Project sees Honda maintain service road
Noticing large cracks and unstable concrete slabs lining an external service road near its facility, Honda Motor Europe Logistics NV (in Swindon) called on subsidence specialist Mainmark Ground Engineering UK for assistance.
SAM COX, facilities at Honda Motor Europe Logistics, said: “Logistically, the external service road plays an important part of our daily operations. As the main exit route from our Honda facility, the road is critical for lorries distributing high-demand engine and product parts, motorcycles, power products and industrial motors across the UK and Europe.
“19 of the concrete slabs lining the road (approximately 80m in distance along the main exit route) were suffering from ground movement, and they were rocking and cracking further when they were being driven over.
“While our main building wasn’t affected, the road had become unsuitable for our forklift vehicles. Both drains and curbs along the service road were sinking, it became clear to us that if a solution was not obtained to fix this movement quickly then we would risk long-term damage to the site and the safety of our drivers and stock, and a disruptive and costly process to resolve the situation.”
Honda needed Mainmark to stabilise the concrete slabs quickly, with minimal disruption to the business and avoiding supply chain delays.
David Hedley, Infrastructure & Commercial Lead at Mainmark UK, said: “Honda came to us needing a quick fix. Its only other option would have been to completely reconstruct the concrete slabs, requiring the service road to be closed for a prolonged period while a contractor completed the job.
“Short-term, this would’ve been a viable solution. However, it might not have fully rectified the subsidence in the foundations beneath the road, which may have ‘resurfaced’ at a later stage. Furthermore, reconstructing the slabs would have required a large upfront cost for labour and materials, coupled with the costs associated with business disruption.
Using Teretek resin injection, drilled through 16mm holes, Mainmark filled the void beneath the facility, improving the sub-base.
David continued: “Our approach re-levels structures quickly and accurately, allowing for precise adjustments in a controlled manner. For Honda, who needed a solution which increased bearing capacity on the road and mitigated any water pooling, the approach was the best course of action. From start to finish, the process took just three days to complete.”
