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Interior of a large industrial facility with conveyor belts and ventilation ducts.Interior of a large industrial facility with conveyor belts and ventilation ducts.

Active plant retrofit in record time 

Facing a one-year deadline to retrofit an active plant, Arconic partnered with CDM Smith to deliver new automotive production facility via deisgn-build. 

Client

Arconic

Location

Lafayette, Indiana

Connect with an expert

Calderone_James-edit1.jpg
Jim Calderone PE, DBIA
Director of Design-Build

Accelerating production capability under tight deadlines

Arconic needed to rapidly retrofit its Lafayette, Indiana facility to support new automotive part designs under a contract that allowed less than one year for completion. The challenge was delivering a new direct extrusion press and tube mill upgrade without disrupting the ongoing operations at an active manufacturing plant. With no room for schedule slip, Arconic partnered with CDM Smith to develop engineering designs and transition seamlessly into construction using a design-build delivery approach. 

Maintaining production at an active plant 

Design and construction were planned around ongoing operations, where uptime was critical and disruptions to manufacturing could not occur. 

Transitioning from design into construction 

Early construction management engagement created a single point of contact and seamless transition from design into construction. 

Adapting schedules to equipment delays 

When overseas equipment was delayed, the team advanced sub-packages and foundation work to maintain schedule and cost targets.

Prioritizing safety and coordination 

Close subcontractor coordination supported safe, efficient work across extended shifts and site areas.

Operating on an aggressive timeline, the team relied on flexibility and close collaboration to meet all objectives. The shift to design-build allowed schedule adjustments when vendor delays occurred, keeping progress steady through parallel activities. “The site team did an outstanding job in managing the subcontractors to complete the work in a safe and efficient manner,” said Jack Wyman, Arconic’s project director. Ultimately, the project was delivered safely, on time and on budget. Leveraging our three decades of knowledge with Arconic, our collective project teams delivered an extremely safe and quality project on time and budget through collaborative teamwork of the two companies. 

Curious to learn more?

Connect with an expert to find out how we delivered this project. 

Calderone_James-edit1.jpg

Jim Calderone

Director of Design-Build

Jim has experience in engineering, construction, and design-build for industrial and power clients, overseeing completion of all industrial design-build projects.

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