were a number of challenges for this project, not least:
- The sheer size of area with the main building, a twin span portal frame with lean-to sides, and shipping area occupying 225,000 ft²
- The vastly different ambient temperatures across the different areas
- Installing the ducting into the tight space between the crane rail that ran the length of the building and the ceiling height
- The specified siting of the Air Handling Units (AHUs) on the roof
- Meeting the specification for 80m³/second of air entering the foundry area
Solution
We designed and installed a displacement ventilation system at low velocity from air supply diffusers, 3m above the finished floor level. To help bring energy costs down, the extract air is taken from the building and re-circulated.
A base fit-out for all service pipework, which included a medium water pressure heating system, vacuum compressed air, and nitrogen and oil lines, ensured machinery and equipment could run smoothly and efficiently.
Result
Our system provided ventilation, a low-pressure water heating system and above ground drainage to remove soil, waste, and water.
We successfully worked with and around the multiple site contractors to deliver all of the project goals. The four AHUs were each delivered to site in three pieces and craned up to the roof.
Our role in this outstanding new facility helped Magna International complete the West Midlands’ largest automotive development, after the Jaguar Land Rover complex, which is also in Telford. The new facility has also created around 300 jobs for Magna International and hundreds more in the supply chain.
