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The penultimate part of our 2019 Twelve Builds of Christmas review looks back at progress on our new building over the last twelve months.
Although our main admin teams moved into the new building early in 2019, we did not fully migrate our motorsport, road car service and car build teams into the newly-built space until March of this year.
Sealing the workshop’s vast polished concrete floor took several weeks, as cold ambient temperatures hampered curing times. Once that was done, we placed the final order for our tool cabinets and workbenches and they arrived at the end of February.
Installation of electrical sockets and air points, fitting one new in-ground car lift and the relocation of our other in-ground lift from the former road car workshop finished in early March and the technicians were finally united in one large workshop space.
The engine shop was next to move into the bright new facility. The new benches and tool boxes were fitted and, once the stands were ready to hold engines and transmissions, the team moved across over several days.
Moving our parts department took several weeks. Carpenters converted the former admin office and garage into a parts counter and office for the parts team, and racking was installed to take our full stock of new parts.
When the carpenters had finished building the parts department, they moved upstairs to complete the hand rails on the mezzanine level, where glaziers had installed the glass partitions separating our meeting and social spaces.
Outside, work to surface the main driveway and workshop forecourts was completed in two stages. The first stage took place in summer, after Hagerty Insurance used our site as the starting point for its 2019 Drive It Day.
The new Tarmac transformed the building’s appearance. Surfacing the forecourt between the old and new buildings was a more complicated operation, due to the removal of old drains and installation of new services. That work has now been completed.
Our fabrication shop also relocated in 2019. We converted the former road car service department into a bright three-bay metalwork shop, giving these skilled craftspeople plenty of space in which to work their magic.
The new workshop benefitted from substantial investment, with a refinished floor, LED lighting, new full-bay workbenches, new tool cabinets, a unique Celette lift to mount bodies on the chassis jigs, a smoke and dust extraction system and two new Lincoln welders.
One final major project was the installation and commissioning of our two-post in-ground chassis geometry lift. Designed to sit level with the floor when not in use, this technical marvel has several party tricks, including movable plates that allow us to easily fine-tune chassis setups.
Our teams have accomplished a phenomenal amount of work during 2019 and there’s no doubt that the new building has played a huge part in improving efficiency. We have also enjoyed the increased light and space, improved kitchen and washroom facilities, more social space and the arrival of many new team members to help share the workload.
While 2019 was a record year for our business, with twenty-three cars shipping to events worldwide in one weekend alone, the diary for next year is even busier. More cars than ever will pour out of our workshop, adding to the excitement and efficiency of this wonderful space. We’re incredibly proud of everything our team has achieved in 2019 – here’s to another great year in 2020!
