Ikea, Tottenham, London

Travelators at Ikea stores are always well-used and the Tottenham one was no different.
At 16 years, the machine was towards the end of its life and so we were asked to replace the travelator, taking the existing one out first.

Removal took around two weeks – unbolting three sections and stripping it down to make it lighter to remove. It’s a painstaking and methodical process, but necessary to clear the space to make way for the new one. Before the new machine could be fitted, the supporting steels had to be moved and modified and working with a specialist company, we were able to do this within the schedule.

All work on this project was carried out overnight, or out of hours, to ensure minimum disruption to business or customers.

The travelator is located outdoors, so we screened off the entrance with hoarding to maintain safety and create a working environment. The new travelator was built in China, arriving into Felixstowe on two containers; one for the two end parts and the other for the middle body, glass and fittings.  This then travelled to Manchester to be unpacked and all the parts checked before being dispatched down to London in lorries – logistics all overseen by us.

A week after arriving, it was in place, with testing completed by an NVQ4 Level tester brought in to sign the machine off.

Stainless steel side-cladding was added to the travelator for a finishing touch.