Facility Layout/Construction

Description

• The design, mobilisation, and implementation of the construction of a new facility (or the restructuring of an existing facility) to support the redesigned business processes and other elements of the BPI business solution.

Business Value

• In many cases, implementation of the BPI business solution is contingent upon construction of a new facility (or revamping the layout of existing facilities) to support the redesigned processes.
• The use of manufacturing systems, such as just-in-time manufacturing, make effective industrial facilities design a critical component of a successful corporate strategy.  For example, effective industrial facilities design can have a profound effect on a manufacturing process by enabling the an organization to have greater control over its production activities.

Approach

The physical facility and its surroundings are designed to be consistently operable, secure, safe, and in compliance with all relevant regulations. “Facilities”, in this context, include not only plant or office space, but also the machines on the shop floor, parking lots and external grounds.

1. Select site for new facility (or modified layout of an existing facility).
1. Consider the following factors when choosing a location for a new facility:
1. Availability/cost of land
2. Local construction costs
3. Availability/quality of transportation for workforce
4. Ease of access to customer market segments targeted for product/service
5. Nature of product (value, weight, bulk) and proximity to raw materials or power sources
6. Current and future market analyses
7. Availability/cost/quality of local workforce
8. Technical (e.g. engineering) skills of local community.
2. Design the new facility (or the layout for the existing facility).
1. There a myriad of factors to consider when designing or revamping a facility, including:
1. Product flow
2. Material handling
3. Materials management (e.g. waste/by-product management)
4. Warehouse/distribution functions
5. Machine maintenance
6. Utilities
7. Office planning
8. Physical asset security
9. Other (e.g. bathrooms, parking lots, etc.).
3. Construct the new facility (or change the layout of the existing facility)
1. Take the following into consideration during implementation of the facility design:
1. Management of regulatory compliance
1. Environmental regulations
2. Employee safety/health regulations
3. Local community zoning/building codes
2. Management of subcontracted services.
4. Initiate operations in the new facility (or modified existing facilities).
5. Obtain sign-off from the appropriate client decision-makers as they take acceptance of the new operations.

Guidelines

Tactics/Helpful Hints

• When appropriate, use a modular building design to allow for future expansion.