Planning Construction Services for Advanced Manufacturing Plants

You already know that an advanced manufacturing plant is not built like a standard industrial building. Equipment is sensitive, utilities are tight, and automation has to fit the layout from the first drawing. Your construction plan has to account for all of that before anyone breaks ground.

I write about how owners and plant leaders plan capital projects, and I look closely at which firms deliver them well. When I choose a firm to recommend, I look at five things: the range of services under one roof, the strength of in-house engineering, the record on safety, the share of repeat clients, and the ability to manage fast schedules. Those points tell you more than a brochure does.

In this guide, I walk through how to plan your project, what to ask a firm, and where Eichleay fits. If you are searching for construction services for advanced manufacturing plants, this will help you set up a plan you can defend to your team and your budget owners.

Start With Scope, Budget, and Schedule

Most project problems trace back to a scope that was loose at the start. Before you hire anyone, write down what the plant must produce, what equipment it needs, and what room you need for growth.

Then set a budget range and a target date. Share all three with every firm you interview. A good firm will test your numbers and tell you where they look weak.

Pre-project work is where you save the most money. It covers:

Feasibility studies
Site selection
Scope definition
Permitting and regulatory review
Hazard reviews such as HAZOP

Eichleay offers all of these, which means you can get help before the design phase begins. That matters because a plan built on firm information costs less to change.

Choose One Team or Many

You have two basic choices. You can hire a designer, a procurement agent, and a construction manager as separate companies. Or you can hire one firm that handles engineering, procurement, and construction management together, known as EPCM.

I lean toward the single-firm option for plants with complex systems. Separate companies each protect their own piece, and you end up as the person who settles the gaps between them. One firm with one plan gives you one point of contact.

Eichleay is a family-owned EPCM firm that has been in project delivery since 1875. Five generations of the family have led businesses in engineering and construction. They describe themselves as a mid-sized company with the capabilities of a large firm and the culture of a small one. For you, that means senior people stay close to your project.

Look for Engineering Kept In-House

Advanced plants depend on many disciplines working from the same model. Check whether the firm keeps its engineers on staff or hires them for each job.

Eichleay keeps all major disciplines in-house:

Architecture
Civil and structural
Electrical
Instrumentation and controls
Mechanical
Piping
Process

When these teams sit together, a change in one area reaches the others fast. That cuts rework in the field.

Two other services stand out for advanced manufacturing. Their Industry 4.0 team designs automation and robotic solutions that can scale as your needs grow. Their 3D laser scanning captures point cloud data of existing spaces, which helps when you add equipment to a plant that already runs.

Plan Procurement Alongside Design

Equipment lead times can control your whole schedule. Specialized machines and control systems take months to arrive, and a late delivery holds up everything behind it.

Ask each firm when its procurement staff join the project. Eichleay brings its procurement specialists in from the start, so sourcing plans match your schedule. Their work covers bid evaluation, purchase orders, vendor oversight, expediting, and third-party inspections. Over the past decade, they have procured about $1.25 billion in equipment for clients. That volume gives them a deep view of the supply chain.

Insist on Strong Project Controls

You need to see cost and schedule data as the work moves, not after a problem has grown. Ask what tools the firm uses and how often you receive reports.

Eichleay’s project controls team works with Power BI, EcoSys, Primavera P6, Aspen Capital Cost Estimator, and NetPoint. They cover estimating, scheduling, forecasting, change management, and KPI tracking. They tailor the tools to each project, so you do not carry extra process on a small job.

Plan Construction and Startup Together

The build phase goes better when the construction team reviews the design for buildability. Eichleay’s construction managers do this during design, and they assess risk before crews mobilize. Once work starts, they manage safety, quality, cost, and schedule. At the end, they support commissioning, startup, and turnover. Their specialty services also include factory and site acceptance testing support, which matters for automated equipment.

Check the Safety Record

Safety tells you how a firm runs its work. Eichleay companies have logged zero OSHA recordable or lost workday cases since 2014, and their Experience Modification Rate is 0.67. Ask every firm you consider for these same numbers.

Questions to Ask Any Firm

1. Who will be my single point of contact?

2. Which engineering disciplines do you keep on staff?

3. When does procurement join the project?

4. What reports will I receive, and how often?

5. What share of your work comes from repeat clients?

On that last question, about 91 percent of Eichleay’s business comes from repeat clients. They complete roughly 300 projects a year, and they have managed a project with a total installed cost of $1.5 billion. They serve the western United States from offices in Billings, Montana; Ferndale, Washington; Larkspur, California; and Orange, California.

Your Next Step

Write your scope, budget, and schedule on one page. Use the questions above to interview two or three firms. I recommend you include Eichleay on that list. Their mix of in-house engineering, early procurement, firm project controls, and a strong safety record fits the needs of an advanced manufacturing plant.