Liftroller E Wagon at the Wilds Minne School Construction Project – Veidekke Shares Their Experiences
Lund, an area in Kristiansand, has faced an increasing demand for school places due to the growth in student numbers. This has created challenges with capacity at existing schools. In response, Kristiansand municipality has entered a contract with Veidekke for the construction of Wilds Minne School. We recently had a conversation with them where they shared their experiences using Liftroller in the logistics solution for this project.
With a growing student population in Lund, the need for expanding the school offering has become inevitable. A result of the student growth is overcrowded classrooms and an ever-increasing gap between available capacity and demand. To address this challenge, the Wilds Minne School and multipurpose hall project has been initiated.
This project involves the construction of Wilds Minne School and an associated multipurpose hall in Lund, Kristiansand. The school building, with a floor area requirement of 6000 m2, consists of 3 floors. Additionally, the multipurpose hall, estimated to be approximately 4000 m2, will replace the old “Starthallen” and become a central gathering point for school activities and the local community.
Our Sales Manager, Kim Gregersen, interviewed the Veidekke team who used the Liftroller equipment on this project, specifically construction manager Johan Brommeland Selmar, and carpentry supervisors Cay Otto Pettersen and Aleksander Glomsaker.
Can you tell us about the project and its current status?
Construction manager Johan Brommeland Selmar says: The school itself is primarily made of solid wood, and the project covers about 10,000 m2. The multipurpose hall is also made of solid wood, while the basement is a combination of cast-in-place and prefab concrete. We are currently in the final stages, and the project is mechanically complete. Only testing and the final finishes remain before handover on May 28th.
Material Handling with Liftroller E Wagon
In the construction process, the Liftroller E Wagon has played a crucial role in efficient material handling. Carpentry Supervisor Aleksander Glomsaker shares his experience using the Liftroller E Wagon on the construction site: The Liftroller has been perfect for our job since the boards we used are extra heavy. The pallets are heavy, and we would struggle to get the plaster boards onto a non-electric cart. Then we would have had 2-3 men pushing. With the Liftroller E Wagon, we only need one man. It has saved our health. I enjoy streamlining things. Having multiple workers perform a task is bad economics.
On this type of project, with long distances and narrow corridors, it is essential to choose solutions that are agile and efficient. The Liftroller E Wagon has proven to be a valuable resource for Veidekke at Wilds Minne, as it not only offers powerful performance but also agility in tight areas. Aleksander shared his thoughts on this aspect: In narrow corridors, we have been impressed when the wagon manages to maneuver packages into the classrooms, as it has incredible turning ability. Even though it looks like it won’t fit, we manage it with the good turning radius.
Another experience Veidekke highlights is that the Liftroller E Wagon has a very good battery capacity. It was not significantly affected by sub-zero temperatures as they had experienced with other wagons. It has simply been a faithful worker that has moved enormous amounts of material without a single glitch, says construction manager Johan.
What have you used the wagon for, and what other material handling equipment have you had?
Before we had a sealed building, we had an external loading tower. Then the Liftroller was used to transport materials from there and further into the building. After the building was sealed, we brought everything in via the GEDA lift outside since we cannot use the internal lift. The combination of the external lift and Liftroller E Wagon has been very effective. Instead of using 2 or 3 craftsmen to push in plaster boards and move it around, one craftsman was enough, says construction manager Johan.
Time-saving tool
The Liftroller E Wagon has proven to be a significant time-saving solution on this project. With the capacity to handle heavy loads, it significantly reduces the need for manual labor. This efficiency improvement frees up valuable time, ensuring optimal workflow. On this project, more than 200 pallets of plaster boards have been moved, in addition to a large number of studs and other materials covering 12,000 m2 of walls. On a project like this, a good logistics solution for material handling is essential, especially considering the narrow corridors in this school.
What have you transported with the Liftroller E Wagon?
Johan explains: On this project, we have used ultra board plaster boards from Norgips, which is very heavy. With the Liftroller, we have had the opportunity to bring in large batches and store them in areas where no work is being done. Then we used the Liftroller to fetch from there and transport it to where it needed to be used as we needed the materials. Thus, we avoided the manual handling of the plasterboards onto a plaster trolley and pushed it around. Through the narrow corridors, not having handles o the wagon has been a great advantage.
HSE
What is the biggest advantage of remote control instead of handles?
You can access areas you couldn’t with handles, and it’s easier to prevent wall damage. This building is solid wood, and the finished surface is already inside the construction site, so it’s crucial to minimize damage, Johan explains before continuing:
From an HSE perspective, the ergonomics of the wagon are undoubtedly an advantage. You don’t have to pull the wagon behind you, and you have a clear view to consult and get an overview around turns while driving. The challenge with such modern tools is that they seem very expensive on paper to invest in such a solution. But we experience a gain instead. You see savings very quickly when you start using it.
Did the users find the Liftroller E Wagon easy to use?
They found it quite easy. I haven’t heard of any challenges, says Johan.
Carpentry supervisor Cay Otto Pettersen reflects on how it was on previous projects: Then we had several men almost getting stuck and pushing materials. Trailers came one after the other with plasterboards placed outside at ground level. Then one person stood with a crane and hoisted the packages onto the manual trolleys, and then several of us pulled, struggled, and pushed to get the materials where they needed to be used. If we had had the Liftroller back then, one person could have had quite a comfortable workday as they could have driven everything in themselves. It’s quite incredible to think about. I would almost say that the trolley is on par with when we got proper battery-powered. It’s a parallel that speaks volumes about how much joy we have had from it. We really want this product on the next project.
The Wilds Minne School project represents a significant step in the region towards meeting growing educational needs and creating a sustainable learning environment in a new and modern school. We at Liftroller are proud to be a supplier to this project. It’s also very gratifying to receive such great feedback that Veidekke has achieved efficiency and safety on the construction site through our solutions. We would like to extend a big thank you to Johan, Aleksander, and Cay Otto for taking the time to answer our questions and share their experiences. It’s been fun following @byggersorlandet on social media. And we appreciate the photos and videos you’ve sent from the project. We wish you good luck with the final completion before handing over the project.
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Pictures from the "Wilds Minne School" project
Photo: Johan Brommeland Selmar/ Veidekke
Photo: Johan Brommeland Selmar/ Veidekke