Case Study – Intertek World-First Laboratory

Background

Intertek, a leading provider of quality processes to the mining and industrial sector, recently engaged the team at Westlab Projects to provide 19,000m2 of high-corrosion laboratory and headquarters at their Perth head office.

Housing over 500 employees, Intertek’s state-of-the-art facility required a laboratory that enables them to enhance the delivery of their TQA (Total Quality Assurance) customer promise. This required world-class laboratories, with long-term benefits to the organisation. One major barrier was the use of high-corrosive materials, which required a material that would guarantee the ability to operate with such substances without the need to replace them every year.

Challenge

With standard laboratory benching possessing no true anti-corrosion quality as it uses metal framing, this presented serious expenses regarding maintenance of the laboratory. Processes using hot acids would strip any paint off the metal, then quickly corrode the metal framing, meaning a laboratory upgrade would be imminent within a very short space of time. This would happen to large areas where acids were used – presenting particular inconvenience to lab management.

Solution

Westlab’s Modulab system, while it is highly durable and uses corrosive-resistant benchtops, would not fit the bill for high-corrosive applications due to the metal frame. This left only one material for Westlab to use. Bringing all key personnel from the design and drafting team, prototypes were soon designed and made, consisting of 100% compact laminate lab-grade material. This proved a highly durable and strong assembly of parts, giving Westlab Spaces absolute confidence when providing the solution to the client. This innovation in turn gave the client absolute confidence in Westlab’s proposal, thus the lab now stands as a scientific sensation.

Intertek can now benefit from a fully functional laboratory which will provide huge ROI as the system is entirely maintenance-free and will provide long-term functionality where a standard laboratory would normally need a full refurbishment.

Results

Intertek is now almost ready to open its doors and expand its facilities to enable its customer promise of Total Quality Assurance. The creative organisation has embraced this innovation and is now creating a buzz in the scientific world with its world-first full compact laminate laboratory. Testing with high-corrosives can now be done damage-free. Truly, Westlab Spaces has Enabled Discovery.

Original Article can be found at https://projects.westlab.com/case-study-intertek-high-corrosive-laboratory