Best Project, Manufacturing: Goiana Jeep Assembly Plant
Building a massive Jeep assembly plant in rural Brazil required complex coordination between American and Brazilian firms. Longtime Chrysler contractor Walbridge worked hand-in-hand with Brazilian construction giant Construcap to craft a hybrid design-build delivery method for the automaker's Goiana Jeep Assembly Plant. The result was a 3.3-million-sq-ft assembly complex that was completed in only 26 months.
Located in the Brazilian countryside a two-hour drive away from the nearest city, the project's remote location required the general contractor to self-perform more than 45% of the work. Maintaining the supply chain out to the site was critical, according to John Linenberg, Walbridge assistant vice president for engineering. "Our closest steel fabricator was 1,500 miles away—it took five to seven days to receive a shipment. Because of that, we had people in constant contact with the steel fabricators, visiting them and making sure they were on schedule and delivering in a timely fashion."