Macsteel, a distributor of steel products, has broken the Guinness World Record for the longest roof span covered by a single metal corrugated sheet.
The company, with the help of Tate & Nicholson, Wilson Bayley Holmes-Ovcon (WBHO), Pick ‘n Pay and Fortress Reit, developed sky-forming technology and then built a corrugated sheet. This sheet was placed on the new distribution centre, which Fortess is developing in Kempton Park, east of Johannesburg, for food retailer Pick ‘n Pay.
Macsteel’s roofing unit roll-formed the sheet, which spanned a width of 280m, across the widest part of the roof covering the new distribution centre, which is currently under construction.
The attempt to break the world record was completed on May 25, beating the previous 200m record. Guinness World Records has now verified the attempt.
Macsteel used its roofing product, NOVOTEXI 440, which is roll formed on-site, using sky-forming. Sky-forming uses a roll-forming container producing the NOVOTEXI 440 sheet, which is then lifted to the level of the roof and applied easily at the desired height and correct speed.
This process is more efficient than the conventional method. There is no need to store and transfer each piece of the roof up to the correct height.
Previously a mill had to be brought to site, and sheets then had to be stacked on the ground on-site. Then, they’d be hoisted to height to form the roof.
NOVOTEXI 440 also resists high winds on large-scale roofing projects. The roof will consist of 1200 tonnes of roof sheeting.
Fortress and its partners began construction on the distribution centre in 2020 and it is scheduled for completion in 2023, at a cost of about R2bn, including land and construction, with Pick ‘n Pay’s 60% share estimated to cost R1.2bn.
Alistair Anderson