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A pioneering battery manufacturer known for its high-density silicon-anode batteries is embarking on an ambitious expansion project. The company is converting a former Kmart distribution center into a state-of-the-art production plant. This move represents a significant leap from R&D to pilot manufacturing, to scaling up the production of their cutting-edge batteries used in phones, drones, military applications, and electric vertical takeoff and landing (EVTL) vehicles.

SSOE Group, with its recognized architectural and engineering design expertise in the battery manufacturing market, has partnered with Turner Construction to develop and construct the 775,000 SF facility, which is part of a more extensive 1.2 million SF multi-tenant complex. Phase 1 is engineered to have a production capacity of 500 megawatt-hours of battery power once in production.

Turner took the helm with site selection, evaluating potential sites across the U.S. Ultimately, a site in the west was selected offering an optimal climate, suitable humidity levels, and a robust utility infrastructure, complete with existing substations and the possibility for future expansions.

A rezoning effort was necessary to transition from a warehouse-only designation to one that includes manufacturing capabilities. SSOE and Turner provided expert support to a subsequent community engagement campaign, which was launched to dispel misconceptions and provide transparent information about the facility’s operations and processes. Despite facing initial resistance and a legal challenge
against the city, the rezoning efforts were successful, allowing the project to move forward.

Addressing the challenges presented by the brownfield site, SSOE’s team had to overcome layout limitations, which led to the design of an additional structure and modifications to the ceilings to create a suitable cleanroom environment. Moreover, relocating the process line from China to the U.S. required a detailed plan to comply with the diverse standards and regulations concerning electrical systems, utilities,
and piping, ensuring a seamless transition.

This company’s commitment to innovation and overcoming challenges, while harnessing the advantages of the environment and topography, position them to help transform the battery industry with its high-quality, dense power solutions.

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When a world-leading semiconductor manufacturer decided to build their largest-ever U.S. campus, they turned to SSOE as a trusted A&E partner to support making it a reality. The initial campus design and build-out includes two chip fabrication facilities (Fabs), a flagship office, entry building, parking, data centers, warehouses, chemical production and storage, and utility buildings. SSOE was invited to provide design support beginning with site planning, logistics, and enabling, continuing through full design and construction support.

SSOE has developed scope packages for select campus structures including:

  • 52,000 SF flagship entry building. Serving as the public gateway to the facility and the aesthetic and brand-affirming focus for the campus, this space will host client and vendor VIPs, customers, and visitors. Featuring specialized mass-timber construction, it includes an auditorium and an employee wellness amenity center.
  • 670,000 SF six-story high-rise office building. The nerve-center for the new campus, this building includes office spaces, labs, initial employee amenities, a café floor, campus operations and security centers, and a Fab cleanroom gowning space.
  • 2,900 vehicle multi-story parking deck with an integrated 109,000 SF office building. This garage includes EV charging spaces, storage for campus vehicles, and a pedestrian bridge to the main office building for convenience. Additional employee offices are located above the top deck of the structure.
  • Cleanroom-rated building link. Connecting the office structure with the factory floor, this structure allows employees to gown up and enter the cleanroom environment within the office building, and then move into the Fab while maximizing the square footage within the Fab for manufacturing activities.
  • 100,000 SF warehouse with automated storage system and specialized systems for receipt of semiconductor fabrication tools and equipment.
  • 15,000 SF independent data center to support the entire campus.

SSOE was also engaged to apply our modular and fabrication design expertise to executing specialty Lateral design with fabrication design services for both of the initial chip fabs.

A huge undertaking, really eight or nine large projects rolled into one program, our team has exceeded client expectations in terms of detail, thoroughness, and deliverables for every milestone. Our client partnership benefits from our steady contribution of creative design ideas to support not just the stated goals of this campus, but the client’s overall growth strategies.

The ongoing success of this project has resulted in SSOE being awarded design work for a sister facility.

