SMART Electrical Solutions
Martin Electric was contracted by BBL Construction Services, LLC., to design and construct Plug Power’s electrical system for their new 350,000 SQFT world-class, hydrogen fuel cell manufacturing facility in Slingerlands, NY. The primary goal was to provide 200,000 sqft of manufacturing space and 150,000 sqft of research & development office space that is designed with power redundancy to operate 24/7 without fail.
Services Provided:
Pre-Construction Services, Temp Power& Lighting, Production Distribution, Access Control System, 30,000 sqft of class I DIV I testing rooms, N-Light Control System, Emergency Power, Etc
THE CHALLENGE
While Martin Electric specializes in the industrial and manufacturing market, the
challenge was an extremely agressive schedule which was exacerbated by: post-COVID
supply chain delays; workforce shortages; and the lack of information and design
paremeters provided by the Owner.
THE CONDUIT TO SUCCESS!
Martin Electric credits their success to: experience; following LEAN in design and
construction practices to reduce non-value adding waste; early engagement &
partnerships with vendors to mitigate supply chain challenges; and constant
innovation relative to people, practice and technology so they could do more with less
when there was no one to answer the call at the hall.
LEAN in Design: Martin Electric was able to provide the Client with the agility to design
while constructing which was paramount to meeting the deadlines. Martin Electric
played a key role in guiding the Owner in their decision making by providing a choice
by advantage matrix when looking at form, function, cost, and leadtimes. Additionally,
Martin Electric’s experience in manufacturing helped to provide recommendations
and reference points to the Owner.
LEAN in Construction: Martin Electric, in addition to all trade partners, followed
the “small batch” concept, working in concert with each other daily. Martin Electric
followed the Last Planner System to keep a pulse on what was upcoming to mitigate
all constraints before they impacted schedule. Constant communication with all
project participants was key to the success.
Strong Vendor Relationships: By engaging with US Electric Services & Eaton on Day 1
of preconstruction, Martin Electric was able to reduce the lead time from 16 months to
7 months in the procurement of a 3,000 amp double ended switcboard due to daily
collaboration and quick response turnaround time from the team.
Technology: Trimble RTS was utilized for layout saving hundreds of manhours and
improved accuracy. KOJO - material management software - was utilized to improve
efficiency of the material ordering process, higher visibility of our internal warehouse
inventory to pick from stock when vendors were not able to source; and improved
tracking of backorders. Southwire SimReels and Graybar’s lighting carts were also used
to increase efficiency.
Prefabrication: When on-site construction wasn’t made-ready, Martin Electric
prefabricated the following: rough-in organized by room and floor; ladder tray; panel
mounting racks; lighting whips; cutting, threading, bending of pipe; service entrance
duct bank and self performed all excavation.
Team Building: This was a high- stress, high- stakes project that required a significant
amount of overtime which can often lead to burnout. To mitigate this, Martin Electric
ensured this high-performing team was empowered, appreciated, and rewarded
throughout the project. Many team lunches & happy hours were enjoyed and outside
of the office a Hurling team, sponsored by Martin Electric, was started to help blow
off any steam! Throughout the weeks of overtime, the leadership team constantly
monitored the crews health and utilized a rotating schedule to provide relief as well as
pushed back against all OT requests that were not necessary.
Martin Electric began preconstruction services in March 2022, began our underground
conduit installation in April 2022, received a TCO on the Core & Shell in July of 2022
and brought the fully commissioned facility online in December 2022 meeting every
deadline without incident!
MANY THANKS TO:
Martin Electric would like to thank their construction manager BBL Construction
Services, the Owner Plug Power, and all of the trade partners who worked diligently
to make this project a success - Graybar, US Electrical Services, Eaton, Fire Security
& Sound, Southwire, IBEW & NECA. Most importantly - Martin Electric would like to
thank each team member for their dedication, teamwork, and quality workmanship
on this project. It could not of been done without them!
How did we do?
This new manufacturing facility is creating good, green jobs in the Capital Region and beyond - helping communities around the world break their dependence on fossil fuels by replacing them with cutting-edge green hydrogen technology.