Magna Phase 2 complete: 150,000 sq ft extension handed over

For a food manufacturer, a finished shell is only half the story. The space has to be clean enough, serviced enough and safe enough to take production, and at Magna that had to happen while the existing lines kept running.

What Phase 2 covered

Our package on Phase 2 covered the building and the systems under and around it:

• structural steel frame;
• roof and cladding;
• mezzanine;
• fire protection;
• stainless steel staircases;
• drainage, pumps and storm water attenuation.

The final fit-out, including epoxy resin flooring, mechanical and electrical (M&E) coordination, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and fire suppression, was procured directly by Magna and completed alongside our works as each area came online.

Fitting out next to live production

Building next to a working food factory changes the order of everything. Four things shaped the Phase 2 programme from day one:

• Cleanliness: dust and debris matter far more next to food production than on a typical site.
• Sequencing: work timed so trades did not hold each other up as areas came online.
• Protection: live production lines protected from the works around them.
• Deliveries: tanker deliveries to the site are continuous, so site traffic was planned around them.

We explain how the principal contractor role works on a site like this in our Magna case study.

If you run a food site

If you are planning an extension to a working food or drink facility, the questions to ask a contractor are less about the frame and more about the site: how they will keep your deliveries moving, how they will keep dust away from production, and who coordinates the fit-out trades as each area comes online. Our guide on how to check a contractor before you sign lists the documents to ask for.

Design to installation, one team

Magna is a good example of how we work: one team carrying the design, the steel and the construction package, on a site that could not stop. Read more on the Magna project page, or talk to our design and build team through our contact page.

Questions we get asked

What did Phase 2 at Magna include?

A 150,000 sq ft extension with structural steel, roof and cladding, mezzanine, fire protection, stainless steel staircases, drainage, pumps and storm water attenuation, handed over in August 2026.

Can you extend a food factory without stopping production?

Yes, with planning. The works are sequenced around production and deliveries, and cleanliness standards are set from day one.

What fit-out does a food manufacturing extension need?

At Magna the final fit-out included epoxy resin flooring, M&E coordination, HVAC and fire suppression, procured directly by the client and completed as each area came online.