Location Ridley Park, PA
Client The Boeing Company
Services Project Management
Project Value $100 million
Hill provided a full construction audit for this award-winning, high-technology aircraft manufacturing project. The project transformed a more than 90-year-old former steel foundry, on the banks of the Delaware, once slated to be dismantled, into the “nest” where Boeing/Bell’s advanced V-22 tiltrotor Osprey aircraft are built.
The former 350,000 SF General Steel & Castings Plant provided a unique opportunity for Boeing to combine and expand the existing production line for building new fuselages for the Osprey with the need to overhaul and upgrade older V-22’s returning from service under the U.S. military’s Common Configuration-Readiness and Modernization program. The V-22 has proven its versatility and agility in its more than 20 years of service primarily with the U.S. Marine Corps, which is expected to continue to add and update its fleet of over 300 Ospreys. In addition, the aircraft has been requisitioned for use by the U.S. Air Force Special Operations, U.S. Navy carrier groups, and internationally by the Japanese Defense Force. The former steel factory not only provided the necessary space needed to meet the growing demands for the V-22, but also included necessary utilities and infrastructure.
Under this ambitious multi-phase project, Boeing challenged the design-build team to move V-22 production lines to the new “Future Factory” within a year of starting construction. The Future Factory concept called for fulfilling the dual purpose of the efficient production of V-22 fuselages for new aircraft while creating new space to rehabilitate returning Ospreys. As a result, the factory transformation brought all production support resources for both operations closer to production/renovation lines to enable a leaner assembly environment to enhance workforce collaboration.
This project won several awards, including an Award of Merit in the Manufacturing category from ENR Mid-Atlantic and a national Project Achievement Award from CMAA in the category of Commercial/Sports/Entertainment/Hospitality: Construction Value Greater Than $50 Million.
