Manufacturer’s Guide to Facilities Planning

With the booming economy that we’ve been experiencing for the past several years (present Covid-19 situation not withstanding) particularly in manufacturing, the scenario that we hear from many of our past and prospective customers goes something like this: • “We’ve been trying our best to keep up with customer demand, but…” • “We need more functional space in order to increase production and warehousing” • “We could use more loading docks for more efficient shipping and receiving” • “Our administrative offices and employee welfare areas are bursting at the seams” • “We’ve had to lease additional space in other buildings, which has become a logistical problem” • “It will be more cost-effective to remodel or expand our current facility, right?” Sound familiar? For a business owner having similar thoughts, how do you decide what the best path forward is? Where do you even start? Well, the simple answer is: it depends. The truth of the matter is that there is no one-size-fits-all solution for every situation. For a growing business, there are many factors that come into play, such as: short vs long-range planning, ownership succession plans; overall the condition of the existing facility (age, accessibility, maintenance, energy efficiency, insurance, and yes, even aesthetics); limitations to potential facility expansion on an existing property; and the list goes on. The next question then becomes: “if continuing to try to work with my current facility is not feasible, should I buy (or lease) another existing building, or should I build new?” Again, it depends… on many factors, including: available (and affordable) inventory of existing buildings that would serve a business’ growth plan, now and well into the future; available (and affordable) buildable land, including whether or not site utilities are readily available; availability of skilled workers (both current and future) within a certain travel distance; proximity to primary

transportation networks (freeways, railways, ports, etc.); or, to simply use the clichéd catch-all phrase: location, location, location. Next question: “Okay, so what if I’m not sure how best to answer those questions? Who do I turn to? I know there are architects and I know there are builders. Which is the best route to take?” Well, one project delivery method that has been quite successful over the years, particularly for manufacturing markets, has been Design/Build. As compared to traditional Architect Design/Bid/ Build or Construction Management type of deliveries, Design/Build is very well suited for most manufacturers. Here is a shortlist of the benefits of this type of project delivery: a) both Design and Build in-house with the same company (i.e. a single-source of responsibility) b) the most interactive collaboration between the Design and Build aspects c) shorter overall project duration d) better control of project costs e) limited “change orders”

-Site Investigation: this includes research and assistance in site selection as well as municipal zoning codes, utilities, incentive programs, etc. -Programming: this entails “Discovery” of our customer’s spatial needs vs wants, including such things as room sizes (based on personnel and usage), spatial relationships, process flow, exterior and interior design aesthetics, site development, confirmation of square footage needed for initial phases and potential future phases; discussion of project budget and presentation of comparable past project costs. -Schematic Design: development of Preliminary drawings, including site plan, floor plans, exterior elevations, and 3d renderings, as well as discussion of the projected budget of initial design. -Design Development: Final Preliminary drawings, including additional drawings and details -Estimating and Bidding: hard number quotes of Keller’s self-performed work, as well as multiple sub-contractors for each trade. -Construction: based on a detailed construction schedule, weekly on-site job meetings and minutes and multi-faceted project supervision. A recent real world example of a customer that chose our company as their Design/

Builder is Dielectric Manufacturing, a leading one-source contract manufacturer of plastic and metal parts, components and assemblies, based in the metro Milwaukee area. Vice President Michael Esser Jr. explains their decision to relocate and build an entirely new campus in a neighboring community: “We machine and fabricate a wide variety of materials, including thermosets, thermoplastics, ferrous metals and non-ferrous metals. At the time, prior to deciding to construct a new facility, we had been outgrowing our existing facility and came to realize that we had no room for growth. We decided to build our own facility because we could then truly make it our own. By partnering with Keller, Inc., we went through their Discovery process to find out what was necessary for our company in a new facility. From there we went through the full Design/ Build process with Keller and were able to build a state-of-the-art facility that will make us more efficient as a company, and with room for growth.” In addition to the basic information gathering of the various rooms that would be needed to replicate and expand their various departments (in the end rounding out at 103,000 sf), the Discovery process also covered many other topics such as site selection, pre-design communication with the municipality, optimal site planning for future expansion, parking, shipping/receiving logistics, dock quantities and details, process flow, warehousing needs, employee welfare, HVAC performance, interior design goals and of course exterior design. Keller, Inc. is an award winning, single-source, design/build general contractor with offices in Milwaukee, Madison, Kaukana and Wausau. As 100% employee-owned, they have the staff and expertise to take projects from the early phases of design through the construction process to ensure that the project is completed on time and within budget. For more information on Keller, Inc., visit www.kellerbuilds.com.