Quad Graphics

Lorima, WI

Some may consider it unique, the 25-year plus "partnership" between Quad Graphics, the world's largest privately held printer of magazines, catalogs, books and other printed products, and Spancrete, the precaster they have used on most of the growing number of projects. Quad Graphics has used more than 1 million square feet of Spancrete® Insulated Wall Panels to create capacity of nearly 9 million square feet in Wisconsin. Quad Graphics continues to use more, due to plans to add another million square feet in the near future.

The reasons for the long-standing relationship between Quad Graphics and Spancrete can be summed up in just a few words, according to Joseph Muehlbach, Quad's corporate manager for facilities. "The Spancrete hollowcore system provides us with the shortest avenue to meeting our continuing expansion needs. Using these panels dramatically shortens our construction window."

The Spancrete panel system works well for Quad's in-house general contracting arm, which directs all of the printer's construction, says Muehlbach, "We can do all of our foundation and flatwork while Spancrete produces the wall panels. When we are ready to erect them, all we need to do is direct them to ship the finished product. We can put them up in a hurry, in a week or two, rather than over several weeks or even months." Spancrete and Quad Graphics have worked on projects for the printer in such Wisconsin cities as Hartford, Lomira, Milwaukee, Pewaukee, Sussex and West Allis.

Patented Panel System
In Spancrete's patented process, wire strands are positioned on the manufacturing bed and tension is applied. The machine, used by Spancrete to produce hollowcore panels for nearly 60 years, places three layers of concrete simultaneously, forming a high-strength, monolithic plank. A layer of rigid thermal insulation is placed on top of these layers before a final exterior layer is applied and tied to the hollowcore slab with C-hooks, thus sandwiching the insulation.

Typically, the panels provided for the projects measure 8 feet wide and average 34 feet in height. They feature an 8-inch-thick structural hollowcore panel, 2 inches of insulation and a 2-inch-thick facing panel. At times, panels are stacked to provide inside building clearances of more than 50 feet. "While many of our buildings are production facilities not requiring more than 30 feet or so of clearance, in some locations we use a high-density rack warehouse system," Muehlbach says. "In those buildings, we need more height. What we like about the precast panels is that we can achieve this height by stacking the non-loadbearing panels."

In another variation, many of the buildings also contain a mezzanine for administrative offices and other functions such as mechanical areas, locker rooms, cafeterias and storage. In these cases, Quad designers specify hollowcore plank to create the Spancrete® mezzanine floor.

Cost Advantage Offered
"Another good reason for using the Spancrete system is its cost," says engineer Michael J. Horne, P.E., senior project manager and associate at Graef, Anhalt, Schloemer & Associates in Milwaukee. His firm has been involved in the design of many of the Quad Graphics plants throughout the country. "No other system could be installed at the cost of a standard insulated panel and provide the durability required in a printing plant," he says. "When future expansions are anticipated, lower-quality insulation is used, which still meets the building-envelope requirements. This provides additional cost savings to Quad."

The Spancrete system is used efficiently by Quad, he notes. When large-scale changes are required for a new addition, the panels can be removed from the existing building and reused for the new structure. "It is not unusual for existing panels to be replaced with new panels containing openings for large doors and other penetrations," Horne explains. Existing panels containing windows are incorporated into the new building design, adds Muehlbach. "We also can cut openings into existing walls and install doors or windows, and we frequently do."

Cost and efficiencies are key considerations, with speed also a factor in many instances, Horne notes. "Quad is a constantly expanding entity. We are always in contact with them as to their future needs. As their business expands, the firm frequently needs new space virtually immediately. Few, if any, other construction systems would allow them the luxury of meeting the time constraints they always seem to face."

The way Quad needs to constantly expand is greatly facilitated by the Spancrete system, Muehlbach agrees. "Usually, we just add on to our existing buildings. We virtually build a second building next to an existing facility, very often 100,000 square feet at a time."

Good Fire Ratings
When that happens, what had been the existing exterior walls for the plant frequently become interior partitions as the new addition goes up. "The beauty of this system is that the existing walls form fire-rated interior partitions without modification," says Horne. "The necessary fire endurance already exists in the Spancrete sandwich panels."

Spancrete panels literally can be removed from existing walls and then reused in the new structure, since they are non-load bearing. It is not unusual for those panels to be replaced with new panels containing openings for doors and other penetrations. "We also can cut openings into existing walls and install door or window frames and frequently do," adds Muehlbach.

Spancrete® insulated sandwich panels also provide Quad with long-term cost benefits, Horne says. In addition to the initial cost advantages, Quad finds that the insulated panels provide them with a definite energy savings. The typical panel has an R-14 rating. "This means less heat in the winter and less air conditioning cost in the summer," he says. "Since the Quad buildings usually have minimal glass in them, the panels provide a strong energy advantage over some other systems, without increasing the initial construction cost that would be present if a metal building system were used."


Building A Team Concept
One of the main factors leading to the success of the partnership between Quad Graphics and its precaster is the close relationship among the client, its engineering firm and Spancrete, says Michael Horne, senior project manager and associate at Graef, Anhalt, Schloemer & Associates in Milwaukee, Wis.

"We are always in contact with the different plant managers at Quad's facilities, as well as with Spancrete. In this way, we always know where Quad is headed and can coordinate with Spancrete's scheduling. As Quad acquires more work and need more space, we can react to their needs almost immediately. With the very flexible Spancrete precast system, we can anticipate Quad's requirements and be ready to move quickly when they are ready to expand."

Horne and two other members of the GAS staff provide much of the engineering work for the various Quad facilities. The other two GAS staffers key to the Quad building program are Senior Project Manager Robert Schumacher and Vice President Bruce W. Lammi. All three have been involved with designing Quad facilities not only in Wisconsin but in West Virginia and Georgia as well.

"We've supplied panels for nearly every job Quad has built in this state, so we have a good handle on their needs," Gary Evenson, Spancrete Sales Manager. "They keep us informed, and we provide the panels on an FOB, job-delivered basis. By anticipating their needs, we can schedule deliveries so that when site work is finished, they can erect our panels in a matter of days instead of weeks."

Low Maintenance Costs
Additional life-cycle cost savings come from the inherent durability of the concrete panels, Muehlbach notes. "Our business requires a great deal of movement of materials with such vehicles as fork lift trucks," he explains. "The Spancrete stands up well to this wear and tear, and continues to perform and look good. Other systems would show their age much more quickly."

Muehlbach also lauds the aesthetics that can be achieved with Spancrete precast panels. "We have many different choices of exterior finishes, and this allows us to match our new buildings to existing structures," he says. "We mostly use an exposed aggregate finish. To match some of the buildings we bought when we expanded at those locations, we use a smooth finish."

A big selling point is that the blended aggregates Spancrete uses to cast panels for Quad provide a consistent finish, both in color and in texture, he says. This ability to match existing buildings is another factor that keeps Quad coming back to Spancrete for its construction program.