Garic’s eco innovations promise to improve comfort and efficiency on site
Garic has been providing quality site welfare facilities and accommodation to the UK construction sector for over 30 years. The company has always worked hard to give site managers a comprehensive range of options for their site’s welfare facilities and has introduced many new innovations that have gone on to become market leaders.
Its most widely-used units include the Mobile Armadillo Unit and the Welfare Van. In the past few years it has invested heavily in developing eco versions of these products to help contractors and construction companies achieve their environmentally-focused site requirement goals.
Hybrid Powered Welfare
This summer the welfare specialist launched its most eco-efficient product to date, a hybrid welfare van; it has the lowest carbon footprint of any welfare van on the market. The company has been overwhelmed by the positive response it has received since unveiling this latest generation welfare van.
Garic Managing Director Nigel Quinn explains: “We were very excited about launching our new hybrid range, the welfare van in particular because it has so many clever new features. I’m delighted to say we have been extremely pleased with the feedback we’ve received so far. The demand for top quality, low emission welfare products is definitely growing as long as you can prove the technology is reliable and the products are cost-effective.”
The new hybrid van’s canteen area consists of an instant hot water boiler, microwave, mobile phone charging points and seating for four people – the van itself seats 7. There is a drying room and private WC area which houses a hot water sink, hand dryer and fully flushing fresh water toilet with a self-servicing gravity discharge system which provides more congenial and hygienic conditions than other mobile welfare units available on the market.
All of these welfare facilities can be powered solely from the solar panels, the engine does not have to be running whilst the van is stationary and the facilities can be used throughout the day. It also has enhanced safety features such as a jumpstart button, key out engine management system and reversing cameras. These features not only ensure safer working but also reduce the impact on the environment and significantly reduce fuel costs.
In fact companies already using the new hybrid welfare van are achieving around 200kg of carbon savings a week which could add up to as much as 10 tons of CO2 savings a year. It has a Smart Lithium battery, which stores energy generated by the panels during daylight hours, and also whilst the engine is running. There is, however, an automatic back-up power supply should the solar energy run out due to heavy use or bad weather.
Comfortable and Organised
Over the years Garic has worked closely with its construction clients to adapt the sizes and formats of its site welfare and accommodation units to suit their needs. Its range of temporary accommodation has been designed to provide facilities that enable workers to stay comfortable and organised which in turn helps maximise working efficiency and maintain staff morale.
For sites requiring something a bit larger Garic has the 18 x 7ft (5.4 x 2.1m) Armadillo XL+2. Also powered by hybrid solar energy, this unit is road towable and consists of an office, canteen and two WC facilities. It is ready to use as soon as it’s in position.
This completely self-contained welfare unit has a bespoke 12V super silent back-up generator, which stops and starts as required. Constructed from steel and featuring LED lighting, hot and cold running water in both the canteen and toilet area if required, a microwave, table, kettle and canteen seating for 6-8 operatives, it is a highly effective welfare accommodation facility for small to medium-sized work.
Many of Garic’s welfare units also feature generator auto-frost protection to ensure operatives’ welfare is maintained, even during the harshest of conditions.
For much larger teams of up to 15 workers, or for sites where sleeping facilities are required, the latest generation Welfare Trailer is a solution. Unveiled just a few months ago, and featuring hybrid power, this large trailer unit provides flexible site facilities to meet specific needs. It is already proving to be highly effectively for building and development sites in more remote locations or where staff work away for longer periods of time.
Each trailer comes equipped with 12V solar panels and an integral back-up generator, male and female flushing toilets, access control, fire alarms and 4G WIFI. Each trailer unit is entirely self-sufficient with waste, water and fuel tanks built in.
Servicing and maintenance is also available for all of its welfare and accommodation units even in the most remote areas.
Shine a Light
To enhance its site welfare solutions Garic has built up a range of energy-efficient tower lights which provide a practical and safe way of lighting sites whether for use during the winter months, for night time security or for improved employee safety at any time.
Featuring LED lamps which work for up to 50,000 hours without replacement, these lights require little or no warm-up time making them some of the most superior site lighting available. They also have very low carbon emission ratings and provide the added benefit of lowering operating running costs.
In addition to their environmental and cost saving benefits, Garic’s tower lights have many safety features including an external emergency stop button, a fully bunded fuel tank, four height adjustable stabilisers and site levels for guidance during deployment. The mast also automatically lowers if a lighting set is moved whilst the mast is still erected.
All under one roof
Along with a large range of lighting, welfare and accommodation, Garic also has strategic partnerships with construction equipment suppliers across the country that it draws on.
Nigel Quinn adds: “We have built up a network of trusted suppliers we can call on with within 30 miles of any project in the UK. It’s something we’ve been doing for a long time but a couple of years ago we decided to make more of this asset and branded our supply chain partnerships Garic Connect.
“The Garic Connect team identifies like-minded specialists in every product field and audits them to ensure full compliance. By using local companies we can offer a sustainable supply chain and can cater for any specification. We wanted to be able to make Garic one of the most proficient construction equipment providers in the UK. In addition to our own products, our in-house transport, servicing and maintenance services, through Garic Connect our customers can procure virtually any on-site product they require.”
