Case Study : When A Standard Spray Booth Isn't Big Enough For Algeco

When Algeco decided to bring their container and modular-build spraying in-house at their new Wilton site near Redcar, they needed a way to create a dedicated spray area inside their existing warehouse, without knocking through walls or building anything permanent. We designed, manufactured, and installed a bespoke U-shaped industrial curtain enclosure, built around their existing steelwork, giving them a controlled spraying environment without costing them a section of their warehouse or requiring planning permission or weeks of downtime.

The Challenge

Algeco's containers and modular buildings had previously been sprayed at a separate facility. Moving that process in-house meant finding a way to contain overspray and control the spraying environment inside a warehouse that was still doing everything else it normally did, day to day.

This is a problem we see a lot. Many companies find that the objects they need to spray, coat, or paint are too large to fit into a commercial off-the-shelf spray booth. A standard booth is built to a fixed size, and if what you're spraying is a shipping container or a modular building unit, it won't fit. The usual fallback is either to send the work off-site, as Algeco had been doing, or to build a permanent structure, which is expensive, disruptive, and hard to adapt later if your workshop layout needs to change.

Algeco needed something that could handle full-size containers and modular units, fit around their existing building rather than replacing part of it, and not interrupt the rest of the warehouse while it was in use. There's also a practical scale problem behind this kind of job. A shipping container is typically around 6m or 12m long and over 2.5m wide, while a modular building unit can be even larger.

The Goal

The brief came down to four things:

1. A spray containment area big enough for full-size containers and modular buildings.
   
   
2. A system that could be installed using the existing warehouse steelwork, rather than requiring new construction.
   
   
3. Open, unrestricted access at the front, so containers and modular units could move in and out without the enclosure getting in the way of daily warehouse operations.
   
   
4. A material and structure suited to a spray environment specifically. Fume control and fire safety needed to be part of the spec from the start, not an add-on.

Nothing here was about making the space look better or feel more finished. Every requirement was tied to whether the enclosure would actually function as a working spray booth on a day-to-day basis. 

How The Job Came Together

Jobs like this one start the same way most of ours do: with an enquiry.  Algeco got in touch about bringing their spraying process in-house, through our contact us page on our website. And from there, it went to our sales team to talk through what they actually needed: the scale of what they'd be spraying, how the space was used day-to-day.

From there, we carried out a site survey at the Wilton facility. This is the stage where we measure the actual space, check what steelwork is already in place to work with, and determine where the enclosure needs to sit so it doesn't interfere with how the warehouse is used the rest of the time. 

Once the survey confirmed the layout, we fitted a sliding track to the existing warehouse steelwork. This is what the curtain sections are ultimately suspended from, and it's what allows the enclosure to open and close rather than remain a fixed, solid structure. Getting the track fitted and running properly before the workshop curtain goes up means the whole system moves as it should from day one, instead of needing adjustment after installation.

The industrial workshop curtain itself went up last, made and fitted to the exact dimensions confirmed on site. We manufacture and install everything in-house, so there's no need to hand the job off to different contractors at different stages. Keeping the whole process in-house means the people fitting the curtain on-site are working from the same measurements taken during the survey, not from a spec sheet passed down the chain.

The Solution: A U-Shaped Spray Booth Curtain With A Weighted Chain Pocket Base

We installed a bespoke 49m x 7m U-shaped industrial curtain enclosure, with a sliding track fitted to the existing warehouse steelwork and the curtain suspended from that. Rather than being built against a wall, the enclosure stands free in the middle of the warehouse floor, with clear space around it on every side.

That positioning is deliberate. A container or modular building can only be reversed or driven in from one direction if the enclosure is boxed in against a wall or in a corner. By positioning the enclosure in an open area of the warehouse, Algeco can bring units in from whichever direction is most practical for the load and the day's operations, rather than being limited to a single approach. This flexible layout makes manoeuvring large units much easier while keeping the enclosure clear of racking, doorways and other fixed obstacles, allowing equipment to be moved into position safely and efficiently.

The curtain sections are joined with industrial-grade Velcro strips along the seams, which keep the panels secure while still allowing them to be separated or adjusted if access needs change in the future. It's a simpler fix than welded or riveted joins, and it means any section can be worked on individually without taking the whole enclosure down.

At the base, we fitted a weighted chain pocket into the curtain hem. This keeps the curtain securely sealed to the floor, preventing it from lifting or shifting due to air movement caused by roller shutter doors opening elsewhere in the warehouse. For a spray environment, that matters more than it might sound. Any gap at the base allows overspray to escape and outside air to get in, both of which affect the finish quality of the spraying work inside.

Health and safety was built into the material choice. The curtain is manufactured from flame-retardant PVC that conforms to the building regulations BS EN 1301-1, which is important in a spray environment where solvents and coatings are used in an enclosed space.

Clear vision panels run along the lower section of the curtain, earning their place on the health and safety side of this job as much as on the practical side. Forklift and vehicle drivers manoeuvring around the outside of the enclosure can see if anyone's working close to the curtain line before they move, rather than approaching a solid blue wall with no idea what's happening on the other side. Anyone walking through the warehouse can see there's spraying going on inside without needing to open a section or ask. This matters when the enclosure is standing in open floor space with people and vehicles passing on every side rather than being tucked against a wall. The panels also bring daylight into the booth, so operatives aren't relying solely on artificial lighting to see what they're doing.

The Outcome

Algeco now has a dedicated in-house spraying area, built inside their existing warehouse, capable of handling full-size containers and modular buildings without needing to be sent off-site. The U-shaped industrial curtain enclosure does what a permanent structure would, at a fraction of the cost and without the disruption of construction in a live facility.

The base stays sealed, and the panels stay joined regardless of what else is happening in the building that day, so the spraying environment inside remains consistent even as doors open and close elsewhere on site. The extraction unit built around the booth keeps fume levels down for anyone working inside, and the flame-retardant material means the whole system is built for the job it's actually doing, not just adapted to fit.

Because the entire enclosure is suspended from a sliding track rather than fixed in place, Algeco isn't locked into a single layout. If their spraying needs a change, the enclosure can be adjusted or reconfigured without ripping anything out and starting again. That's the advantage of a curtain-based spray booth system over a permanent build in the first place.

It's also worth setting this against what Algeco were doing before: sending containers and modular units to a separate facility for spraying. Bringing that work in-house eliminates the transport and scheduling required to move large units between sites. It gives them direct control over turnaround times for their own spraying work, rather than having to work around another facility's schedule.

Algeco gave the job a 5-star review on our sign-off form, with site contact Paul Atkinson commenting: "Great install, guys were brilliant."