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Ascend Elements, a leading provider of sustainable battery material solutions, began construction on its new EV battery recycling and engineered materials manufacturing facility. Known as Apex 1, this 140-acre campus in Hopkinsville will produce sustainable EV battery precursor (pCAM) and battery-ready cathode active materials (CAM) for up to 250,000 EVs annually.

SSOE initially conducted site and utility evaluations for Ascend Elements’ new flagship facility. SSOE supported the evaluation of potential sites for the new campus and provided a comprehensive evaluation that aided the client in selecting a site. During Front End Loading (FEL), SSOE developed a site layout to include process, packaging, warehousing, office buildings, a preliminary project schedule, and an execution plan. Our comprehensive team for this phase included architectural, civil, structural, process, mechanical (HVAC / plumbing), piping, electrical, instrumentation and controls, and estimating.

Throughout the design phase, SSOE worked with Ascend Elements and their process technology provider to create an efficient overall process design while exploring engineering alternatives to enhance project value. With Ascend Elements’ foreign OEM / technology provider, SSOE conducted evaluations of equipment and design specifications to ensure compliance with all U.S. codes and standards. This involved regular meetings and continuous BIM / CAD coordination.

SSOE collaborated with the Turner Construction Company / Kokosing Industrial joint venture to create the detailed design for this groundbreaking facility. Based on a design / build contract arrangement, the project benefited Ascend Elements by optimizing contractor-assisted design and Lean deliverables tailored precisely to the contractor’s requirements. This accelerated megasite project engaged 13 firms and more than 250 users across multiple countries. Lean leadership and real-time information reduced rework through a suite of tools, including Autodesk Construction Cloud, that virtually replicated co-location for an environment of collective efficiency.

This further enhanced the project’s success by streamlining information sharing across all parties, earning SSOE the Autodesk Design & Make AEC Best Construction Project Award in 2023. As a new player in the battery market, Ascend Elements trusted SSOE because of our established resources to deliver a project of this sheer magnitude, solidified by our agility in adapting to project execution throughout a dynamic, fast-track schedule.

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When Panasonic Energy Co., Ltd., a Panasonic Group company, sought to build its first standalone lithium-ion battery production facility in the U.S., they knew they needed a partner with cleanroom, battery, and manufacturing experience. With SSOE’s reputation as an industry leader in the design of battery manufacturing facilities, greenfield site development expertise, and experience working with Panasonic on previous projects, they knew we could deliver their vision. SSOE was selected to provide primary engineering design and architectural design oversight.

SSOE’s involvement began at the earliest stage of the project when the firm became engaged in site evaluation efforts with Panasonic’s site selection team. We pulled together a team of architects and engineers to guide Panasonic through defining and ranking site criteria, assisting in the evaluation of multiple campus locations. In July 2022, Panasonic ultimately landed on Astra Enterprise Park (formerly the Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant), originally constructed in World War II and vacant for a quarter of a century—with 300 acres and hundreds of millions of dollars in incentive packages to go with it. A win for Kansas, this is the first economic development project exceeding a billion dollars for the state and will make the location a key economic driver for the region.

In parallel with site evaluation efforts, SSOE worked with Panasonic to generate a preliminary Basis of Design with enough detail to allow the construction manager to forecast a construction estimate in a post-COVID market. From there, we’ve continued to lead the project through the preliminary design phase. To mitigate labor market and supply chain challenges, the cutting-edge nature of lithium-ion battery manufacturing requires our design team to adapt to process and usage changes driven by Panasonic’s refinement to their battery technology. SSOE continues to suggest solutions that are adaptable to future process refinements.

Designing a facility that aligns with Panasonic’s employee-centric culture is to be top of mind. The site plan limits interaction between vehicles and pedestrians through a thoughtfully designed parking layout, one-way traffic, separate truck entrance, and site-specific traffic study. Architectural design is still in progress but promises the intelligent integration of the production process into the building design and spaces throughout to specifically support employees. The U-shaped design of the production facility will frame various support structures and utility buildings that will reside behind it. The fact that Panasonic and SSOE’s cultures naturally align has streamlined the ability to communicate and deliver what they’re looking for in this facility.

