The “Silicon Forest” in Oregon and Southwest Washington grew out of the burgeoning global appetite for leading-edge technology to drive development of the products that have become ubiquitous in our lives. The facilities required to manufacture these tech wonders are, in some cases, even more advanced than the products themselves.
In construction, the highly technical approach with detailed processes required to build these specialized structures is defined as “advanced manufacturing.” It is an exciting and complex sector of the construction industry and requires a general contractor with a breadth of skills that few possess.
At Mortenson, we’ve honed our expertise with over three decades of semiconductor manufacturing experience, incorporating best practices and lessons learned into ever-evolving innovative solutions that consistently exceed the expectations of our sophisticated clients and customers.
A foundation for speed Whether upgrading an existing facility or building new, the sizable capital investments represented by these projects are thoroughly vetted and not made lightly; speed to market and certainty of delivery are paramount to their success.
One key strategy we employ on these projects is Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA), commonly known as prefabrication. Aligned closely with off-site manufacturing (OSM), DFMA combines individual components of a facility design into system assemblies that can be built off-site in a controlled environment before on-site installation. This process accelerates project schedules, improves safety, increases quality and delivers superior worker experience.
For projects within an active campus, DFMA is integral to any site disruption mitigation plan and helps minimize active construction activity around highly sensitive fabrication operations. Also key to any successful DFMA strategy is the early engagement of the construction team in the design process. You simply cannot “back into” DFMA once the traditional design process has been completed.
Building an advanced team The technical complexities of these projects can vary significantly across the lifespan of a project. From site selection and procurement of electrical equipment to clean-room certification and integration of automated systems, they demand a diverse and collaborative team of experts. In addition to the deep bench of highly skilled local professionals, our Portland office actively engages our supply chain, federal procurement, power delivery, and renewable energy (wind and solar) project teams from across the country to deliver certainty and peace of mind for our customers.
We also are engaged in a wide range of manufacturing organizations to keep our finger on the pulse of this sector. Locally, this involves SEMI Americas’ Pacific Northwest chapter, for which Mortenson project manager Ian Anderson is a current co-chair. Further afield, other organizations we work with include the Minnesota CHIPS Coalition and the Greater Phoenix Economic Council.
Showing clients the money The federal CHIPS (Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors) and Science Act of 2022 earmarked $50 billion to strengthen American semiconductor research, development and manufacturing. The law allows companies to leverage federal funding toward new construction or renovations of semiconductor fabrication plants.
We help our customers tap into these available resources by actively supporting their application and reporting documentation; we help our customers identify the key factors that will allow them to really stand out. Sometimes this includes incorporating private capital and using creative financing to demonstrate the potential for self-sustaining ecosystems or determining how to prioritize a regional commitment to a project.
We also work with our customers to develop a comprehensive workforce continuity plan focused on recruitment and long-term retention of a diverse workforce. As part of providing supportive and individualized training, we work to ensure that previously marginalized populations, including women and people with disabilities, have equitable access to workforce opportunities. We engage with our community partners to foster connections with workers and identify solutions for overcoming workforce barriers with the recognition that each person comes to a job site with an individual experience. For example, we help our customers identify how to prioritize workers’ child care and family needs as we build project schedules.
Mortenson’s extensive experience with projects containing a federal funding component allows us to help customers navigate complex funding processes of this nature and the associated reporting requirements. Additionally, our prior experience with the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), necessitated by our industry-leading position in the solar and wind markets, allowed us to hit the ground running in supporting customers with their CHIPS applications and funding term negotiations.
Developing a specialized workforce We also have a wealth of experience in meeting other federal requirements, including Davis-Bacon and prevailing wage compliance, and workforce development and apprenticeship program requirements.
For our customers, workforce development requirements are often a challenge to design and implement. The value we provide is our experience in creating project-specific workforce development plans that guarantee compliance. We do this by developing early in the process documentation that outlines our approach to recruiting and training a diverse workforce and ensuring participation by disadvantaged firms. Other important elements of these plans identify how to provide affordable child care, housing and flexible work hours to employees, as well as accurate workforce projections. Doing this work correctly greatly increases the odds of receiving federal funding.
Before pen meets paper Planning and early engagement with the customer and design team is paramount to successfully advancing these projects. It allows project budgets, cost savings strategies and schedules to be collaboratively developed from day one, and existing operations to be accounted for in construction sequencing. For facility and infrastructure upgrades or expansion projects, we also draw on the facility’s operational staff to understand and address all elements of the facility’s operations and business before design work begins. My Mortenson colleague, project executive Pat Clemons, summarizes it best: “Ensuring these projects are carried out smoothly and to our customers’ satisfaction requires that everyone on the project team understand both semiconductor manufacturing and the significant impact production interruptions would have on our customer’s business.”
Sustaining our forest Finally, Mortenson also sets itself apart with an ever-increasing emphasis on sustainability. We are leaders in bringing LEED-certified advanced manufacturing facilities to completion. We offer national expertise in applying our company’s own efforts to reduce Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions to the projects we undertake.
Trent Rehfeldt is a market director in Mortenson’s Portland office. Contact him at 971-202-4100 or trent.rehfeldt@mortenson.com. The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed in the preceding commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Daily Journal of Commerce or its editors. Neither the author nor the DJC guarantees the accuracy or completeness of any information published herein. Copyright © 2024 BridgeTower Media. All Rights Reserved.
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