Assembly Plant & Support Office - North American HQ & Production Facility
RAPA (Rausch and Pausch) is world leader in automotive parts supply specializing in hydraulic, pneumatic, and air systems. They sought Context Design Group’s administration services for a new 70,000sf Manufacturing Facility (Assembly and Support Office) in Auburn, AL. We provided conceptual design, Requests for Developer Proposals (RFDP), and owner’s representation for RAPA whose operations were previously solely based in Germany. This level of detailed service allowed our client to focus on their current on-going production while we ensured their project would be on time and move-in ready.
Context was able to create the RFDP due to our unique understanding of RAPA’s manufacturing process and support needs combined with our experience with the construction industry and codes in different locales. The RFDP contained the standard design and construction requirements as well as finish schedules, corporate standard detail graphics, and conceptual design drawings. This fully tailored document promoted accurate and fair comparison of the Design-Build solutions to establish the best facility option. The RFDP also allowed the Design-Builders to propose unique and competitive solutions while maintaining RAPA’s facility expectations.
During Construction Administration, our knowledge of the industry uniquely positioned us to consult and advise our client to ensure optimal quality and efficiency. Due to the truncated construction schedule, our input was vital in verifying Change Estimate costs, ensuring critical path items were on schedule, finalizing construction and design details, and even furniture selection. We provided the RAPA with detailed records of the construction process through weekly field reports and photographic documentation via an online file sharing site.