As part of a greenfield project in Dongguan, China, a new production site was planned and delivered. The project was initiated to replace an existing factory setup and to reposition production within an improved organizational and technical framework.
The objective was to create a high-performance, scalable factory that would meet current requirements while also supporting future growth.
The focus was on a clearly structured production setup, a robust technical infrastructure, and the economically sound definition of production conditions.
The project covered the full scope of services, from layout planning, engineering, and tendering through to the implementation of process utilities and building services engineering.
Integrated Planning and On-Site Execution
The project was delivered through an end-to-end approach spanning all project phases. Based on the defined objectives, a production layout was developed that ensured a clear structure for the functional areas as well as an efficient material and personnel flow concept.
At the same time, the technical engineering was developed in detail and translated into specific tender packages. A key component was the qualification of local Chinese suppliers and the tendering of trades in line with European quality and technology standards.
One decisive success factor was our continuous on-site presence throughout the tendering and implementation phases. Over a period of around one year, we directly supported the factory build in Dongguan and took responsibility for technical coordination and project management on site.
This continuous on-site presence made it possible to ensure, in particular:
- compliance with the defined quality requirements
- cross-disciplinary coordination and avoidance of interface clashes
- close collaboration with stakeholders, suppliers, and the customer team
- transparent management of costs, schedules, and interfaces
This ensured that the planning was implemented consistently and successfully transferred into stable production operations.
Production Conditions as a Key Success Factor
A major focus was the design of actual production conditions at the site. In injection molding in particular, the tropical climate in southern China had a direct impact on both productivity and product quality.
Against this backdrop, the air conditioning of the production area was analyzed from both a technical and an economic perspective. The key focus was the relationship between cooling water temperature, mold behavior, and cycle times.
On this basis, a dedicated climate control concept was developed and implemented.
This included:
- determining the cooling capacity required for dew point control
- designing a room-within-a-room solution
- planning, tendering, and implementing the required systems
Outcome
With the new site, a stable and fully operational production environment was successfully brought into service.
The structured arrangement of the production areas and the defined flow concept enabled a clear and reliable production process. At the same time, the technical infrastructure was implemented in line with requirements and transferred into operational use.
The targeted design of the production conditions also delivered a direct economic impact:
- an output increase of around 30%
- a reduction in the need for production equipment of approximately 25%
- payback of the climate control measure in less than three years
In addition, the defined budget and schedule targets were met. The continuous support provided from planning through to on-site implementation ensured that the developed solution was realized as a fully functioning production operation.
Assessment
The project demonstrates that the success of greenfield developments depends to a great extent on consistently integrating planning and implementation and supporting the process all the way through to live operations.
In particular, it shows that real production conditions, such as climatic influences, must be incorporated into planning at an early stage and evaluated on a sound technical basis in order to achieve the intended performance of a site.
Continuous support through to operational implementation ensures that conceptual approaches do not remain isolated ideas, but deliver sustainable results in practice.