Precast Inc. - September/October 2008 - (Page 34) A.L. PATTERSON’S NEW RACKING SYSTEM AND KITCHEN ARE EXAMPLES OF THE DETAILED PLANS FOR GROWTH THE COMPANY ANTICIPATED BEFORE CONSTRUCTION STARTED, BECAUSE ADD-ONS ARE INEFFICIENT AND DON’T WORK AS WELL. make it larger to meet current needs; they also wanted to position themselves for future growth. “We tried to build for five-year growth, but the way things are going, it will only be two or three,” he says. However, because of the way they designed the building, an additional expansion will not be a problem. “We built the new facility with the capability of adding on another 15,000 square feet without any interruption,” he says. “We thought about ‘biting the bullet’ and building this additional 15,000 square feet at the same time, but we decided not to, since it wouldn’t be a problem to add it on later.” The way they designed in this flexibility was to use precast concrete extensively, including a precast basement, precast interior and exterior walls, and precast retaining walls outside. “This gave us the ability to add on without disrupting our existing business,” he explains. “In addition, it can be done quite quickly.” The company didn’t want to be in a position where it would be doing a number of small add-ons. That’s inefficient, says Fleck, because small add-ons don’t work as well. In other words, he suggests setting it up such that add-ons can occur all at one time, very quickly and very easily. “When we were doing our initial planning, we had a lot of meetings with the architect and our key people to come up with a layout that would work for us,” continues Fleck. “We then matched up that layout in our minds with what we could do on the site we chose.” – BARRY The biggest challenge was making sure they didn’t overlook or miss something. “You only get one shot at it, and it is very expensive and disruptive to change something once it is in place,” says Fleck. “As a result, we ended up making a lot of changes up until the last minute – right up until the time we went out for pricing.” One thing that helped was starting with a clean slate. “We had been in business long enough that we knew what we didn’t want,” explains Fleck. “We then combined this information with what we knew we wanted.” The company also built with sustainability in mind. “This was very important to us, because the cost of operating this facility is forever,” says Fleck. “It’s not a one-time cost.” For this reason, they made some additional investments, such as using R-20 insulated precast walls and increasing ceiling insulation. And even though they had R-20 insulated walls, they built the studs out to add even more insulation. Lights in the warehouse are controlled by motion sensors. “There are parts of the warehouse where people may not be for hours at a time, so there is no need to have lights on,” he says. They also painted the warehouse ceiling white, making it very reflective. This not only reduced the need for extra lighting, but 34 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008 | PRECAST INC. “You only get one shot at it, and it is very expensive and disruptive to change something once it is in place.” FLECK, A.L. PATTERSON INC. also improved safety. Were these investments expensive? Yes, admits Fleck. “However, as an owner, I can justify the return on these investments,” he says. Figure out why you want to expand Obviously, the first time you realize you need to consider an expansion is when you start running out of room. However, if all you do is expand to solve that problem, you may be missing some profits, efficiencies and other benefits, according to Dan Houk, president of Wilbert Precast Inc., Spokane, Wash. Houk has been involved in three major expansions in the past eight years. Each one reaped a tangible and significant benefit beyond just reducing “cramped quarters.” Wilbert Precast is a diversified company in that it also has a design section and operates as a general contractor. With this added expertise, it has been able to do most of the expansions itself. The first expansion resulted in the ability to gain market share. It was in Lewiston, Idaho, where Wilbert Precast had a facility for years. “In 1999, we decided to buy a few acres and build a Photos courtesy A.L. Patterson Inc.
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