Wanting a correct precast concrete protective hasty bunker supplier?
The sole purpose of a hasty bunker is to provide rapid, reliable protection to personnel or equipment at any location, without requiring a second thought, and to be structurally sound.
If it does, no one is aware of it.
If it doesn’t, it’s not really a bunker issue, it’s a supplier issue.
This guide is all about how to assess a precast concrete protective hasty bunker supplier that you end up with a unit you feel is a safe investment and not one that you end up questioning after deployment.
The Selection of a Supplier Is More Than Just About the Wall Thickness
The first criterion that most buyers compare is the thickness of the wall, unit weight, and price.
This is a good first step, but it bypasses the most critical aspect of the bunker’s design, reinforcement, and finish: ensuring it will provide the necessary protection and withstand the quick deployment and repositioning needed for usage.
The life of hasty bunkers is tough.
They are routinely carried and dropped on site, lifted and dropped over and over again, and are expected to perform structurally the instant they are put into place with no curing time or time to adjust the site.
A supplier that views hasty protective units as a specialty product, rather than “just a smaller precast box” designs for these factors right from the start.
One who does not, will give a unit that looks fine on the yard but actually fails structurally when it is in service.
Understand What Type of Unit Is Required in Your Project
It is useful to understand what type of protective unit your project needs before a comparison of suppliers, as not all precast manufacturers offer the entire spectrum of protective units.
Single-Occupant Hasty Bunkers
Single-occupant units are small, easily-set up shelters for one person, usually for observation, guard, or checkpoint duty.
They require lifting points that are easily and quickly installed and have a footprint small enough for tight or restricted sites.
Multi-Occupant Protective Bunkers
Multi-occupant bunkers are used by small groups and require some extra room for internal clearance, multiple access or firing points as required and a structure which will accommodate the extra roof span and weight without affecting the protection level, as required.
Equipment & Communications Shelters
These units are used to safeguard sensitive equipment (generators, communications equipment, or control systems), not people.
They are more interested in the inside design of the equipment for easy access, cable routing, and adequate ventilation than on the features that appeal to personnel: bunkers for occupants.
Modular and Linkable Units
Modular bunkers can be joined together with other bunkers to create a larger protected position.
The strength and accuracy of the couple between modules is critical in their performance; if one module has a weak link to the other, the protection of the position is compromised.
Knowing what type — or combination — of protective precast structure is best suited to your project will enable you to reduce the number of suppliers to manufacturers that specialize in providing precast protective structures, not just include them as an add-on to a general precast catalogue.
Ask What Type of Military Construction They Are and How Well Protected
A supplier who has taken bunkers seriously can be confident that they can specify with clarity the level of protection, or design standard, a particular unit is designed to achieve, and support their claim with the schedule of reinforcement and concrete specification that supports this.
This should be substantiated by actual design data and not something that is assumed, such as “heavy duty” or “reinforced.”
Inquire directly about the degree of protection and which reinforcement schedule and concrete strength is required for that degree of protection and if the design has been verified or tested independently of the manufacturer.
A supplier that provides details and documentation is a supplier that you want to work with.
That’s a supplier that is not a supplier that you can rely on for a protective structure.
Discuss How They Do Quality Control on Their Products
Even with the same nominal spec, there is a considerable difference in the quality of concretes between manufacturers.
Find out how units are cast; ask what process and length of time they go through before they are considered ready for dispatch; and ask what quality checks are conducted prior to dispatch.
Consistency is more important for protective units than just about anything else.
An under-cured or poorly reinforced unit will not be apparent on the outside, but will only reveal the discrepancy under load.
Are there tests that the supplier carries out to assure that each unit is in fact a unit that meets the stated specification, rather than one that appears to be acceptable?
Request Engineering Documentation Behind Every Unit
A good supplier should give the engineering detail of their protective units as standard, not a best-attempt box ticking exercise.
This should cover the design loading it was designed for, the reinforcement and concrete specification required to meet this design loading, and confirmation of the way the design loading has been verified.
Suppliers who can make this statement confidently are proving that they aren’t just selling marketing jargon.
If the supplier is hesitant or vague on this information, it’s a red flag, and no matter what price the unit is offered at, don’t buy it from them.
Compare the Differences in Deployment and Handling Requirements
There are different handling requirements depending on the size and type of the unit.
There are some hasty bunkers that require little ground preparation or sequencing for single vehicle/crane placement, and larger multi-occupant or modular bunkers may require special lifting equipment, ground preparation, and/or sequencing for proper connection.
Inquire of your supplier what lifting/placing equipment their units require, if they offer training on handling and placing, and if there have been previous deployments where time was of the essence.
When you realize that you are in deployment and a unit requires something which you don’t have with you is not something you want to learn in the field.
Review Their Work History
Design specifications tell about what a supplier states that their units do.
Completed projects provide details of what was actually provided and the performance of the units.
Request examples of similar protective units provided for similar applications and how they have performed in the years and usage.
A supplier that has a proven history of making protective units that meet the specifications is more reliable than any product description.
Red Flags That Should Be Monitored
Several red flags routinely appear with less reliable suppliers:
- Answers are ambiguous or frequently change when asked about protection level or reinforcement specification.
- Reluctant to share engineering documentation before sending it away.
- No apparent quality control process before sending it away.
- Pricing that is much lower than competing suppliers, but no explanation is given for the difference.
When two or three of these conditions are present it may be a good sign to slow down and do more questioning before ordering from a particular supplier.
Integrating All the Parts
The key to selecting the right precast concrete protective hasty bunker supplier is to know what you need, and that they have the ability to explain the level of protection, reinforcement and quality control for each unit supplied, rather than making blanket promises.
Do this correctly, and the unit does exactly what it’s supposed to: works flawlessly when it’s needed, and no one has to wonder if it will.
