Lovat Mill

CSI doubles storage capacity at Lovat Mill with mezzanine floor and shelving installation.

The Client

Lovat Mills is a world renowned fine cloth maker, famous for designing and weaving high quality estate and country tweeds. The company is located in the Scottish Border town of Hawick.

The Challenge

Due to a significant increase in stock levels, Lovat Mill was struggling to accommodate all of their inventory in the existing store. Increased manual handling required to operate effectively was also causing some health and safety concerns.

On the recommendation of a previous client, Lovat Mill approached CSI (formerly ESE) with an ambitious project to increase their storage capacity and improve handling and workflow.

The Solution

CSI’s solutions team conducted a detailed site survey examining the client’s goods in and out procedures to identify opportunities to improve efficiency, paying particular attention to their manual handling operations.

Lovat Mill was involved at every stage of the planning and development which saw  CSI consult closely with staff members in the relevant departments to ensure the final solution would be fit for purpose.

CSI installed a mezzanine floor, taking advantage of the height within the premises for a cost-effective method of creating extra storage space. The use of open grid flooring on the mezzanine to allow light through ensured that the entire area could be covered.

To address the safety concerns around manual handling, an integral goods lift was designed and fitted. Designed specifically to allow Lovat Mill staff to carry long, heavy bales of tweed safely, this new goods lift enables individual staff members to move stock between the upper and lower levels. Previously this operation required at least two people.

The project involved supplying and fitting longspan shelving for additional tweed bale storage. All mechanical and electrical works including lighting, smoke protection devices and civil works were also carried out.  Throughout the installation, the CSI team co-ordinated effectively with structural engineers and the local building control department to ensure that the work at Lovat Mill complied with all relevant regulations.

CSI proudly delivered this complex project on time, within budget and with minimal disruption to the client’s business.