Key Takeaways
- ▸Mechanised panel handling installs 200 Heras panels in 4–6 hours versus 2–3 days manually.
- ▸Loading and unloading drops from 3–4 hours to roughly 15 minutes per visit.
- ▸Typical saving is £2,500–£3,000 per 200-panel deployment — payback inside two projects.
The Traditional Heras Fencing Problem
Heras security fencing is a standard requirement across UK construction, demolition, highways and event sites. It is also one of the most labour-intensive site logistics tasks that gets the least attention. Most site managers accept the time and cost of Heras installation as a fixed overhead — when in reality, it doesn't have to be.
200 Heras Panels — Install Time
UK-standard 3.5m anti-climb panels, blocks and clips
The traditional method: panels are off-loaded manually from a flatbed trailer, carried individually to the installation line, and placed and clipped by a gang of 4–5 operatives. For 200 panels, this typically takes 2–3 days. Loading and unloading takes 3–4 hours per visit. The panels are heavy, awkward, sharp-edged and handled repetitively — the exact profile of activity that generates musculoskeletal injuries.
The Mechanised Alternative
The MW Equipment FenceBag lifts and transports up to 54 UK-standard Heras fence panels as a single secure load, using the site excavator, telehandler or crane via the patented MW Easy-Lift System. The excavator that's already on site lifts, positions and places the panels in batches — rather than individual operatives carrying them one at a time.
The result: 200 panels installed in 4–6 hours. 2–3 operatives instead of 5. Loading and unloading in approximately 15 minutes instead of 3–4 hours.
The Numbers
For a fencing contractor or groundworks company installing 200 panels per project, the labour saving breaks down as follows:
FenceBag — Per-Deployment Numbers
- Installation saving: traditional 100 man-hours vs FenceBag ~15 man-hours = 85 man-hours saved per project at £24/hour = £2,040 per project
- Load/unload saving: traditional 17.5 man-hours vs FenceBag ~0.75 man-hours = 16.75 man-hours saved at £24/hour = £402 per project
- Damage saving: estimated 50% reduction in panel damage (dragging, dropping, poor stacking) — meaningful at £27 per panel replacement
- Total per project: approximately £2,500–£3,000 saving per 200-panel deployment
Against a FenceBag retail price of £6,495, payback occurs within 2 projects. From project 3 onwards, the labour saving is pure profit improvement.
Stackable Storage: The Depot Benefit
The FenceBag is also stackable for depot storage — reducing the space required to store the units between projects. The removable MW Easy-Lift System lift bar allows multiple FenceBags to be stacked when not in use.
Application Across Sectors
While construction is the most obvious application, the FenceBag's benefits extend across any sector that regularly deploys and recovers Heras fencing:
- Events — festival perimeters, concert sites, sporting events requiring rapid build and strike
- Highways — temporary security fencing around live highway works
- Demolition — site perimeter security during progressive demolition works
- Plant hire — as a hire asset generating revenue from fencing contractors
The MW Equipment FenceBag is available to order. Enquire now →