Short answer
Yes. Advanced manufacturing facilities combine ordinary building structure with demanding process requirements: heavy and often moving equipment loads, tight deflection and vibration criteria, service-dense ceiling zones, clean-room interfaces, phased installation and the need to keep production running during alterations. BES has substantial experience of process and manufacturing structures, including steel-framed production buildings, equipment support structures, pipe racks, platforms and plinths, and the structural coordination required between process, mechanical and building disciplines.
Branded guidance note, prepared for project records and circulation to your team.
Typical scope
- Equipment support steelwork, plinths and inertia bases
- Mezzanines, access platforms and maintenance walkways
- Pipe racks and process support structures
- Assessment of existing frames for new or relocated equipment
- Structural interfaces with clean rooms and controlled environments
Governing considerations
- Deflection and vibration criteria driven by equipment tolerance rather than code minima
- Dynamic and impact loading from moving plant
- Phasing and temporary works around live production
- Future flexibility for equipment change
How BES is typically involved
- BES works from equipment load schedules and coordinates directly with process and mechanical teams.
- Assessments of existing structures establish whether new plant can be accommodated without strengthening.
- Phased design supports installation while the facility remains operational.
Typical process
- 01Review equipment loads and performance criteria
- 02Structural options and layout coordination
- 03Design of frames, plinths and platforms
- 04Phasing and temporary works
- 05Installation support
Common misconceptions
Commonly assumed
“Code deflection limits are sufficient for equipment support.”
In practice
Equipment manufacturers frequently impose far tighter limits; those govern the design.
Commonly assumed
“Structural design can wait until equipment is selected.”
In practice
Early structural involvement using load envelopes avoids costly redesign when final data arrives.
Related tools and services
Resource Centre tool
Steel Section Capacity Checker
Verify a steel section you have already selected — bending, shear, deflection, web bearing, web crushing and approximate lateral-torsional buckling, with utilisation and reserve capacity.
Open Capacity Checker →Resource Centre tool
Project Information Builder
A guided ten-step wizard that prepares a complete Project Information Pack — client details, site, scope, programme and documents — ready for quotation and appointment.
Start Information Builder →Related questions
Discuss your project
General guidance only goes so far. Describe your building and what you are planning, and you will receive project-specific advice from a Chartered Structural Engineer.
Discuss Your Project →Next scheduled review August 2027
Disclaimer
Indicative result only. The calculation depends on the assumptions and information entered and does not constitute structural design or professional advice. Do not use the result for construction, procurement, Building Regulations submissions or safety-critical decisions. All results must be independently verified by a suitably qualified structural engineer before being used for design, construction or regulatory purposes. Bebbington Engineering Studio Ltd accepts no responsibility for reliance placed on unverified results.