Walbridge

Owner:

Kobelco

Architect:

MCA Architecture, Inc.

Scope Of Work

Producing a facility that builds hydraulic excavators comes with a level of expertise and its own set of challenges.

Add in more rainfall than anticipated and it makes the construction scheduling and timing even more challenging.

Kobelco, a Japanese-based company that builds hydraulic excavators, hired Walbridge to construct its Spartanburg, S.C. facility.

The facility, located on an 80-acre greenfield site, consisted of a 155,000-square-foot manufacturing building, 16,000-square-foot office building, a demonstration center and guard center. The manufacturing center was constructed of a mix of precast, metal and tilt-up wall panels.

Weather Worries

During the construction phase of the project, the team handled roughly 50 inches of precipitation. During the exact time frame the previous year, the area experienced nearly 10 inches less.

With more rainfall than anticipated, the team had to prioritize construction of the building in sections – allowing time for equipment installation and not holding up any production dates.

In a short 10 months, Walbridge was able to achieve substantial completion to meet the owner’s timeline. The construction team worked around equipment installation, which helped maintain the production schedule and ultimately kept project delivery on time, despite the weather concerns.

Utilizing mechanical and electrical design-build subcontractors allowed the team to create an efficient design early, so the facility could meet the aggressive schedule. Through VA/VE, Walbridge provided solutions that equaled approximately 10 percent of the total project construction cost.