Hörmann industrial doors installed at British Army Vehicle storage depot

Hörmann are working with Skanska UK on a £259 million Ministry of Defence contract to deliver the Vehicle Storage Support Programme (VSSP) at Ashchurch in Tewkesbury, which will provide modern, sustainable and effective storage and maintenance for the British Army’s land equipment fleet.

The overall project consists of the construction, mechanical and electrical engineering for a complex programme that will see the demolition of 58 buildings, the construction of 12 new buildings and refurbishment of one existing facility, plus renewal of the site’s wide infrastructure.  On completion it will provide a centralised facility which will ensure the operational readiness of the Army’s vehicles by minimising the need for maintenance.

The updated facilities will provide Controlled Humidity Environment (CHE) storage, aimed at reducing maintenance costs and any unnecessary deterioration caused by extreme drops or rises in temperature, ensuring that the vehicles are operationally ready at all times.  As part of this key requirement Hörmann UK are supplying a total of 226 of their SPU F42 fully automated Industrial Sectional Doors which are split between the 12 new warehouse units and represents one of the largest ‘door only’ projects that the company has undertaken.

Hörmann SPU F42 double-skinned industrial sectional doors are well known within the marketplace, recognised for their good thermal efficiency and air tightness properties - key factors in this major project. The doors specified can achieve an impressive U-value of 1.2 W/m₂k for doors including vision panels and a value of 0.9 W/m₂k for solid doors.  All of the doors supplied provide Class 3 air permeability. This has been achieved with enhanced sealing of the door, with an improved bottom seal, corner seals which improve the tightness between the door frame and lintel, together with infill seals between the ribbing in each section. 

All doors are finished in RAL 7016 Anthracite grey externally and Hormann’s standard RAL 9002 Grey white internally and provide a minimum clear opening of 5000mm x  5000mm.

Phil Thorpe, Industrial Projects Manager for Hörmann UK comments, “We are delighted to be working with Skanska on such an important and prestigious project.  The selection of our industrial sectional doors was due to their ability to meet the very specific performance criteria to achieve the CHE storage requirements. This was coupled with our ability to work collaboratively with Skanska on what is a complicated industrial scheme with multiple interfaces and trades involved, requiring a high degree of coordination and communication. 

In addition, our after sales service and the availability of the comprehensive service and maintenance capabilities that are being provided through our sister company FBS Hörmann played a key role in securing the contract.”

Installation of the first doors began in October 2023, with the project expected to be completed by June 2026.