As the global shift toward sustainable energy accelerates, Beck & Pollitzer continues to support the world’s leading manufacturers in the Battery and electric powertrain industries. In a recent high-profile project located in Glendale, Kentucky, our team successfully executed a critical technology upgrade for a groundbreaking joint venture between an American automotive giant and a Korean battery industry leader.
The challenge: Upgrading within an active environment: The client’s objective was ambitious: integrating a new battery platform into an existing, fully operational battery factory. This was not just a removal project; it was a complex transition executed within a live production facility.
The scope involved the dismantling, packaging, and relocation of 3,506 individual items, ranging from delicate cell packaging units and X-ray loaders to heavy industrial conveyors and degassing lines.
Operating within an active clean room environment introduced significant complexity. Our team had to adhere to clean room protocols strictly, ensuring absolute particle control to maintain compliance and protect the integrity of the client’s ongoing product manufacturing.
Our solution: Global collaboration and precision protocols: To tackle this sensitive integration, Beck & Pollitzer deployed a hybrid Korean-American project team, perfectly mirroring the client’s own joint-venture structure. This bilingual, cross-cultural team collaborated extensively with seven different Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to ensure the accurate identification and safe handling of every specific asset.
Mobilising a team of up to 50 skilled operatives, we delivered a turnkey solution over a 117-day duration, balancing heavy engineering with delicate environmental controls. Key operations included:
- Clean room disassembly: meticulously dismantling conveyance systems, mezzanines, and lifters while maintaining strict particle control standards.
- Heavy rigging: Utilising a 75-tonne crane to rig and lower 216 pieces of machinery from the second floor, including heavy degassing lines.
- Specialised packaging: To ensure safe transport, machinery was placed on custom-built skids and professionally wrapped. In total, 1,487 skids were prepared for transport.
Delivering results safely: Safety and compliance were at the core of everything we do. Over the course of 29,467 project hours, our team operated with the precision required to protect the facility’s active status. By coordinating the movement of equipment from the cleanroom, formation area, and West Yard to a consolidated transport zone, we ensured the client’s assets were ready for their final destination without compromising their existing operations.
Partner with the experts: Whether you are upgrading an existing facility or establishing a new gigafactory, you need a partner who understands the nuance of working in live, critical environments. Beck & Pollitzer has the technical expertise and international reach to ensure your project’s success. Contact us today to discuss your next industrial project with our specialist teams.
Related Case Studies: Explore how we support other leaders in the automotive and energy sectors:
- Major installation project for one of Asia’s largest renewable energy giga factories
- Complex Industrial Relocation: Relocation of a fully automated stamping machines for a global technology leader.
- Battery & Electrification Expertise: Discover how we install process equipment for rechargeable battery manufacturing.
