EllisDon was awarded the contract for the new expansion of the Denso Manufacturing Facility. This new expansion project arrived ten years following the completion of the original plant, also designed and constructed by EllisDon. This project was initially design-build-based, but was later developed into a Construction Management contract.

This expansion included the extension of the plant area in two phases: Phase 1 included a 180-foot by 680-foot addition on the south side of the existing plant. Phase 2 included a 240-foot by 280-foot addition on the east side of the existing plant. Phase 1 was occupied by Denso while Phase 2 was constructed. Additionally, the existing office area on the south side was expanded, becoming a two-storey structure with a footprint of 80-feet by 150-feet. The existing north lobby area was also expanded to a total of 20-feet by 50-feet. The existing truck yard was abandoned and reinstated on the east side of the addition and the employee parking lot was also expanded on both the south and east sides. The above grade construction was a conventional, design-build steel structure on spread and strip footings, similar in design to the existing structure. The manufacturing process required loading dock pits and some trenches, each approximately two feet deep.

As with all manufacturing-related projects, one of EllisDon’s biggest challenges was performing construction while ensuring minimal interference with Denso’s operation. This was a difficult undertaking considering both the size and proximity of the new expansion to the existing operation.