Real-time reporting tool drives manufacturing plant construction success

Project

[Confidential] Battery Manufacturing Plant

Location

Liberty, N.C.

Challenge

When Ames Construction was preparing a $1.3 billion, 1,800-acre pad for a car battery manufacturing plant, Ames knew integrated data and communications were essential to keep the massive project on track and prioritize workers’ safety. With a long history of successful communication and a positive working relationship, Ames reached out to Terracon to provide environmental and materials services during construction.

The sheer size of the site was one of the most exciting, yet challenging, parts of this project, creating additional complexities to keep all the elements and staff performing optimally to meet the project goals and coordinating the mass gradation efforts.

The project started with the site’s mass grading, extending seamlessly into the battery plant’s construction. “Mass grading” refers to the movement or redistribution of large quantities of earth over large areas, as well as quality control for soil and rock gradation.

Another challenge was meeting the compressed schedule, with the contractor working two, 10-hour shifts, six to seven days a week, and scheduling appropriate staff to meet the need. Ames needed to move over 25 million yards of earth within 15 months, the equivalent of moving over 50,000 yards of earth per day.

Solution

To manage the workload and accommodate the aggressive schedule, our team dedicated up to 10 full-time technicians, a full-time, on-site project manager, and two environmental staff members. Additionally, to maintain and analyze the tremendous amount of data associated with a megasite of this size, our team used our proprietary real-time reporting tool, TARGETID. Our technology-driven approach enabled anyone on the project team to access real-time display, even on mobile.

Due to the site’s size, our team used TARGETID to set up a GPS-assisted grid system to establish a systematic testing approach. TARGETID leverages geospatial information to collect, communicate, and report real-time materials testing results through a map-centric, interactive interface. This allowed everyone from all teams to collaborate and align on the safest approach to the daily blasting schedules. Anyone could look at a real-time display, even on mobile devices, to identify the blasting radius for their protection.

To help prevent oil discharges and prepare the facility to respond to potential discharges safely, effectively, and promptly, Terracon created a Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) Plan.

Results

Safety was one of the biggest parts of this project. Over a two-and-a-half-year process, the project is estimated to finish on time with excellent safety metrics. This is extraordinary considering the site’s magnitude, the size of the equipment being used, and the tight work deadlines.

The car battery manufacturer and Ames both commented on the benefit of real-time reporting that TARGETID offered. Any deviations could be fixed immediately, increasing the client’s trust in the data.

Further, engaging our team early in the project cycle added benefit for the client toward a timely schedule and staying on budget.

Collaborating with Ames, we were able to turn a big project into reality, demonstrating our ability to execute complex full life-cycle scope with our partners and clients across America.