BOSCH REXROTH around the site. “We had more than 65 years of experience represented by our on-site team. We knew we had to have the best there to get the job done and they did.” Though ‘green’ building is not a common driver in man- ufacturing facilities, Greene says Bosch works to use ma- terials and energy in the most efficient ways it can. “We recirculate water to the cooling towers and precooled water going into the chiller. We ended up removing heat created by our processes allowing us to indefinitely post- pone the planned boiler system to reduce costs.” 3 10 – October/November 2013 — The South Carolina Construction News To facilitate the installation of the large heavy equipment needed for the manufacturing process, Greene says half of the original concrete floor had to be removed and re- placed with 12 in. reinforced concrete. “The concrete was poured in three continuous slabs to avoid seams that could impact the placement of equipment,” he says. Greene says Bosch hired O’Neal after the orginal project was completed to take on several subprojects including the installation of new coolant and filtration systems which half of the equipment required, construction of a tank farm to store the nitrogen, ammonia and other gases needed for processes, and the partial finishing of the second story office space. “O’Neal has handled two past expansions for us as well. Every project we tender is based on competitive bids. O’Neal backs that with a local presence in South Carolina, which we prefer and the experience and skill we need.” Greene says that experience also came into play in cre- ating the campus master plan. He says O’Neal’s knowl- edge and input helped create the plan which doubled Bosch’s floor space, quadrupled its acreage and created a centralized company location. This project is part of an $80 million investment over five years to expand production. The expansion has turned the Fountain Inn campus into its largest hydraulics manufac- turing site in the Americas and will create 160 new jobs. The project was awarded an Excellence in Construction Award by the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). The judges recognized the challenge in creating a cross- dock facility into a heavy manufacturing plant, the com- pressed schedule, staying within the capital budget and no lost time accidents.