Automobile manufacturers increasingly turn to outsourcing vehicle components so
they can devote more attention to creating enticing designs and improving production
efficiencies. They partner with experts to supply seats, instrument panels, batteries
and a wide array of other parts – all of which are shipped to auto assembly plants
on a “just-in-time” basis.
The Automotive Systems Group (ASG) of Johnson Controls,
Inc., which provides complete seating systems, headliners
and other interior components to automakers worldwide,
is mirroring the success of its customers by outsourcing
the construction management of its own assembly plants.
That way, ASG can better focus on its core business.
“Outsourcing construction management allows us to build
as many plants as necessary to meet customer demands
without having to worry about staffing,” says Dean Boik,
director of facilities for ASG. “We can undertake one project a year or five projects a
year.” This means his department also is much less prone to add employees in boom
times and lay them off in lean times.
So, when General Motors awarded ASG a major contract to supply seats and
headliners for the Chevrolet Trailblazer and Envoy SUVs at its Oklahoma City plant,
the company turned to its own Controls Group to manage all design and construction
activities for a new facility to serve GM. The Johnson Controls plant encompasses
150,000 square feet, 130,000 of which is dedicated to production and 20,000 to
finished office space.
Construction costs of about $41-per-square-foot were $4-per-square-foot less than
the project’s target, based on the Oklahoma City market. This figure is well below
the range of $45-65-per-square-foot for previous Johnson Controls automotive
seating plants.