McKenney’s leveraged in-house design, BIM, prefabrication and turnkey project management to turn over a sophisticated, fully operational Central Utility Plant (CUP) with automated controls.

1. Leveraging BIM, Prefab
to Achieve Turnkey Success

2. Every minute mattered for the McKenney’s team as they worked to
design, build, test and guarantee 24/7 operation of a 30,000-square-
foot central utility plant for one of the world’s largest manufacturers of
carbon fibers. This large complex project, located on 600 acres in
Moore, South Carolina had a tight 18-month completion schedule in
order to support the owner’s production schedule.

3. As prime contractor, McKenney’s leveraged in-house design, building
information modeling (BIM) and prefabrication capabilities to develop
a turnkey solution that met the requirements of this fast paced, multi-
faceted project.
The scope for the McKenney’s team included site work, plant facility
construction, hardscape and landscape, HVAC, plumbing, process
piping, and plant-wide controls. The completed plant supplies: 85,000
pounds per hour high-pressure steam, 280 GPM reverse osmosis water,
1750 GPM process condenser water, 2250 GPM process chilled water
and 5600 SCFM compressed air to the new state of the art
manufacturing facility.

4. The team completed the detailed system design in 3D space and also
assisted with the design of the automated process control and
metering system. This automation system allows plant operators to
continuously monitor and control the energy delivery of all five utilities
—all in real time.
The team partnered with well-established general contractor Brasfield
& Gorrie to build the 30,000- square-foot facility that would house the
required process equipment.
However, due to the density of piping required and the tight timeline,
there was only one path to success. The McKenney’s team leveraged
in-house virtual construction (VC) resources to construct BIM models
and prefabricate nearly 100 percent of the plant piping which allowed
the systems to be constructed concurrently with the construction of
the plant, saving significant time and labor on the jobsite.

5. Prefabrication of the piping including over 50,000 diameter inches of
welds in five different metal alloys was done at the pipe shop on the
Atlanta campus. The attention to design, quality and pipe shop
efficiency allowed the team to build the plant in 3D space and then ship
it to the jobsite in South Carolina just in time for installation.
By leveraging “in-house” BIM, prefabrication and turnkey project
management, the team was able to turn over a sophisticated, fully
operational CUP with automated controls— on time and on budget.
The content of this document is not intended as an endorsement.

6. `
Build a central utility plant (CUP)
from the ground up in 18 months
while managing complexities
with scope and subcontractors
The Challenge
Complete the detailed mechanical
design and assist in the design of
automated controls for complete
process control and metering
Acted as prime contractor and
partnered with a well-established
GC for building construction
The Solution
Applied virtual construction
processes to create accurate
BIM models
Specializations
Building Information Modeling
(BIM)
Design/Assist
Pipe Shop Prefab
The Results
Completed project on time
and on budget
Delivered a sophisticated CUP
with automated controls
Leveraged BIM to prefabricate
nearly all piping in the Atlanta
pipe shop
Shipped fabricated piping to CUP
in South Carolina just in time

7. 1056 Moreland Industrial Boulevard
Atlanta, GA 30316
P: 404-622-5000
sales@mckenneys.com
www.mckenneys.com
3601 Performance Road
Charlotte, North Carolina 28214
P: 704-357-1200
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