Having just been awarded a few new programs and with a couple others pending, the customer had to find space to launch all of them. Their existing facility was too small and they wanted to avoid the costs associated with managing multiple facilities in the same city. The General Manager wished to propose a new facility that was large enough to house all programs. This project would be a big-ticket item requiring the corporation’s senior management approval, but the window of opportunity was very narrow. A formal proposal had to be developed and approved within 30-days for any new construction to be ready in time for the launches.

IET joined a few key members of the launch team to bring industrial engineering rigor to the preliminary design effort. Total floor space and building configuration were essential parameters that had to be established for determining feasibility and overall cost. In addition, detailed layouts showing equipment, material and support areas with smooth material flow were required to convince top decision-makers that the entire proposal was thorough and well-conceived. IET’s engineers prepared material storage models to calculate space requirements for purchased items, WIP and finished goods. IET used the outputs from these models along with an understanding of the production processes and facility design best practices to develop alternative layout concepts in the smallest building footprints possible.

Within the first week, IET prepared detailed layouts that illustrated three progressive options for housing the guaranteed and potential programs. After learning the customer had been awarded all the programs, IET spent the next two weeks optimizing the design of an appropriately sized facility. The customer’s team utilized these drawings in preparing their proposal for funding a new facility.