With a nearly 100-year history of innovation in batteries spanning both battery cell technology and battery business operations, Panasonic continues to strengthen its lineup of automotive lithium-ion batteries and expand its production capacity. The De Soto facility, the company’s first standalone EV battery facility in the U.S., will help do just that. The Japanese-based company’s expansion in Kansas is expected to bring in a projected $2.5 billion in yearly economic activity to make it the largest economic development undertaking in the state’s history. It will also allow Panasonic to ramp up production to meet surging demand and lead the evolution of the EV industry in the U.S.

Due to the complexity of the design and size of the facility, the City of De Soto will approve its development plan one phase at a time. Panasonic broke ground on the new plant in November 2022, with production slated to begin in 2025.

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SSOE assisted a leading global life sciences manufacturer with developing Conceptual Design (FEL I), engineering estimates, and a program schedule for a new Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) facility located in the Midwest. Forecasted demand for existing products cannot be accommodated within the owner’s existing facilities. As a result, SSOE developed a building concept to accommodate the increased manufacturing space, increased QA/QC and Micro Lab space, Stability Chambers, Product Development spaces, and general meeting and assembly spaces. The study also included investigating possible placement of the new building on the existing campus or locating it on one of two neighboring properties.

SSOE’s pharmaceutical design team collaborated closely with the client to create building conceptual design and site layout options, budgets, and an overall project schedule. SSOE fully integrated its Construction Management team into the project from Day 1 to provide a high level of estimate and schedule accuracy.

Building Highlights

  • The building network, instrumentation, and process equipment are being designed to allow full digitization of the manufacturing process.
  • The building will be comprised of ISO 7 (Micro Lab), ISO 8, ISO 9, CNC, and mechanical spaces.
  • Purified water (PW) and deinonized water (DI) generation systems will support manufacturing and laboratory spaces respectively.
  • Compressed gasses will be centrally located, and fully piped and instrumented delivery systems will serve both the production and lab spaces to completely eliminate the need for gas cylinders to be moved around inside the building.
  • Currently in Capex Funding Phase, detailed design is scheduled to begin in fall of 2021.
  • The estimated production start date is the 4th quarter of 2023.
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SSOE was chosen from a field of other qualified candidates to lead the site selection process for Polaris’ new production facility—nicknamed “Project Axle”—a more than $125 million investment for the premier manufacturer of off-road vehicles. The firm had a broad spectrum of criteria to identify, an RFP to create and responses to evaluate, and cost models to develop. To start, SSOE created a grid listing requirements for the site, the surrounding area, and other relevant issues including the quality of life, utility costs, availability of qualified work force, and dozens more. The process would entail comparing one set of advantages to another. For example, Polaris preferred this plant be located in a right-to-work state, but needed to balance that against a logistical drawback: most of its suppliers are located in northern states.

Polaris desired to be very inclusive in its search, therefore, the site selection RFP was sent to 14 states—union as well as right-to-work states—and proposals were received for 150 sites. After responses were evaluated, the short list totaled eight sites in four states. Once these locations were visited, SSOE was able to narrow the contenders to three sites, each in a different state. Once these contenders were identified, SSOE and Polaris were ready to begin incentive negotiations.

Among the advantages that put the Huntsville, Alabama site on top was its proximity to the interstate and Huntsville International Airport, acreage available for further expansions, good soil conditions, lack of environmental issues, sufficient access to utilities, availability of skilled labor, and a highly professional team of local and state government officials. SSOE also provided civil design engineering services for the new facility, which is expected to generate up to 2,000 jobs by 2020 and create a ripple effect that will boost the area’s economy and making the project one of Alabama’s largest job-creation projects in recent years.

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After assisting BOCAR, a German-owned leading Tier 1 automotive parts supplier, with selecting the location of their first manufacturing facility in the U.S., SSOE was selected to start work on the full design and permitting. A $115 million investment, the new 350,000 SF facility sits on a 72-acre site just off Interstate 65 and will produce high-end structural aluminum parts for automakers operating in the U.S. once construction is complete.

