Workbox UK has entered the final stage of construction on a cleanroom project in Ellesmere Port, with mechanical air handling units due to arrive shortly ahead of commissioning. The contractor said around three weeks of work remain before the facility is ready for handover.

Workbox UK, headquartered in Barlborough, Derbyshire, is a national commercial fit-out and refurbishment contractor working across office, healthcare, leisure, retail and industrial sectors, with reported turnover of around £10 million.

Installation of the air handling units will allow the project team to move into the commissioning stage, followed by validation of the cleanroom facility. Workbox UK said there has been progress on the mechanical design and ductwork as the build moves toward completion.

Commissioning and validation are standard final stages of cleanroom delivery, typically confirming that airflow, filtration and pressure differentials meet the specific contamination control classification required by the client before the space can be handed over and used.

The project is the second phase of the cleanroom development in Ellesmere Port, a Cheshire town that sits within the North West's chemical and life sciences manufacturing cluster, home to companies including Innospec, Synthomer and Lubrizol and supporting around 14,000 jobs across the wider region.

The structural driver is sequential specialist installation, with air handling unit delivery, mechanical design and ductwork completion required before commissioning and validation can begin, distinguishing cleanroom fit-out programmes from standard commercial refurbishment work.

Workbox UK said the remaining programme will focus on completing the mechanical installation and preparing the facility for commissioning and validation ahead of handover to the client.

The Ellesmere Port scheme forms part of Workbox UK's wider industrial and healthcare fit-out portfolio, which spans projects ranging from minor refurbishment works to major complex installations across the UK.

For the sector, the Ellesmere Port project illustrates the extended, staged handover process cleanroom fit-outs require compared with conventional office or retail refurbishment programmes.

Source: Cleanroom Technology / Workbox UK / Business Stats