Focus Facilities
Morganton, North Carolina; Sumter, South Carolina; Oxford, Mississippi
Caterpillar Inc., a world leader in the manufacture of earth moving equipment, decided to close its 1,500,000 sq. ft. York, Pennsylvania manufacturing facility, and relocate the operations to several smaller new facilities in Morganton, North Carolina, Sumter, South Carolina, Oxford, Mississippi, and Danville, Kentucky. The projects were all on critical timeframes, and a detailed knowledge of the various processes was essential. Because of NUTEC’s intimate familiarity with the closing York plant, we were hired to develop cost models for new “focus” facilities, taking into account local economic conditions for each cost model.
After this initial stage, NUTEC provided full-service design for three of the four new facilities, and specialized design at the fourth. Project delivery methodology was a hybrid of sorts. Bridging documentation was used for architectural and structural systems to allow a fast-track design-build approach to be utilized, while detailed design was required for process mechanical and electrical systems and equipment foundations. Part of the scope included the development of process flow and equipment plans.
We provided architectural, structural, civil, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, process, and fire protection design for projects in North Carolina (160,000 sq. ft.), South Carolina (210,000 sq. ft.), and Mississippi (155,000 sq. ft.), and foundation and fire protection design for the Kentucky project (216,000 sq. ft.).
As part of the scope of work, we surveyed and photographed each piece of equipment at the York facility, then developed a matrix listing the utility requirements for each piece. Next, we prepared specifications for relocation and installation of the equipment. Process design included compressed air, cooling water, quench water, process ventilation, quench oil, electrical power distribution, and process control systems (PLC). The equipment was laid out in cells, with much interface between the machines in each cell. Processes include chrome plating, nickel plating, coating, heat treatment, extrusion, and heavy metals waste water distribution. At the Sumter and Oxford plants we also reviewed the work of the installation contractor.
The plants also contain waste water treatment facilities, cooling water sumps, industrial waste sump pits, and small hazardous materials storage rooms. Other features include bar-handling cranes, monorails, hoists, specialized foundations, and automatic storage and retrieval systems.