BREEDON Group has added to the covered storage capacity at its Cowieslinn Quarry and Asphalt Plant near Eddleston in the Scottish Borders, with the installation of two Zappshelter 5000 covered bays.
Mounted on precast concrete blocks, each of the bays can hold around 500 tonnes of material. The hard rock site is using one Zappshelter for the storage of rock dust and the other for asphalt sand for its production plant.
“We needed the shelters to meet customer requirements for dry dust and also for our own requirements for dry asphalt sand, to keep our costs down for the coating plant,” explained site manager Paul Waledzik. “It’s important to keep the material dry to keep costs down in production and it helps our customers with their production costs as well, which is good for the environment, as we maintain energy efficiency.”
Breedon is said to have been ‘more than satisfied’ with the performance of the shelters. It is not always necessary to install full bases for the shelters, though this was something that the quarry opted for.
“We had to put concrete bases in for our own requirements on site, to keep the dust from contamination,” Mr Waledzik added. “But Zappshelter were very speedy and there was no hassle for the site during the installation whatsoever. They were all done in just two days.”
One of the benefits of the Zappshelter is that it can be relocated on site to meet changing quarry demands in the future.
“As the quarry advances up the site, they can be moved to keep the haul short for the material, again reducing our costs and cutting our environmental impact,” explained Mr Waledzik. “It ticks all the sustainability boxes for Breedon and for the site.
“The quality of the shelters is excellent. There are plans to increase our capacity with Zappshelter, so in the future we’re already looking at putting another one in.”
Zappshelter storage bays are available in a range of sizes, with bay widths of 6m, 8m, 10m, 12m, 14m and 17m. Arch heights range from 2.2m through to 4.5m, allowing access for a range of loading and materials handling solutions. Zappshelters can also be joined end to end to create longer storage areas if required, with a joining strip preventing water.
The product is built around a 4mm and 6mm square section galvanised steel frame. A Taurinox membrane cover does not break down under UV exposure, while the ‘smooth coated’ finish is described as being easy to clean with water and doesn’t support the growth of mould or algae.
The storage system can be mounted on a range of base solutions including custom steelwork, stacked steel shipping containers, or concrete blocks. The shelters can also be constructed with moveable sections to allow access for machinery.
