Expansion Advice: On-Time and Under Budget

Your facility is busy and you need to expand: this is an exciting time. What are some of the best ways to ensure your warehouse expansion happens smoothly, on time, and under budget? Here is some expert expansion advice that can help you with your facilities planning.

  1. Capital Project Management System. When DuPont expanded their facility in South Carolina during the economic recession they were able to conserve money by implementing a capital project management system that helped them track the money and the project throughout the build. Consider working with a project management team to help construct a system for your facility.
  2. Extensive planning at the beginning. Often referred to as “front-end loading” it is important to plan every step of the expansion before any construction begins. Work out the plan step by step and evaluate every part before moving on to plan the next one. This will allow for adjustments to be made before anything is started.
  3. Invest at the beginning to save money in the end. A proper front end process and capital management system might require an investment at the start but ultimately the money saving experience inherent in the development will save money on the project overall. Unnecessary additions, costly mistakes, and missed deadlines can be practically eliminated with the right planning.
  4. Plan around current production. It is important that any expansion not disrupt the business or affect your customers’ bottom line. With the proper planning and processes in place your working staff will not be displaced in any way and can continue to perform their duties as usual until the work is completed. This will also make for a seamless transition after the new expansion is unveiled.
  5. Create a safety management plan. Contractors working on your site can be at risk of injury. Be sure to create a safety plan that everyone must follow while they are working at your facility. Before you even bid the project out to construction companies create a detailed safety plan that they must agree to in order to be approved for work.

Are you looking for more information on expansion best practices or other industry news? Contact the specialists at Luttrell Staffing Group to help you today!