MDS Industries Install 180 Industrial Doors at New Birmingham Wholesale Market

A couple of years ago, our highly skilled team of technicians were tasked with supplying and installing 180 industrial Roller Shutter Doors at the new Birmingham Wholesale Market, located in Witton, Birmingham.

In the summer of 2018, Birmingham City Council decided that the Birmingham Wholesale Market needed a new home. After nearly 50 years of trading, the market was moved from its birthplace, Birmingham City Centre, to The Hub in Witton, an industrial park located by Aston Villa FC’s stadium.

Opened in February 1974, the old market comprised of the largest integrated wholesale fresh produce market in the UK. Today, at its new home, the market has gone one better, as it is now the largest integrated wholesale market in Europe.

The motives behind the move were simple. Birmingham City Council wanted to re-locate the markets to transform the communities surrounding the site and bring more employment opportunities to the Second City. Although the new markets are still very much in their infancy, they have already proved to be a notable catalyst behind recent economic growth in Birmingham and they have delivered 15,000 new jobs to people in the city. On top of this, the new markets have created a new and exciting environment for traders to grow in their role as an essential cog in the region’s fresh produce supply chain.

As for the market itself, the goal is to provide high-quality food and produce at a low cost, to Birmingham, the West Midlands, and further afield. In doing so, the markets hope to grow Birmingham’s thriving food service sector, which is made up of local businesses, retailers and restaurants. Such developments will improve the quality of food within the city, which will in-turn drive more visitors to the city centre.

Installation of 180 Roller Shutter Doors

To assist with this enormous re-location project, we were asked to supply and install 180 external and internal Roller Shutter Doors. Birmingham City Council also requested that every external shutter included pedestrian wicket gates and a large area of perforated sections.

The architects behind the construction of the markets designed the warehouse area to allow a constant airflow throughout the building. To meet this specification, we were tasked with calculating the airflow requirements of the building and then manufacturing shutters that allowed a steady inflow of air.

The Birmingham Wholesale Markets are located in a very open area, where wind conditions can be extremely harsh at times. Therefore, it was imperative that we designed and implemented shutter doors that allowed a reasonable amount of air to pass through the markets, but not too much so that it became an uncomfortable environment for tenants and visitors.

As you can imagine, the markets are also incredibly busy, as hundreds of lorries are entering and leaving the warehouse all day every day. Thanks to their fast action system, our high-usage Roller Shutter Doors are the perfect solution for industrial openings that have heavy traffic flow.

Additionally, the new markets contain an array of valuable goods and machinery, making them a favourable target for opportunist burglars. Our Roller Shutter Doors have helped to significantly improve the security of the premises by reducing the risk of break-ins.

If you would like to know more about this particular project, or you are interested in our Roller Shutter Doors, please contact our friendly team on 0121 565 0022.