Working alongside main contractor McLaughlin and Harvey, SES will be installing new gas-fired heaters and ventilation systems while the factory is closed at the weekends.
The technically complex project will be delivered in 12-hour shifts over 35-weekends to ensure there are no disruptions to operations, enabling workers at the site to continue assembling MINIs unimpeded.
SES will be prefabricating all the essential pipework offsite to reduce time spent at the plant and to ensure the project is delivered within the strict timescales.
The Cowley-based factory provides the final stage in the production of the iconic car, assembling around 1,000 vehicles every day from parts that are imported from BMW’s plant in Swindon.
Once installed, its new gas-fired heating and ventilation systems will help to bolster productivity by further improving the work environment for staff, keeping them warm in the large, open-plan factory.
Work commenced on site in March, with completion expected in November 2021.
Steve Joyce, SES’ Managing Director said:
“BMW has an outstanding reputation in the automotive industry, and like SES, takes pride in their high-standards and attention to detail. We have a long history of delivering complex M&E works to similar global brands and we pride ourselves on adapting our usual business operations to meet all our clients’ needs.
“As the plant is a live site, the challenge is delivering all works in between working hours. Our teams are working hard to facilitate this, working around the clock on weekends and utilising offsite technology to ensure the job gets done. I’m hugely proud of the team involved for going above and beyond on this project and look forward to handing it over later in the year.”
Managing Director, SES Engineering Services
The appointment is the latest project to demonstrate SES’ expertise in delivering complex, high-tech projects in the region. Recently, the firm announced its completion of vital enabling works at the University of Oxford, with the demolition of its Tinbergen Building to make way for its new world-class education and research centre known as the Life and Mind Building.
