Tools & Resources
Big Job, Local Expertise
LYSAGHT KLIP-LOK 700 HI STRENGTH® on the new A$100 million Woolworths Distribution Centre near Wyong on the Central Coast.
| Location: | Warnervale, New South Wales |
| Country: | Australia |
| Project Size: | A$100 million |
| Builder: | RC and JM Wright Pty Ltd |
| Fabricator: | Gonzales Fabrications and Litchfield Roofing |
| Products Used: |
LYSAGHT CUSTOM ORB® LYSAGHT KLIP-LOK 700 HI-STRENGTH® LYSAGHT SPANDEK® LYSAGHT SupaZed® and LYSAGHT SupaCee® Purlins and Girts LYSAGHT MINI ORB® |
Construction is well underway at the new A$100 million Woolworths Distribution Centre near Wyong on the Central Coast, thanks to Litchfield Roofing, Gonzalez Fabrications, and BlueScope Lysaght.
The new food distribution centre is set to create up to 600 new permanent jobs in the area over the next three years. It will cover almost 13 football fields on the 23 hectare site at Warnervale, and will be Woolworths' biggest regional distribution centre in New South Wales, servicing stores from the northern suburbs of Sydney up to Coffs Harbour.
The centre is expected to set a new standard in Australian retailing logistics, underpinned by world class enabling technology. The facilities will ensure speedy deliveries and better access to suppliers, particularly for fresh produce, and will be the first of a network of advanced and highly automated facilities.
The centre consists of 18,800 square metres of temperature controlled facility, a 34,200 square metre ambient facility, and 3,000 square metres of auxiliary buildings, including a pump house, offices and amenities, gatehouse, and plantroom.
A Structural Solution
All the structural steel for the massive project was supplied by Gonzalez Fabrication and Erection, one of the biggest steel fabrication firms in New South Wales. With over 50 employees working from state-of-the-art facilities in Newcastle, Gonzalez Fabrication specialises in complex, large scale commercial work.
"We believe that we are one of the biggest and best steel fabricators in New South Wales" says Juan Gonzalez. "We are proven performers and we have the resources and expertise to produce work of the highest quality."
The company is currently expanding its state-of-the-art facilities to triple its capacity. Gonzalez Fabrication has supplied about 1,500 tonnes of structural steel for the warehouse, including 380 tonnes of LYSAGHT SUPAZED® purlins.
"The tight timeframe on the job has been challenging, but the job is going very well. The end result will be successful," says Juan.
When it comes to suppliers, Juan says that quality, service and price are the most important factors. "I've dealt with many suppliers over the years. One of the advantages of dealing with BlueScope Lysaght is that the communication is very good. When you order ten items, you get ten items. When it comes to choosing a supplier, service is all important. The transaction should be hassle free. If you want something, you get it. At the end of the day you want people who are easy to deal with."
The LYSAGHT SUPAZED®purlins are being installed by RC and JM Wright Pty Ltd, a well known cranehire and structural steel erection company. "I tell every one of my clients to use LYSAGHT® purlins," says owner, Rocky Wright. "I've been using LYSAGHT®products for 30 years. They are just excellent quality, and I prefer to work with them."
Raising the Roof
Leading roofing company, Litchfield Roofing Australia, is providing all the roofing, wall cladding, gutters, downpipes, flashings, trims and accessories for the project, as well as translucent fibreglass sheeting and ventilators.
This family owned business has been in operation since 1970 and specialises in large commercial projects. Now with over 30 employees, Litchfield Roofing Australia is the largest roofing company in the Newcastle area.
"This job is a big job for us," says Tim Litchfield, Director of Litchfield Roofing Australia. "The roofing package is worth about A$3.1 million. Jobs this size don't come along every day."
The job consists of a huge 50,000 square metre warehouse, along with some auxiliary buildings, including a three storey office building.
Litchfield Roofing Australia is installing approximately 50,000 square metres of LYSAGHT KLIP-LOK 700 HI-STRENGTH® made from COLORBOND® steel in the colour Surfmist®, on the main warehouse roof. A further 1,000 square metres will be used on the office roof.
The walls consist of 14,500 square metres of LYSAGHT SPANDEK®. They also feature 3,000 square metres of LYSAGHT CUSTOM ORB® made from COLORBOND® steel, installed as horizontal feature bands.
The office block will feature LYSAGHT CUSTOM ORB® wall cladding made from COLORBOND® Metallic steel in the colour Citi®, as well as LYSAGHT MINI ORB® to the soffit linings.
About 7,000 square metres of LYSAGHT SPANDEK® made from ZINCALUME® steel will be used for ceiling linings. Certain areas will also feature specially perforated LYSAGHT SPANDEK® ceilings for sound absorption.
"The job has gone very well so far," says Tim."The KLIP-LOK 700 HI-STRENGTH® is a good deck to lay. And the new clips are a vast improvement, they don't mark the sheeting at all, and the sheeting can be pulled up again without damage, if necessary. It's one of the main reasons we chose LYSAGHT® for the job."
He says that LYSAGHT KLIP-LOK 700 HI-STRENGTH® was the logical choice. "All the BlueScope Lysaght profiles we used are produced locally, right here in Newcastle. BlueScope Lysaght's clip-fixing system has been tried and tested, and we had a lot more confidence in it."
Tim says that technical support and customer service from BlueScope Lysaght have been excellent. "BlueScope Lysaght's technical team helped us find a solution to allow the translucent sheeting to lap over the LYSAGHT KLIP-LOK 700 HI-STRENGTH®. It was important to find a system that allowed thermal movement and expansion between the two different materials, fibreglass and metal. They came up with a system that worked for this project. Communication was great," adds Tim.
"BlueScope Lysaght's sales team kept their finger on the pulse in terms of orders and deliveries to site, and really offered us flexibility of supply, which can be a huge issue on site, when things can happen unpredictably. It's good to know that they are keeping in touch."
