Tanax Containers
Part of Tanax GroupRequest offer
Fabricator working inside a module under construction
09 / 10

Solutions · family

Custom

One-offs, prototypes and things that do not have a product code yet.

  • EXC2 steel
  • any RAL, hot-dip galvanising
  • prototype in 10-14 weeks
  • we review your CAD first
  • ISO 9001
  • ISO 14001
  • EN ISO 3834-2
  • EN 1090-1 EXC2
  • AQAP 2110
  • CSC approval
  • Defence trade licence
  • Registered defence supplier, CAGE code held

Bring a drawing, a photograph, or a sentence describing a problem. Tanax has laser cutting to 20 mm, a 400 t press brake with a 6 m table, robotic and manual welding under EN ISO 3834-2, large-format machining, shot blasting to Sa 2.5 and a 7.9 m paint booth under one roof, so a one-off does not become a chain of subcontractors. This is where the fire-training containers, the weapon store, the expandable broadcast unit and the kiosks all started.

Specification

Cutting

Laser
2,000 × 4,000 mm table, 3.2 kW, to 20 mm
Plasma
3-15 mm, 4,000 × 1,500 mm table
Shears
to 25 mm × 3,150 mm

Forming

Press brake
400 t, 6,050 mm table, 365 mm stroke
Bending
manual to 6 mm × 2,000 mm; CNC to 20 mm × 4,000 mm

Welding

Robotic
2 × 6-axis on a 14 m track, plus a further 6-axis cell
Manual
MIG/MAG stations, EN ISO 3834-2, EN 1090-1 EXC2

Machining

Horizontal boring
6,200 × 3,000 × 1,600 mm, table to 16,000 kg, Ø160 mm spindle
Second machine
3,500 × 2,500 × 1,600 mm, table to 12,000 kg, Ø130 mm
Turning
Ø550 mm over bed, 1,590 mm between centres

Finishing

Shot blasting
8,000 × 5,000 × 3,000 mm chamber, Sa 2.5, rail-linked to paint
Paint booth
7,900 × 5,000 × 4,890 mm, drying 75-80 °C
Coatings
any RAL, CARC, hot-dip galvanising, heat-resistant to +800 °C, ISO 12944 to C5-M

Measurement

3D
6-axis measuring arm

Design

In-house
design engineer for container projects, jig and fixture design, manufacturability review

How it is built

The decisions behind the numbers

The drawing review is the first deliverable.

On prototype work the recurring cost driver is not steel, it is incomplete customer CAD: missing information, drawings with contradictory dimensions, processes that cannot be executed as drawn. Tanax now reviews the pack before cutting and issues a written list of contradictions. It is a week that saves a month, and it is included.

Prototype and serial are different numbers, and we show you both.

A first article carries the jigs, the programming, the trial welds and the rework. A serial unit does not. Tanax will quote both so the buyer can see what volume actually buys, rather than quoting a prototype price and hoping.

Some things cannot be guaranteed to a drawing, and we say so.

The pitch of the bottom cross-members on a bought-in ISO shell varies by shell manufacturer, and neither ISO 668 nor ISO 1496-1 standardises it. Tanax documents the actual pitch per unit instead of promising a number it does not control. The same honesty applies to any dimension that depends on a third-party shell.

Change orders exist, and they get priced.

A specification change after drawing freeze is a variation, priced and agreed, not absorbed silently into overtime. That is a policy, and it is why the numbers on these pages hold.

Configurations

Things that started here

  • Cut steel profiles staged for a custom build

    Live-fire training modules

    • +800 °C internal coating
    • bolted ceiling plates
    • mineral wool build-up
  • No photograph yet

    Weapon storage module

    • welded internal grille on every surface
    • A1 insulation
    • double steel doors
  • Expandable module opened out on both sides

    Expandable event unit

    • 20 or 40 ft container expanding on both sides
    • used as a broadcast room
  • Kiosk module with a serving hatch

    Kiosk and serving units

    • side hatch, counter, servery, shutters
  • Workshop module fit-out with tool storage

    Workshop and tool modules

    • tool walls, benches, drop sides, roller shutters
  • Grey medical container with red cross markings in the field, visualisationVisualisation
    Visualisation

    Medical and field modules

    • painted livery, internal partitioning, services
  • Galvanised belt conveyor frame, assembled

    Silos and belt conveyors

    • galvanised steel, assembled
    • customer-supplied components fitted
  • No photograph yet

    Padel and sports structures

    • 40 × 10 × 9 m covered structure over two courts

Build detail

What the detail photography shows

  • Welded steel frame detail inside a module
    Welded steel frame detail
  • Checker-plate floor being fitted at a corner
    Checker-plate floor being fitted at a corner
  • Work platform alongside a module in the hall
    Work platform alongside a module in the hall
  • Workbench and shelving fit-out in a white module interior
    Workbench and shelving fit-out
  • Steel frame of a module during fabrication
    Module frame during fabrication
  • Steel frame corner under fabrication inside a module
    Frame corner under fabrication
  • Red container under fabrication in the factory
    Custom module in the hall
  • Workshop container interior with a yellow frame and tools
    Tool wall and yellow frame fit-out
  • Workshop module interior with tool cabinets
    Tool cabinets in a workshop module
  • Second view of a workshop fit-out with tool storage
    Workshop fit-out, second view
  • Workshop module interior with shelving
    Shelving in a workshop module

