New transshipment warehouse on Churchill dock

On behalf of general contractor Altez, Meco Metal delivered just-in-time over 414 tons of mostly highly complex steel structures. 

Zuidnatie is a company that mainly organizes forwarding, logistics and storage of goods and bulk material for third parties. Located at the Port of Antwerp, it can load and unload boats, rail cars as well as trucks. The new 1,736 m2 building includes a tower, a so-called bag warehouse, a canopy and an office area. The backbone of the building consists of a galvanized steel structure. "The steel structure comes from the halls of Meco Metal," says Roel Mattan, general project manager at Altez. "It is rightfully a supplier that stands out from other parties."

Very complex

According to Mattan, the building is characterized by a very complex structure. "It required heavy steel structures with very difficult nodes and couplings. Because of the phasing, the many combinations (steel - floors - stairs) also had to be produced and delivered interchangeably to prevent the assembly from stalling. Meco Metal anticipated this perfectly. Together we drew up a clear schedule in advance, which was reviewed weekly. This led to deliveries on the agreed dates and even down to the hour. What Meco Metal also excels in is the correctness and politeness of the staff and the direct lines of communication. The staff strictly followed safety regulations and took full responsibility themselves. That made it possible for us to communicate quickly and not through detours, and that saves a lot of time and work for us as the general contractor."

24-hour yard service

Besides being strong in communication, organization and planning, the quality delivered is just as important. Mattan: "Meco Metal also has that well under control. Of course, with such a complex project there are always a few minor flaws, but they were addressed and resolved immediately." Harry Seijkens, business manager of Meco Metal, adds: "As soon as a customer indicates a problem, we fly right on it and our welders arrive on site immediately to fix the defect. Later, we'll figure out who is responsible for what. The customer has to move on, that's our philosophy, which we put into practice with our 24-hour yard service." Seijkens also looks back on a perfectly executed project at Zuidnatie. "Thanks in part to our high-quality machinery and far-reaching digitization of the production process, we have optimum control over the planning, the process and the final quality delivered."

The new transshipment warehouse has since been commissioned by Southern Nation, renamed Malt in Motion, and is full of malt and barley.