To help meet global demand for life-saving ventilators during the COVID-19 pandemic, longtime client, General Motors Company (GM), called on Alberici to assist in the coordination and rapid installation of ventilator manufacturing equipment within an existing warehouse in Reno, Nevada. Alberici is working closely with GM engineers under a design-build contract to Hamilton Medical, a leading international ventilator production company. The new 86,000-square-foot facility will help Hamilton increase their U.S. production capacity by more than 40 percent.
Given the critical nature of this project, Alberici is working under an aggressive schedule with extremely quick turnaround times. Alberici crews mobilized to the site on April 6 and worked around the clock to help produce the first ventilator in less than two weeks. Within four weeks, Alberici plans to have installed enough capacity to support manufacture of more than 500 ventilators per day.
Upfront coordination with all stakeholders has been key to the project’s success. Prior to mobilization, Alberici hosted multiple daily Webex calls with production and design teams from GM and Hamilton Medical, as well as key equipment and material suppliers, and subcontractors such as Conti and AEI. This level of collaborative planning allowed for layout and utility design to reach nearly 100 percent completion just 11 days after GM initially contacted Alberici.
“Our partnership with Alberici ensured successful design and construction coordination of this critical project,” said GM Engineering Group Manager, Anthony Monte. “Their resources, expertise, and commitment to collaboration have been instrumental in helping GM respond to this unprecedented global crisis.”
Alberici continues to coordinate daily design and execution meetings while providing oversight of key procurement and installation activities, such as industrial generators, air compressors, chillers, and more than 36,000 feet of network cable, 2,500 feet of pipe, and 50,000 feet of electric cable. Alberici’s scope of work includes installation of new assembly tables, calibration tables, quality control and testing benches, and packing stations.
“The local buildings and trades, contractors, and multiple suppliers and fabricators have made extraordinary efforts to support this cause,” said Alberici Project Manager, Derek Baker. “Many people have come together to get this important and necessary project up and running.”
As of April 9, nearly 60 people were working on site with another 60 working remotely to help meet Hamilton Medical’s aggressive production goals. All on-site work is being safely performed in accordance with local, state, and federal regulations, as well as CDC-recommended best practices for social distancing, disinfecting, and industrial hygiene.