Project Spotlight

In February of 2015, a team of 5 steel estimators from Ideal Contracting engaged in a collaboration with a project team of approximately 75 individuals including the client, architect, engineer,  steel detailer, contractors, estimators, and project managers. The collaboration allowed for constant, ongoing trade coordination with Ideal Contracting’s steel estimating team. Ideal Contracting was able to successfully communicate with all trades’ workers including those in charge of foundations, site work, mechanical, electrical and process.

“Working from the clients’ narrative/scope we were able to assemble a complete design-build steel estimate for 3 Body Shops and 3 Body Conveyor Trestles located in 3 different geographic regions over a span of about 3 months.” Mike Mistruzzi, Chief Estimator of Steel, Ideal Contracting.

Ideal Contracting’s value engineering ideas were presented to the team and the client, enabling rapid concept approval. This kept the estimating process on target and helped it progress quickly. The value engineering also insured that the client was getting the most efficient and economical steel structure available. Ideal was able to build in the most efficient steel connections and structural steel framing design arrangements through constant and ongoing coordination with the process and the structural engineer.

Ideal Contracting found that the ongoing coordination and communication throughout this hands-on participation significantly increased responsiveness, ownership, and accountability of all parties involved. This integration process also helped reduce design re-work and construction activities, providing a platform for minimizing and resolving misunderstanding between project participants. Moreover, it allowed the customer to cost-effectively build over a 3-million-square-feet of additional manufacturing capacity on time and on budget while allowing for real-time changes during the process.

In addition to design-build services, Ideal self-performed the structural steel for the M-5 Flint project. The scope of work for this project included constructing a 1-million-square-foot body shop addition as well as a 400,000-square-foot addition to General Assembly. A 3,000-foot-long body conveyor connects the new body shop to General Assembly. Combined, the Body Shop addition, General Assembly addition, and trestle consists of approximately 10,800 tons of structural steel.

The Body Shop and trestle (combined 7,200 tons of steel) were erected within only 10 months using one crane. General Assembly, consisting of 3,600 tons of steel, was erected in just 4 months. Our team was able to stay on schedule thorough the entire project exceeding the client’s expectations.

Learn more about this project in our Quarter 2 Newsletter!