MS INTERNATIONAL plc divisions assist a BP dealer in their hour of need

BP Oil Ltd contacted Global-MSI on evening of the 23rd of January this year to ask if we could assist one of their dealers Five Oaks in West Sussex. The dealer’s canopy had been severely damaged after a strike by a high vehicle trying to enter the site. The site was closed for safety reasons, so the dealer had contacted BP for assistance who in turn asked Global-MSI to assist.

A team of specialist engineers was dispatched to inspect the damage and make safe. On arrival they found the site closed and cordoned off for the public’s safety. After assessing the damage and securing the loose sheets and steelwork, the site was soon deemed safe to open for trading.

The engineer’s survey report and photos arrived back at Global-MSI to determine the level of work and materials required to complete the repairs for the damage. Global-MSI’s  extensive archive of original drawings for vast majority of all forecourt canopies installed in the UK since the 1960s certainly helps with this process. Part of the survey also included a full canopy condition report for the client. This investigation identified the fact that the existing gutters  were corroded through and several of the roof sheets had issues with corrosion. It was agreed that we would replace the gutters, roof sheets and underlining sheets at the same time as we were repairing the canopy damage.  This immediately made sense to the dealer given the savings in both time and cost. It was also apparent from the survey report that signware tasks would be part of the repair as well as structural steelwork. As part of the MS INTERNATIONAL plc forecourt division includes Petrol Sign (a specialist forecourt signware company who are approved for BP repairs), this was not an issue. Both divisions are used to working in tandem to provide a seamless package to their customers in these situations. The quote for the full repair including the additional works was quickly produced and with the dealer within one week of the accident taking place.

Once approved by the client’s insurance a combination of structural and signware teams were dispatched to site. Once the signware was removed, this allowed the Global-MSI structural engineers to start stripping down the damaged structure. Using a crane and specialist skills gained from decades of experience in this kind of repair, the engineers soon had the damaged parts removed and new steelwork in place. Care was taken to make sure the customer’s trade was affected as little as possible while ensuring the safety of the public and operatives. Once the main structure was back to as it should be, they quickly moved on to replacing the roof sheets and gutters. Finally finishing off the under sheeting to complete the project.

While this was being carried out the Petrol Sign engineers had already returned to refit and repair the BP fascia to reduce the overall repair time and disruption to the dealer.

This work resulted in the dealer ending up with a fully refurbished canopy looking as good as new that should last for another 25 years (or until it gets hit again). From the accident taking place to the canopy being fully repaired and refurbished only took 10 working days for Global-MSI and Petrol Sign. (5 days to attend and make safe/quote with 5 days on site to repair and refurbish the canopy). The delay from the January incident to the full repair in April being the time for approval through the insurance.