The location, with its proximity to a nearby rail line and Huntsville International Airport, offered ideal logistical conditions for our client, who supplies parts to all major automotive OEMs. During the site selection process, SSOE assisted in the thorough and technically complex evaluation of 45 potential locations spanning the Southeast U.S. Ultimately, Huntsville was selected due to the skilled workforce availability, AIDT’s training programs and facilities, favorable quality of life, and room for future expansion of the facility in Phase 1.

SSOE was selected to perform complete design of the facility based on our extensive experience with automotive and manufacturing facilities worldwide and portfolio of work in the Southeast U.S., which includes the ACEC award-winning Volkswagen plant in Tennessee. The close partnership developed with BOCAR during the site selection process provided our design team with a clear vision and the ability to deliver the state-of-the-art facility for which BOCAR is known. The new plant will utilize advanced manufacturing techniques.

SSOE is also providing permitting and construction administration services for the project. The new Limestone County facility, which is expected to be completed in September 2019, will generate more than 300 jobs with room to grow.

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Through the design and implementation of a number of efficiency improvements such as equipment placement and repurposing to reduce process demands, SSOE was able to save the client $1.2 million in project costs.

Betco Corporation, a manufacturer of cleaning products, purchased a brownfield site in order to consolidate equipment and processes housed in three separate facilities into one central location. SSOE was selected to provide architectural and engineering services in support of the renovation and expansion efforts necessary to prepare the facility for operation. The expansion involved the renovation of 242,000 SF of manufacturing space and the addition of 54,640 SF to the facility.

SSOE drew from its extensive bench of engineers and architects to form an experienced team to work closely with Betco throughout the project. The team met with the client’s staff on a weekly basis to communicate progress and discuss any issues that may have arisen during the previous week. SSOE also assigned a chemical process engineer to work in the existing Betco facilities and assist in the evaluation and classification of the chemicals used in manufacturing their products.

Working together with Betco’s staff, the SSOE team completed front-end loading (FEL) for the project. During the FEL process, a conceptual layout of the site was developed, along with a 30% cost estimate and milestone schedule. As is the case with many small businesses, Betco did not have the internal staff to create P&IDs for the new operations, which led to SSOE creating a complete set of P&IDs for the new facility. In order to maintain operations in the existing facilities, a blend of new and existing equipment was included in the final layouts. Several processes were also analyzed and updated to significantly increase efficiency.

The code evaluation for this facility proved to be very complex. SSOE provided support in preliminary meetings with the county plans examiner and throughout the building permitting process. Fire walls were incorporated in the design to provide separation, with steel fireproofing for added protection and explosion relief. To effectively accommodate the large amounts of hazardous materials on-site, two additions were designed to isolate them from each other and the rest of the facility. This design was based on SSOE’s site evaluation and included minimizing piping lengths, considering truck deliveries, and minimizing the impact to existing utilities.

 

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Within 36 hours, SSOE arranged and obtained aerial photography of an alternate project site.

In addition to designing this greenfield truck assembly plant, SSOE also provided site evaluation services for the 2,000 acre site. The project required a high level of confidentiality throughout the entire site evaluation process and SSOE worked with state and local economic development authorities to locate the potential properties for analysis.

Site services included evaluating topography, climatic conditions, severe weather potential, transportation, soils, hydrological, electric service, gas service, water service, wastewater treatment service, and rail service at various locations in multiple states in the central and South Central United States. SSOE evaluated project sites ranging from 1,800 acres to 2,300 acres. Site observation visits were performed on the preferred geographic locations. A site report was prepared along with supporting documentation for each site. To provide a ranking of each location, a summary matrix of critical attributes was presented to Toyota electronically for use by top management.

