Epsilon’s Jeffrey Johnson and Paul Kirchhoff had the pleasure of speaking at Hanson Wade’s inaugural “Advanced Manufacturing Facility Construction” conference last month in Nashville, TN. The duo was impressed with the collection of skills, perspectives and experience gathered – it was encouraging to see so much energy and creativity being applied to the challenges of on-shoring and near-shoring manufacturing capacities in North America.
In addition to their presenter responsibilities, Jeffrey and Paul were able to attend several sessions and network with other industry leaders, paying close attention to trending topics and emerging themes. Here are a few quotes and associated takeaways from their time in Nashville:
“Going Slow to Go Fast” – A major Construction Manager shared this philosophy, emphasizing that it is better to be efficient than busy. Because change can be perceived as risky, it can be easy for preconstruction teams to get stuck on autopilot, using the same processes and approaches they’ve always used to solve new problems. That leads to a lot of wasted effort and inefficiencies that grow over time. Instead, consider engaging the right strategic partners early in the preconstruction process to open new opportunities for cost certainty and schedule surety. Epsilon’s design-build approach and commitment to staying on the leading edge of prefab construction are great examples of this approach, and it was nice to see others recognize the importance of continual evolution.
“Bigger, Faster, More Complicated, and Less Defined” – A universal theme at the conference was articulated well by a major AE firm, describing the nature of projects these days, particularly those in the “Advanced Manufacturing” space. It’s this dynamic that drove many participants to recognize the importance of engaging SMEs (Subject Matter Experts) to help the team get projects done on schedule and on budget. Getting SMEs on your side early in a project can avoid costly mistakes that arise when designs are completed in a bubble, isolated from market realities.
“Right Tool for the Right Job” – A major EPC proposed that the contracting vehicle chosen for a project should match the nature of the project. For more standard scopes where the project teams can bring a wealth of relevant experience, a more traditional contracting vehicle (like design-bid-build) can suffice. But for more unusual or challenging projects, where the project teams may not have the depth of experience or a proven track record, novel contracting vehicles (like design-build, IPD or design-assist) that leverage SMEs are often the only way to deliver on client expectations.
These are a few of the key takeaways from the conference. Contact our team if you have questions about these points above or the Epsilon approach in general. Hope to see you at the conference next year!
