Challenge

Western Container was building a manufacturing facility in Fife, Washington with an accelerated schedule to meet the demands of the manufacturing process.  On the Fife project, the schedule was so demanding that in order to meet the manufacturing dates, the equipment and piping for the mechanical room had to be installed before the building was erected.  This effort included multiple chillers, cooling towers, pumps and air compressors.  Western Container needed an efficient and experienced mechanical partner.  S.M. Lawrence, a Comfort Systems USA (CSUSA) company, was ready to help.

Solution

The S.M. Lawrence Team:

•  Completed the work within given constraints and timeframe by pre-fabricating much of the project.

•  Controlled the critical path to enable the entire project to be completed on schedule.  Without ability to pre-fab process piping ahead of structure completion, the project could not have been completed on schedule.

•  Won this work based on long-standing relationship with General Contractor, Forcum and Lannom and Western Container.

A Closer Look

S.M. Lawrence was awarded this $2.7MM job based on a long-standing relationship with the general contractor and owner. S.M. Lawrence has provided building plumbing, HVAC systems, process piping, ductwork, and equipment to support the blowmold and injection mold process equipment in several Western Container facilities. In the past, CSUSA has installed several chilled water air handling units or direct expansion roof top units to condition each building.  In addition, CSUSA has also installed the following piping systems in each facility: domestic water, sanitary sewer, chilled water, cooling water, natural gas, low pressure compressed air, high pressure compressed air, and material conveying.

“SM Lawrence/CSUSA has always been a great partner and resource for Forcum Lannom Contractors.  Particularly on design/build industrial projects where we often face very aggressive and inflexible deadlines.  Their in-house engineering and fabrication capabilities proved particularly advantageous on the Western Container project in Fife, Washington.  Without the ability to pre-fab the process piping ahead of the structure completion the project could not have been completed on schedule.  When their work controlled the critical path SM Lawrence found a way to make it happen.”

– Michael D. Sanders, P.E., COO, Forcum Lannom Contractors, LLC