Visualisations

Renders and drawings, labelled as such

  • Structural framing of a container in the 3D modelDesign drawing
    Design drawingStructural framing in the 3D model
  • Corner fitting of a container in the 3D modelVisualisation
    VisualisationCorner fitting, 3D model
  • Interior corner of a container in the 3D modelVisualisation
    VisualisationInterior corner, 3D model review before fabrication
  • Interior window opening of a container in the 3D modelVisualisation
    VisualisationWindow opening, 3D model

Standards

What we build to and what we issue

  • EN 1090-1 EXC2
  • EN ISO 3834-2
  • EN ISO 9606
  • ISO 9001 / ISO 14001
  • EN ISO 8501-1 / ISO 2808 / ISO 12944
  • CSC 1972
StandardWhat it covers
EN 1090-1 EXC2Steel structure execution and CE marking
EN ISO 3834-2Welding quality requirements
EN ISO 9606Welder qualification
ISO 9001 / ISO 14001Quality and environmental management
EN ISO 8501-1 / ISO 2808 / ISO 12944Preparation, thickness, durability
CSC 1972Re-approval where an ISO shell is modified

Documentation issued

Manufacturability review report, as-built drawings, welding procedure references, material certificates, coating report, dimensional inspection with 3D measurement where required, functional test protocol.

Proof

Deployments with a number in them

  1. 01

    Two prototype fire-training containers

    Taken from customer CAD through factory acceptance testing, with a documented rework list closed out on site, then into a serial pricing structure.

    Read the case study
  2. 02

    A weapon storage module

    Designed from a written technical specification with no drawings supplied, priced and offered inside three working days of the enquiry.

    Read the case study
  3. 03

    A belt conveyor

    Quoted at serial and prototype prices side by side for a Swiss carbon-capture technology company: galvanised, assembled, with customer-supplied components fitted.

Scope

What the price includes, and what it does not

Included

  • Manufacturability review
  • Design where required
  • Fabrication
  • Welding
  • Machining
  • Surface treatment and coating
  • Assembly
  • Inspection
  • Documentation

Not included

  • Customer-specified free-issue equipment
  • Third-party type approval where a notified body is required
  • Site installation unless quoted
  • Transport
If we have not built exactly this before, we will say so and tell you what we have built that is closest. Two prototype programmes in this factory were delivered below cost because nobody said that early enough. We do not do that any more, to you or to us.

Lead times

By variant

VariantLead time
Manufacturability review of your pack3-5 working days
Quotation after complete documentation2-3 weeks
Prototype after drawing approval10-14 weeks
Repeat unit8-12 weeks
Serial, established design3-4 months typical, from stock shells sooner

Engagement

Four ways to buy

01

Buy a catalogue unit

Pick from 94 published SKUs with full specifications, get a price, get a delivery date.

02

Modify a catalogue unit

Start from a standard shell and change what needs changing. Fastest route to a non-standard requirement.

03

Build to your specification

You bring the specification or the drawings, we review them, we build. Prototype and serial priced separately.

04

Subcontract fabrication

You are the prime, we are the hall. EN 1090-1 EXC2 capacity with AQAP 2110 assurance behind it.

Process

Specification to delivery in five steps

  1. 01

    Send the specification.

    A drawing, a tender annex, or three sentences. Whichever you have.

  2. 02

    Review, in writing.

    We tell you what is missing or contradictory before anyone quotes. 3-5 working days.

  3. 03

    Quotation.

    Bottom-up: material at purchase cost, co-operation, direct hours at a fully absorbed rate. 2-3 weeks for a complex build.

  4. 04

    Design freeze and build.

    Changes after freeze are variations, priced and agreed.

  5. 05

    Test, document, deliver.

    Factory acceptance where specified, full document pack, delivery and installation where quoted.

FAQ

Questions procurement asks

Will you build from a photograph?

We will start from one. What we need before cutting steel is dimensions, loads, the service environment and the applicable standards. We will help you write that down.

What if our drawings are incomplete?

We will tell you exactly where, in writing, before we cut. That review is part of the job.

Do you do galvanising?

Yes, hot-dip through a co-operating plant, and CARC, heat-resistant and ISO 12944 systems in-house.

What is the largest part you can machine?

6,200 × 3,000 × 1,600 mm, up to 16 tonnes on the table.

Minimum quantity?

One. We will show you the serial price alongside it so the volume decision is yours.

Send us the specification. A drawing, a tender annex, or three sentences.

You will get a written review of it inside a week, whether or not you buy anything.

Request a quotationTalk to engineering

Where to go next