Real Insights into Designing Facilities for Complex Manufacturing
It stands to reason - the more complex an enterprise’s operations, the more intricate the facility must be that will house it. Designing heavily-engineered facilities, such as ultra-modern manufacturing plants and high-tech testing labs, requires a level of thought and planning significantly greater than is needed for a simple office or warehouse. However, with a keen understanding of the unique challenges that these types of facilities present, a facility can be designed that is flexible, functional and sustainable.
Even for a domestic facility serving a regional market, the design and construction of a heavily-engineered facility will be a global and highly collaborative endeavor that relies upon dynamic supply chains in an environment that is constantly in flux. As with any infrastructure investment, the project’s success will depend on bringing the facility from initial funding to revenue-generation as quickly as possible. The demand for these types of structures is growing. Owners and stakeholders can position themselves more competitively by understanding best practices and lessons learned. Here are several key considerations.
Bringing the Best Together
The first step in developing a heavily-engineered facility is assembling a team experienced in the unique aspects of these types of structures. Although this may vary depending on the project delivery method the owner chooses, the team will mostly likely be headed up by a lead designer and a general contractor. They will be supported by subconsultants and subcontractors that will cover every aspect of the project’s development, along with other stakeholders who will lend expertise.
Regardless of the site location, it should be expected that the assembled team will include members from across the world, especially as it relates to the procurement of materials, equipment and technology. Maximizing collaboration on a cross-cultural team can be challenging, but there are techniques and methods that can be deployed to integrate the stakeholders to function as a cohesive unit committed to achieving the owner’s objectives.
Language barriers can slow down the decision-making process, but the effective use of graphical information and visual displays have proven beneficial for communicating the project’s needs and goals. Although words may be foreign, most industries have accepted graphical elements used in plans and instructions that are common and accepted by professionals working in different countries.
Using graphical and visual information correctly will be instrumental to overcoming language barriers, but careful consideration must be given to cultural barriers as well. Understanding business practices from other parts of the world - what behaviors are acceptable and what customs are expected – will be key to establishing a cohesiveness and level of trust that will facilitate collaboration.
Building-In Sustainability
The need to increasingly include sustainable features into a facility is being driven by ecological, economic, and regulatory considerations. While some features may be dictated by building codes and government requirements, others should be determined in consideration of other factors. These include the unique manufacturing process of the facility, the types of equipment being used and their maintenance requirements, and even the dynamics of the market being served and how it is likely to change in the course of the building’s life cycle. The primary goal will be to reduce operational costs, minimize energy consumption and achieve long-term efficiency.
Prioritizing Speed to Market
As mentioned, the demand in markets that require heavily-engineered facilities is growing, making it ever more important to plan, design and construct as quickly as possible. Combatting this need are the lingering effects of the COVID pandemic that are continuing to impact supply lines. International relations and geopolitical influences may also delay the procurement of equipment and materials.
A project team with experience working in the owner’s particular market will have developed strategies for addressing these concerns. They will know if certain pieces of equipment are difficult to come-by and should be ordered earlier in the process than normal. They will be able to suggest suitable alternatives if procurement of preferred building materials will significantly delay a project or increase the cost to a prohibitive level.
In addition to being able to secure the physical resources needed to get a project quickly to market, an experienced project team will also be able to ensure that the necessary human resources will be available also. The construction industry is facing a serious shortage of skilled workers, but an experienced contractor will be better positioned to respond based on their knowledge of the regional workforce where the facility is being built. Strong relationships with trade unions are also beneficial.
Labor shortages are also being addressed in the industry by the increased use of modular construction approaches. By specifying building components that are manufactured off-site in a factory, the need for on-site labor is greatly reduced. Modular components are designed to be easily assembled and erected and require much less technical expertise than traditional building methods.
Modular design and construction can provide value in other ways as well. It can introduce efficiencies in the construction phasing process and cost savings through economy of scale. Perhaps its greatest attribute is the flexibility it provides. Many modular components are designed to be readily disassembled and reconfigured, allowing spaces to be refurbished as operational needs evolve. It also makes it much easier to remove and replace large pieces of equipment.
Adaptability in Execution
Flexibility is not only important in building design, but also in project execution. When developing a heavily-engineered facility, it should be expected that changes will occur that will disrupt the assumptions made during initial planning. They may come in the form of advancements in operational processes and technology, a sudden shortage of building materials or labor, or any number of other changes that may occur in the marketplace.
While these disruptions may not be predictable, their impact can be mitigated by establishing a plan and mindset among team members that emphasizes versatility and the ability to pivot quickly. Combining trades and construction strategies into a flexible first-pass integration plan, for example, will provide the adaptability needed to manage changes throughout the project lifecycle.
Other solutions that will keep a project moving forward while achieving the client’s objectives include establishing quality control/assurance procedures that include both internal reviews and third-party assessments. Committing to an agreed-upon percentage of project completion at specified milestones will achieve owner buy-in at the project’s onset and build confidence as each milestone is successfully reached.
A robust and comprehensive communication plan will ensure that changes and updates are quickly disseminated throughout the entire team so that no one is operating with out-of-date information. Schematic designs and construction documents should be updated and reviewed on a consistent basis so that a clear picture of where the project stands at any given time can be easily ascertained. Responding to disruptions in schedules is much easier if all project stakeholders are operating from the same playbook at the beginning and through every step along the way.
Establishing procedures, safeguards, and expectations is critical to building a team that is flexible and will perform at the highest level, but there is a human element as well. To truly foster collaboration and get everyone working towards the same goals, personal relationships should be developed to build trust and cohesion. This can be accomplished by going beyond the standard work lunches and organizing social activities during non-work hours. These types of activities are especially beneficial in overcoming the cultural barriers mentioned previously as they allow everyone to interact in a more relaxed environment, away from the pressures of the job.
Being a Good Neighbor
Large-scale manufacturing facilities are highly sought-after by municipalities for the additional jobs and influx of revenues they can bring to a community. But they can also place a strain on municipal resources. These types of plants require a great deal of water and electricity to operate. Sewer lines may need to be extended and expanded and even roadway improvements may be required to handle the increased traffic to the new site.
Although much of this will have been addressed during the site selection process, these issues still have the potential to disrupt a project and the project team should be prepared to engage with the community in a timely manner when needed. Any project will go much smoother if public buy-in is achieved early on during the process and the community’s concerns are addressed up-front but responding to ongoing or new concerns should remain a priority to maintain that goodwill.
Conclusion
As the world becomes increasingly high-tech across all aspects of life, the products that manufacturers are asked to produce become increasingly more complicated. Designing and constructing facilities that are suitable for this level of production presents unique challenges to the project team. The ability to organize a multi-cultural team that can respond in real-time to changes in the industry and develop a sustainable structure is no easy task. Seeing to every detail of these highly-engineered facilities, while at the same time focusing on the owner’s need to get to market quickly, requires a level of collaboration and creativity far above what has been needed in the past. Although these challenges are still emerging, there are proven strategies and tools to effectively address them. The first step is awareness, which hopefully these Real Insights into Designing Facilities for Complex Manufacturing have provided.
Johannes Palm, PE, LEED AP, BD+C
Chief Operations Officer, Executive Vice President
Director of Mechanical Engineering
Johannes (Hans) puts forth his energy to ensure that clients receive the best possible solutions to their mechanical engineering challenges. He is responsible for leading development of overall mechanical design concepts, evaluation of energy requirements, and integration of conservation/energy recovery techniques in support of the program scope. With strong experience in industrial and manufacturing projects, Hans is committed to applying engineering solutions that heighten quality, energy management, and facility/process utility integration.