PROTERRA

New Manufacturing Facility

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In 2010, Context Design Group began design on Proterra’s R&D and Manufacturing Center in Greenville, SC for the production of heavy-duty vehicles powered by clean energy. Our exhaustive work and understanding of the automotive manufacturing sector created not only a state-of-art custom facility, but also fostered redevelopment of Proterra’s entire assembly process.

Context Design Group believes optimization is generated by long-term analysis and as such, created a masterplan that will sustain Proterra’s production estimates for the next 20 years.  The 200,000 sf $20M Phase 1 Facility is the first manufacturing and assembly company on the CUICAR (Clemson University Center for Automotive Research) Campus. Through subsequent phases, the project is designed for expansion up to 600,000 sf sited on a 50 acre parcel. The building design and site placement screens parking and other vehicles from view to achieve the desired aesthetic and CUICAR requirements.

The 1st Phase accounts for production of up to 1500 fully electric buses annually via two assembly lines divided into 14 workstations. Modular subassembly work cells divide the two lines which maximizes supply access. Three individual five-ton cranes operating in separate bays traverse the entire floor of the assembly and subassembly areas. Highbay Narrow-Aisle storage provides just-in-time sequencing of materials to the assembly line. The facility is being considered for LEED Silver Certification. One important “green” element is the emphasis on natural daylighting through the roof monitors in Assembly and the interior courtyards in the Office.