Tilt-up Construction is the Choice for World-Class Supplier Braber Equipment
Braber Equipment’s Commitment to Excellence Fuels Need for New Facility in Ontario.
Braber Equipment has been a manufacturer of commercial and industrial equipment for the North American market since the late 1960s, and has been recognized through prestigious awards, including the title of one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies.
With the growing demand for its products in Eastern Canada, Braber Equipment expanded its presence in London, Ontario with a stunning new warehouse facility.
They needed a large 100,000-square-foot warehouse with innovative features, efficient construction and durability. They found one way to deliver on their needs: tilt-up construction through Ontario’s leader, Tilt Wall Ontario.
Push to Better Serve Ontario Required Innovative Thinking: Tilt-up Construction
Braber Equipment’s General Manager, Craig Ivatts, recently spoke with Tilt Wall about the successful project. He said that the company had prior experience with tilt-up construction in other parts of North America, which led them to consider this method for their new warehouse in London.
Several factors influenced the decision, such as lower heating/cooling costs, the durability of the concrete walls, the experience of Tilt Wall Ontario, and the speed of construction.
Construction Faced Challenges, But Tilt-up Overcame
Every construction project, especially this project that took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, faces challenges that need addressing.
Scott Massé, President of MCI Design-Build Corporation, the commercial and industrial design-build contractor responsible for the construction, also spoke with Tilt Wall about the challenges faced during the project.
Massé says that the major issue with this project was not with tilt-up but with the supply chain. The lack of materials arriving at the scheduled time negatively affected the construction timeline, resulting in a delayed start. This issue led to an anticipated early fall start pushed to late fall 2021, which resulted in weather issues that hampered onsite development.
Fortunately, the speed of tilt-up construction, from concrete form layout to concrete placing to tilting, helped to recoup time, resulting in a final delay of only one month. This was considerably less than other similar projects taking place at the same time.
The Tilt-up Construction Process for the Braber Equipment Warehouse
The concrete panels of the 100,000-square-foot warehouse were built using tilt-up construction.
By casting each panel on a temporary casting slab and tilting them into place, significant time was saved, while also helping to reduce site complexities. Once the concrete panels were ready for lifting, a crane carefully lifted each panel into place.
With the help of Tilt Wall’s crew, the entire facility’s 45,000 square feet of exterior walls and almost 2,000 square feet of non-insulated walls were lifted in only one week!
Tilt-up Benefits for Braber’s Business
The new Braber Equipment warehouse opened in June 2022, and, looking back, Ivatts says that he is very pleased with not only the construction but the long-term ROI with energy efficiency.
“Tilt Wall has a great product and a team that was a pleasure to work with,” says Ivatts. “The temperature in the winter stayed constant, and humidity levels are easy to manage, which is important since we have a lot of cardboard-boxed products. So far, so good!”
There were also lower construction costs. Originally designed with 86 columns and 140 tons of steel, switching to tilt-up meant only 35 columns and 71 tons of steel. How was this possible? Tilt-up panels are load-bearing, and so did not require structural steel around the exterior walls.
The tall tilt-up panels also allow Braber’s employees to pick products off shelves as high as 32 feet, a huge bonus to make every square foot of the facility county.
Ontario Warehouses Are Choosing to Build With Tilt-up
The Braber Equipment warehouse is a fantastic example of the benefits of tilt-up construction and working with the experienced professionals of Tilt Wall.
Despite supply chain challenges, the positive outcomes of choosing tilt-up overcame, helping Braber Equipment to improve commercial and industrial equipment supply throughout Ontario and the Eastern Canada market.
Learn more about Braber Equipment at www.bepowerequipment.com.
Learn how tilt-up construction can benefit your next warehouse facility construction project by reaching out to Len Overbeek, Business Development Manager for Tilt Wall Ontario, at len@tiltwall.ca or 519-602-2990 for a confidential and no-obligation discussion.
Project Specifications
| Project Name | Braber Equipment |
| Address | 15890 Robins Hill Road |
| Location | London, Ontario |
| General Contractor | MCI |
| Architect | Concentric |
| Structural Engineer | Concentric |
| Tilt-up Engineer | Krahn Engineering Ltd. |
| Development / Owner | Braber Equipment |
| Class of building | Warehouse |
| Tallest Panel | 14.021 metres |
| Widest Panel | 33.01 feet |
| Largest Panel | 1,306.72 square feet |
| Heaviest Panel | 135,944.74 pounds |
| Thickest Panel | 406 mm and 369 mm |
| Total Tilt-up Panels | 46,246.94 square feet |
| Insulated Panels | 44,454.83 square feet |
| Non-Insulated Panel | 1,792.11 square feet |
| Building Size | 99,996.00 square feet |