Utilizing 3D MicroStation design platform, SSOE electronically produced the architectural rendering for ground breaking announcements, press releases, and public relations purposes. Toyota also requested an additional site evaluation in a neighboring state and within 36 hours, a helicopter was dispatched and obtained digital video of the site fully annotated showing key site features.

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SSOE’s innovative design for the abatement system and operational energy efficiency improvements saved the client $11 million.

SSOE was selected by the site owner to provide engineering services for detailed design and construction to produce ceramic materials at a site in the Southeastern U.S. Although the client already had a specialized engineering team working on the facility, it was recognized that the effort was resource limited, and SSOE had the resources and experience to keep the project on schedule and on track. As part of this effort, SSOE also led the air permitting process and was responsible for other environmental permits required to build and operate the facility.

First priority for SSOE was to assist the local environmental consultant in obtaining information necessary for air permit application and approval. SSOE’s environmental specialists worked with the process specialists and engineers to determine critical process emission information required, and also assisted with communications with the appropriate people in the state environmental office.

In addition to the air permit, SSOE also completed other required federal, state, and local environmental permits. These were separated into preconstruction, construction, and pre-operation / operating permits. Until the client assembled an on-site environmental staff for operations, SSOE acted as the client’s environmental engineer, assigning operating permits and plans to appropriate parties to complete. These plans included permits to install / operate, tank permits, spill plans, wetlands, water withdrawal permitting, NPDES wastewater discharge and stormwater permits and plans, and communication plans.

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SSOE led the value engineering effort for this facility, developing more than $17 million in savings opportunities, resulting in more than $11 million in total incorporated changes.

In an effort to expand their market into the United States, a European tire manufacturer looked to SSOE to provide site evaluation, risk assessment, architectural and engineering services, and construction management for their 875,000 SF greenfield tire manufacturing plant. The scope included pursuing a viable site as well as providing assistance with environmental permitting requirements, including air permitting data. The facility will have the capacity to manufacture up to 4.65 million passenger / light truck tires per year within the first construction phase. The master plan for the greenfield site will accommodate up to 2 million commercial vehicle truck tires manufactured per year.

The plant features just over 100,000 SF of office, 600,000 SF of production, and 130,000 SF of warehouse space to support their projected 800 employees. Each area is unique to the intended user group and includes precast concrete, cast in place concrete, and structural steel framing systems. The process utilities are complex and range from multiple cold and hot water systems, natural gas use, compressed air demands, and high-pressure steam. SSOE provided electrical, power and lighting, data, fire and security, as well as an appropriate architectural statement for the Owner’s first major expansion in the United States.

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SSOE was selected for this project based on excellent service on a prior KSM project, where SSOE’s intensive value engineering helped KSM reduce estimated completion costs by 33%.

Following a highly successful partnership with SSOE on their first U.S. facility — a greenfield high-pressure aluminum castings plant — KSM Castings again called on SSOE to provide design and engineering expertise for a second U.S. facility, a 53,000 SF state-of-the-art counter pressure casting (CPC) facility. The new facility expands KSM’s U.S. operations and provides a novel cutting-edge casting technology for automotive components manufacturing.

SSOE provided civil, architectural, structural, mechanical, and electrical design services for the CPC facility, incorporating efficiencies developed during the design and carrying those through construction of the aluminum castings plant.

Acting as Owner’s Representative, SSOE planned and coordinated construction activities for the new CPC facility to meet KSM’s facility milestones. To streamline progress, SSOE leveraged proven communication strategies based on Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) tenets and used clash coordination within the model to avoid delays during construction.

Early and ongoing communication with all involved parties, including construction contractors, created a fluid workflow with fewer interruptions, early buy-in, proactive solutions to potential schedule or construction conflicts, and a more successful project overall. KSM is positioned to easily expand in the future.

“SSOE knows us as a company, so they meet our technical needs. It’s very uncomplicated to work with SSOE. They offer us a whole scope, from site selection to architecture and engineering, into construction management. Dealing with only one consultant is very lean and straight forward.”

Jan-Christoph Schwarck
President / Plant Manager
KSM Castings USA

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