Challenge
Ground movement beneath an operational bottling plant caused cracking, sinkholes, and slab instability. Urgent stabilisation was required without excavation, slab removal, or interruption to production.
Solution
Geobear injected expanding geopolymer beneath the slab to fill voids and restore support. The works were completed in a single shift with real-time laser monitoring.
Critical internal slab area stabilised
Precisely targeted beneath the slab
Total geopolymer installed on site
Kingsland Drinks Ltd operates one of the UK’s largest independent bottling and distribution facilities at Irlam, Manchester. The site includes extensive warehouse, bottling, and yard areas essential to continuous production.
Signs of significant ground movement emerged, including cracking to internal walls, multiple sinkholes in yard areas, and a section of the building taken out of use after remote monitoring recorded movement of approximately 4 mm in one week.
The affected area was located within a geologically complex zone, including made ground overlying alluvium and an infilled former river channel running beneath part of the site.
Investigations identified degraded sub-base conditions, shallow voids beneath slabs, and loose surrounding materials susceptible to washout and collapse. Alluvium depths locally extended to approximately 8 m, underlain by weathered sandstone.
The key challenge was stabilising a critical internal slab area quickly and safely, without removing the concrete floor or disrupting bottling and warehouse operations. Traditional excavation-based repairs would have resulted in prolonged downtime and significant operational impact.
Geobear designed a targeted slab stabilisation treatment focused on a 65.5 m² critical internal zone. Site checks identified shallow voids ranging from approximately 30 mm to 140 mm directly beneath the slab.
The works involved drilling a controlled grid of injection points through the slab and injecting expanding geopolymer resin to fill voids and re-establish uniform support. Slab response was continuously monitored using laser levelling to confirm re-engagement with the underlying soils and prevent overstressing.
Injection records showed multiple locations achieving positive lift between 0.5 mm and 2.0 mm, with additional points displaying “flicker” responses, confirming effective void filling without measurable lift where appropriate.
All works were completed within a single shift, with the area remaining operational throughout.
The geopolymer treatment successfully restored slab support in the treated zone, reducing the risk of further collapse and allowing production to continue without interruption.
Compared to excavation and slab replacement, the solution delivered substantial time savings, avoided production downtime, and eliminated the need for slab removal. Given the variable ground conditions, ongoing monitoring was recommended, but the intervention provided rapid, low-disruption stabilisation precisely where it was required.
Don't let unstable ground put your business at risk. Our commercial team can provide a clear assessment and a fast, effective solution tailored to your operational needs.
