Details
Overview
Gentex, a global leader in automotive part manufacturing, sought to expand its operations at their Zeeland, MI, headquarters. To accommodate this growth, two new wings were added to the northwest and southwest sides of the State Street facility.
The southwest wing was designed to provide a quieter, cleaner environment for hand assembly operations. Built with precision, the wing featured extremely tight flatness tolerances to support the integration of automated storage shelving systems.
In contrast, the northwest wing was constructed to offer additional space for glass bending operations. Given the scale of the equipment and infrastructure, significant power capacity had to be brought in to meet the facility’s needs.
As construction flourished, scope was added to the roof and cafeteria, bringing the total project cost to $27M. One notable challenge was the extended lead time for bar joists. However, the team effectively communicated this to Gentex and proposed alternatives, ultimately opting for steel beams to keep the project on track.