Meeting the Challenge of a Difficult Job
Subcontractor
PROJECT
A
Computer Chip Manufacturing Facility
Owner
Not to be disclosed due to Non-Disclosure
Agreement
General Contractor
DPR Construction, Inc.
Architect/Engineer
Jacobs Engineering
Electrical Subcontractor
Ludvik Electric Co.
Submitted By: Ludvik Electric Co.
LUDVIK “INSIDE”
In the Spring of 2000, Ludvik Electric Co. was
contacted to participate on a design assist basis to complete the construction
of an existing manufacturing plant and add necessary infrastructure, buildings
and systems to support a 1,757,300 sq. ft. project consisting of 728,000 sq.
ft. Manufacturing; 165,400 sq. ft. Class 1 Cleanroom; 26,100 sq. ft. Utility
Building; 82,800 sq. ft. Process Support; 265,000 sq. ft. Test/Lab; Process Gas
Yards; 450,000 sq. ft. Office Building; and a 40,000 sq. ft. Warehouse
Building. The schedule was 15-months for
completion, a record pace even for this client.
Ludvik
immediately mobilized a staff to meet with the client on design and
construction parameters and simultaneously dispatched field crews to determine
existing conditions as the plant had been mothballed for several years. Demolition of old and addition of new
infrastructure improvements began immediately while design was developed. The original plan to complete the existing
facility was quickly discarded and a total upgrade was pursued as this client’s
process was too sophisticated to be supported by the existing plant.
Recognizing
this change would vastly affect the project and therefore the management
approach, Ludvik modified its plan. With
the work plan now indicating the need to put in place approximately 1,300,000
man-hours of work in approximately 12 months (i.e. 3 months design, 12 months
construction), an organization was established to provide one overall
Construction Manager, supported by four (4) Project Managers, four (4) Project
Coordinators, two (2) Estimators, two (2) Schedulers, five (5) Quality Control
Managers, eight (8) Safety
Managers, five (5) Field Engineers,
nine (9) Accounting Personnel and two (2) Clerical Support. A later change in site requirements to move
all material offsite rendered the addition of ten (10) full-time Material
Storage and Lay Down Yard to be added to the mix.
The
work plan, now showing a peak workforce of 850 Electricians, presented a new
issue. Where do we find 850 Electricians
in Colorado’s booming economy?
Ludvik
immediately reinforced its Human Resources Department who undertook to contact
every NECA Chapter and every Local Union in the Nation. Not relying on that source alone, the HR
Department also put on an extensive radio and TV blitz as well as mass
mailings, newspapers, trade publications and internet searches to attract the
needed manpower. Incentives were
established to help attract and retain new hires so that learning curve losses
would be minimized. In all, over 1,800
craftsmen were interviewed and offered employment.
To
insure proper supervision of the workforce, 88 Foremen were put through
Ludvik’s Supervisory Training Program.
Training was provided at the craft level as many unique situations
present themselves in clean room construction.
An industry construction expert was retained to review all levels of
operations at the site and make recommendations. This program was so effective, immediate
productivity improvements were noted in Ludvik’s studies.
As a safety issue, the client had required daily
calisthenics, known as Stretch and Flex, to be conducted before the start of
each shift. An Orientation Program was
developed for each and every employee at the site. Pre-Task Planning and a Hazard Awareness
Program were initiated to keep the tradesmen appraised of
related hazards in their work
areas. Ludvik endeavored to maintain one
safety professional for every 50 tradesmen during the duration. The results of this are a 1,340,000 man-hour
project executed without a lost time accident.
Ludvik
initiated an electronic filing system on the project to help administer the
projects. In all, 28 computers were
installed at the site interacting with the home office through T-1 lines. Approximately 85,000 documents were managed
with full and immediate access by personnel in real time.
The 1,800 electrical drawings, that were eventually prepared, were reissued an average of four times creating an estimating, budgeting and material purchasing task never previously experienced at Ludvik. Full-time estimators, at the jobsite supported on several occasions of high activity by the corporate staff, created each of the multitude of estimates required by the client. Every scenario had a complete budget and material purchase uniquely associated with the activity.
To
insure Ludvik was dispatching its workforce and resources to the proper tasks,
an electrical schedule was prepared containing 2,000 activities, each with four
subsets. All task, with current
activity, were updated weekly with critical areas updated daily. These efforts allowed actual progress on the
electrical portion of construction to never negatively effect the plant
completion.
This
project presented many exciting challenges, each of which was met with detailed
analysis and creative remedies. With Ludvik
“Inside”, you can be assured of dedicated efforts toward a successful
completion.