Planning for the Expected & Unexpected

We talk a lot about planning here at PDMi. It really is THE single most important part of a building project. I won’t bore you with specifics of how many projects we’ve seen go sideways over the years due to lack of planning, but I will remind you that projects do tend to go sideways when you rush the planning process (or skip it all together). With all that said, I’d like to share a quick story of a client that we are currently working with that has embraced the importance of planning.  

We met with the client at their Detroit facility earlier this week, as they are looking to remove two very old manufacturing lines, renovate the existing building and then install two new state of the art manufacturing lines to increase output and profit at the bottom line. The existing facility is a 60+ year old building with multiple challenges. In the 1970’s a large underground utility vault was abandoned inside the building and they signed papers with the city stating that they would not remove it at a later date, so we know that is a monument that cannot move. The issue we face is that we need to install a 12’ deep pit for the new equipment that is in the general location of the underground vault. Since no one is exactly sure what the vault entails and why it could not have been removed 50 years ago, we are doing extensive due diligence (that’s a fancy way of saying planning) to be sure that we do not disturb the underground vault while still optimizing the space constraints of the new manufacturing line. It is a project we have been working on for most of 2024 and we now have a solid plan in place to move forward with the renovations of the building and the installation of the new manufacturing lines this spring. 

Despite all of the time it has taken to get everything correct, we now know that the location of the manufacturing line is in the right place to optimize the space. We went into the planning portion of this project not knowing exactly want to expect, but have gained knowledge through the process of what the best outcome will be. If PDMi can help you get through the unexpected portion of your next project, give us a call and let us help you put a plan in place.