Smarter. Faster. Better. Lower cost. Higher quality. These words have become a cliché in industry; the ability to deliver on the promise has not. Your reputation — and longevity — rests on your skill to reduce costs, increase efficiency and maximize flexibility in manufacturing facilities to meet market demand. So does ours. Our job is not just to keep you in business, but also to sustain and accelerate your competitive advantage.

And it all begins with a piece of ground.

Whether we're turning brownfields into pay dirt or helping architects build, expand, renovate, consolidate and maintain plant facilities, our first question is always: is the engineering solution appropriate and right for this project and this client?

Infrastructure improvements don't come cheap. But there are ways to cut costs. Transformation of General Motors' 27-acre site in Lansing to build a new 2.2 million-square-foot assembly plant began early in the design phase with the demolition of several buildings. The site is part of the old GM Plant I, parts of which are 100 years old and still in use. SME worked through many site obstacles and environmental challenges to communicate design recommendations to cut construction costs.

We also help plant owners navigate a maze of environmental regulatory compliance issues. Compliance audits cover everything from hazardous waste management requirements to indoor air quality to wastewater reporting rules. Our environmental specialists are part of a 14-year old brain trust working for DaimlerChrysler on their annual U.S Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) and Canadian National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) reporting. We currently evaluate chemical usage at 24 of their facilities in the U.S. and Canada.

Since 1988, SME has been providing conveyor maintenance management services to Ford Motor Company for new and existing conveyor systems at facilities across North America. We're also diving into Ford's above ground water storage tanks — part of a major safety initiative at parts and distribution centers — to assess their condition and coatings. We're helping AutoAlliance — a 16-year client — keep a roof over their head with a phased roof management program. It's all part of our effort to help industrial owners operate efficiently, circumvent system failures, and lower maintenance costs.

With SME on your side early, taming the beast — your site and facilities — is a whole lot easier and a lot less costly than correcting deficiencies after the fact.

For more information contact an SME office near you.
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Click here for a list of representative projects.





© Copyright 2004 Soil and Materials Engineers, Inc.