FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention is related to industrial factory buildings, more particularly to a movable or re-locatable production plant erected or assembled from shipping cargo containers, wherein in use, fittings and raw materials are transported to construction sites in at least one container, which is itself integrated as the storage and supply area of the assembled plant, thereby reducing both transportation and material handling costs.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Known factory buildings are fixed and immovable structures, in which raw materials and end products, require transportation to production and sales areas, thus increasing the final cost of the products themselves. Furthermore, prior art industrial buildings generally cover large floor spaces, house multiple pieces of immobile manual operational equipment resulting in inefficiencies in space utilization, production and time considerations. In addition, raw materials and components must also be packaged, shipped and unloaded at factories which all ultimately contribute to final production costs. All of which are unsuited for the demands of current production standards necessary for improved social development and commercial competitiveness.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the above-described problems, it an objective of the invention to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a movable or relocatable container plant that can be conveniently transported and erected rapidly and wherein in use, fittings and raw materials are transported in at least one container, which is itself integrated as a storage and supply area of the assembled plant, thereby reducing both transportation and material handling costs.

In order to solve the above problems, the invention adopts the following technical solution: In one aspect, the invention resides in a movable or re- locatable container plant, comprising:

a plurality of containers placed on the ground;

the containers arranged in two substantially parallel rows joined at one end by one or more containers arranged to comprise a U-shaped processing area (1); a production chain consisting of a plurality of automatic production facilities internally installed in the processing area,

the production chain occupying the U-shaped processing area (1), wherein there one or more containers located in the opening of the U-shaped processing area (1) serve as raw material storage and supply areas (2).

In a more specific embodiment, the invention is a movable or re- locatable container plant which comprises six containers placed on the ground. The six containers are arranged in two lines and three rows in a vertical direction, among which, five containers are arranged in proper order like a U-shaped processing area. A production chain consisting of a plurality of automatic production facilities is internally installed in the processing area. The production- chain runs through the whole U-shaped processing area and the remaining containers located in the opening of the U-shaped processing area serve as raw material storage and supply areas.

Preferably, the container located in the raw material storage area is provided with one or more material inlets communicating with the U-shaped processing area.

Preferably, the U-shaped processing area is provided with a plurality of outlets around its periphery.

In one configuration, the production chain in the U-shaped processing area includes a steel coil storage area, a steel coil straightening and moulding area, a punching area, a folding area, a welding area, a shearing area and a feed opening in sequence, in which corresponding automatic production facilities are placed and wherein these automatic production facilities are integrated in the containers.

In another configuration, the production chain in the U-shaped processing area includes a steel coil storage area, a cold-press moulding area, a semi-finished product area and a feed opening in sequence, insulating and finishing area, in which corresponding automatic production facilities are placed and wherein these automatic production facilities are integrated in the containers.

Preferably, the containers located in the opening of the U-shaped processing area which serve as raw material storage and supply areas are also the containers in which the raw material was originally shipped and transported in and wherein when emptied of the raw material are replaced with fresh containers of raw material without disturbing the configuration of the rest of the containers comprising the plant.

The invention is considered to have the following advantages: automatic production facilities in one or more production chains in the plant which are integrated in a plurality of containers. The plant is therefore able to be moved or re-located as the job location changes. When in use, fittings and raw materials can be transported to closer and movable construction sites for installation and production, thus also saving costs in the transportation of the finished products. The containers located in the opening of the U-shaped processing area which serve as raw material storage and supply areas are also the containers in which the raw material was originally shipped and transported in and when emptied of the raw material are replaced with fresh containers of raw material without disturbing the configuration of the rest of the containers comprising the plant. Therefore, by reducing site location and logistical supply problems, the production process can be simplified with greatly shortened production time and enhanced production rate, whereby as a consequence construction speed and overall performance is significantly increased.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to better understand and put the invention into practical effect, further description relating to the invention is made in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments:

Fig. 1 is a structural diagram of a preferred embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

As shown in Fig. 1, the invention provides a movable or re- locatable container plant that can be conveniently transported and erected rapidly. The plant comprises six containers placed on the ground. The six containers are arranged in two lines and three rows in one direction, of which five containers are arranged to form a U-shaped processing area (1). A production chain consisting of a plurality of automatic production facilities is internally installed in the processing area. The production chain runs through the whole U-shaped processing area (1) and the remaining containers located in the opening of the U-shaped processing area (1) serve as raw material storage and supply areas (2). Of course, in this invention, the number of containers is not restricted. The longer the production chain, the more the containers are required. For example, a plant consisting of ten containers arranged in two lines and five rows is also available for production, having identical technical effect and providing an equivalent technical solution. Furthermore, the container located in the raw material storage area (2) is provided with one or more material inlets (21) communicating with the U-shaped processing area (1). In this embodiment, the container located in the raw material storage area is provided with base material discharge ports on the side edge along one side, and is provided with material inlets connected with the middle part of the production chain at the bottom end or section. Different material inlets (21) match with different raw materials. After the raw materials in the container runs out, the only requirement is to take away the container and replace it with a fresh container filled with raw materials. It is thus unnecessary to transport the raw materials per se to a production facility as the container system solves this and is convenient and quick to use.

Furthermore, for convenient production and management, the periphery of the U-shaped processing area (1) is provided with a plurality of outlets (11), on which safety gates are arranged.

In the embodiment, the production chain in the U-shaped processing area (1) includes a steel coil storage area, a steel coil straightening and moulding area, a punching area, a folding area, a welding area, a shearing area and a feed opening in sequence, in which corresponding automatic production facilities are placed and these automatic production facilities are integrated in the containers. The production chain in the U-shaped processing area (1) includes a steel coil storage area, a cold-press moulding area, a semi-finished product area and a feed opening in sequence, insulating and finishing area, in which corresponding automatic production facilities are placed and these automatic production facilities are integrated in the containers. Different products have different production processes and different automatic production facilities.

In this invention, automatic production facilities in one or more production chains in the plant are integrated into a plurality of containers. Therefore, the plant is movable to wherever the construction site is located. When in use, fittings and raw materials are transported to construction sites for installation and production in containers, which are themselves integrated as the storage and supply areas of the movable plant, thus saving costs of transportation and material handling. Furthermore, as the supply area or container is part of the plant, the production process is simplified with greatly shortened production time and enhanced production rate, thus resulting in increased speed and competitiveness.

In addition to the embodiments mentioned above, it will be apparent to the skilled addressee that other equivalent technical solutions are also within the scope of the invention as herein disclosed.