Putting the Pieces Together

Panel Built Incorporated
Written by Leon Bracey

These days, it seems modular construction is really coming into its own. Georgia-based Panel Built Inc. has known about the advantages of modular since 1995, and since that time has specialized in providing high-quality modular building projects for its many clients.
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Today, Panel Built is able to offer a complete line of custom modular offices, mezzanines, and exterior buildings. The company’s product lines are produced on site in two state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities.

We spoke with Marketing Manager Conrad Walker to learn more about Panel Built Inc.’s dedication to building modular structures, and to customer service. “We’re one of the only one-stop shops in the industry,” Walker says. “Every order we get is custom-built to customer specs and comes with a warranty.”

Founded in 1995 by brothers Pat and Mike Kiernan, the company got its start by constructing pre-manufactured buildings. The company product line has grown and evolved over the years to include such offerings as One-, Two-, and Three-Story In-Plant Offices; Multi-Purpose Mezzanine Systems; Security and Guard Stations; Interior and Exterior Equipment Enclosures; Wall Partitions; Clean Rooms; Exterior Offices; Stair Systems; and Special-Use Buildings, as seen on the company’s website, www.panelbuilt.com.

Panel Built also has its own sales team, able to provide free quotes and CAD drawings to help customers get their projects underway. The customer service team works in tandem with the shipping and installation departments to ensure on-time delivery and swift setup, with the least amount of disruption to the customer’s business.

“Our people are what make our company great,” says Walker. “Panel Built has always been flexible – rearranging schedules, doing what we have to do to meet the needs of our customers. We’re a Christian-owned company and have a culture of ethics and lean manufacturing principles.”

The company offers a breadth of products to meet the varied modular structure needs of its customers. From a simple and economical 10’x10’ in-plant office, to an environmentally controlled cleanroom, to a two-story industrial complex, Panel Built can engineer a building inside and out and custom-design a system to meet specific project needs. The company’s modular office systems are designed to keep employees comfortable in warehouse or manufacturing environments, and Panel Built’s modular office systems provide clean, well-lit and temperature controlled structures for these spaces. The modular office can even be designed to be placed on a mezzanine for the most efficient use of space and a bird’s eye view of a given facility. A modular building of this type is ideally suited for offices, break rooms, cooling booths, observation towers, clean rooms, and equipment enclosures.

The versatility of Panel Built’s structures allows its customers a choice of wall panel designs and finishes. The company also offers a certified one hour fire rated wall system for higher insurance requirements, its website explains. The standard value line pane uses half-inch vinyl covered drywall on either side of a polystyrene core – great for fire, sound and affordability. Panel Built also utilizes aluminum, steel, hardboard, fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP) porcelainized steel, plywood, and virtually any type of surface that can be laminated, to suit the cost needs.

Panel Built’s exterior metal buildings and prefabricated building systems also offer cost-effective alternatives to conventional construction. Quicker to construct than stick built structures, panelized metal buildings offer outstanding quality and value.

In addition to quality construction, a wide selection of panel finishes, roofing types, and accessories allow the company to tailor prefabricated building systems to fit each customer’s needs. The exterior modular walls are expandable and relocatable to allow for future growth and mobility, while the system’s ability to withstand hurricane and earthquake conditions, its speed of construction, and its ability to meet tough building codes make Panel Built buildings a smart choice for a number of buildings, such as equipment enclosures, guard shacks, storage buildings, and even office or commercial facilities.

Panel Built’s pre-assembled building systems are designed for industrial, commercial or military space management that require immediate building solutions. Pre-assembled at Panel Built’s factory, these interior or exterior systems are shipped direct to a site completely assembled. Panel Built also builds heavy duty industrial platforms for supervisory in-plant offices or towers, converting vertical space into productive work environments. These are rugged, load-bearing mezzanine systems which can support two-story construction and can meet military specs.

Panel Built also offers lines of stairs and railings, all designed for a lasting finish and fast delivery, as well as high-strength steel barriers designed to withstand severe impacts. Recently Panel Built has developed on a new lift-out system for its barrier rails, featuring a complete integral sleeve with sections that slide in and out, offering greater flexibility with the same high level of structural integrity.

These products have been used in a number of industries and applications in the market and Walker says that business has been bustling for the company. “We are gaining momentum in specialized markets where traditional construction typically dominates,” he explains. “Due to regulations playing more of a role in the construction industry, third party testing, and the rising costs of conventional construction, that is helping the modular industry as a whole.”

For example, Limousine manufacturer Executive Coach Builders needed room for more storage and office space without losing space in its production area. They worked with Panel Built for a practical and efficient solution, which included two custom powder-coated mezzanines with wide span support to maximize the work area below. For even more space, a three-room modular office system was added to one mezzanine. This gave the client the ability to take advantage of unused space without sacrificing valuable floor space.

Georgia manufacturer Corrugated Replacements, meanwhile, needed to create a temperature-controlled, secure clean room for a Coordinate Measuring Machine in one of its factories. The company reached out to Panel Built to find a solution, and Panel Built designed, manufactured and installed a two-room modular system to consolidate the company’s quality assurance and measurement areas. The in-plant office boasts 14 foot walls to accommodate the machine and associated filtration and ductwork for the clean room. Because of the machine’s size, the building was constructed around it, and a temporary enclosure was built to protect the delicate equipment without disrupting operations – a clear advantage offered by modular construction.

IT Company Accenture reached out to Panel Built to build a two-story in-plant facility in one of its factories. This modular building was designed to combine function and form to create a work and meeting space in the client’s plant facility. Here, the Panel Built team developed a custom two-story system with a lobby area, an open office area, an IT room, a hallway, a stair system, a manager’s office and a conference room. The building also boasts oversized windows, full-glass doors, high-gloss black panels and brushed aluminum extrusions. Additionally, a “floating” drop ceiling, specialized light fixtures, and glossy black surfaces on the stairs, railing and undercoating of the mezzanine were also part of the design, meeting Accenture’s vision of an upscale workspace and meeting area.

For the last twenty years, Panel Built, Inc. has provided effective modular structure solutions for its clients. By combining customer service and versatile products, Panel Built has become an industry leader in providing one-stop shop solutions to meet the needs of its expanding customer base.

“We value our customers above anything else and we strive to serve them better than anyone in the industry,” says Walker. In fact, “In our organizational chart, above our owner are our customers. The principle is that our customers come first; we meet their needs and make them happy, and that makes our company successful.”

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