Smarter Manufacturing Facilities: How DSI Aligns Process Engineering with A/E and Construction Teams

Smarter Manufacturing Facilities: How DSI Aligns Process Engineering with A/E and Construction Teams

When it comes to industrial and manufacturing projects, it’s not just about putting up a building, it’s about making sure it’s the right building. One that’s aligned with the client’s production goals from day one and built with the future in mind, built to flex with them as they grow and evolve.

At Design Systems, Inc. (DSI), we bring something unique to the table that sets your project up for success and gives our industry partners a real advantage: proven manufacturing process expertise.  We are not architects. We are not construction managers. We are the process engineering partner that connects the factory floor to the design and construction team.  When these three disciplines work together from the start, innovative design, state-of-the-art construction, and a world class designed manufacturing process, projects are well executed, schedules are shortened, rework is reduced, and the result is a facility built to perform.

In simple terms: We figure out what the building needs to do, so the architects and contractors can focus on how to build it. Let the process define the building. 

A Common Problem: Build First, Figure Out the Details Later
Too often in manufacturing capital projects, we see the same sequence unfold:

• The client is experiencing growth and knows they need more space but often does not have a clear idea of how much or for what.

• An A/E firm is engaged to begin designing a building or expansion based on a very rough square footage estimate.

• A general contractor is brought in early for preconstruction planning and initial cost estimates.

• Only after key design decisions are made is the internal manufacturing team , or a specialized partner like DSI, brought into the conversation.

By that point, it often becomes a game of compromise, trying to fit the process into a space that was never designed to support it. This can lead to:

• Inefficient layouts and wasted space

• Excessive material travel

• Labor inefficiencies

• Undersized utility infrastructure

• Unnecessarily complicated equipment installation

• Difficulty implementing world class lean manufacturing principles

• Delayed production launch

• Future constraints on growth

  Why Manufacturing Process Engineering Should Guide Facility Design

Too often, manufacturing facilities are designed backwards, built before the process requirements are fully understood.  The result?  Costly delays, rework, and operational inefficiencies.  At DSI, we flip that dated model. We work alongside outstanding A/E and construction partners from the beginning to ensure the facility is purpose, built to support the manufacturing process, not the other way around.

Our team focuses on:

• Manufacturing master planning

• Right sizing the building based on process requirements

• Equipment layout 

• Material flow and material handling strategies

• Design validation and optimization using modeling and simulation

• Utility loads for all manufacturing process requirements

• Future scalability

By defining the functional requirements of the production system first through simulation, layout modeling, and engineering studies, we give our project partners and clients a clear roadmap of what the building requirements are to support the short and long-term objectives.

We complement the A/E and CM’s team’s expertise by making sure they have the right inputs to deliver the best solution to each and every client. 

How We Work with A/E and GC Partners

Our most successful projects have one thing in common: early and open collaboration between the client, A/E firm, and the construction contractor. Typically, here’s how that plays out:

1. Early Planning (Concept & Schematic Design)

By working closely with the client to understand both current and future state manufacturing plans, DSI helps the A/E and CM teams gain clarity on:

• Manufacturing site plan

• Production and storage space requirements for WIP, storage and finished goods

• Estimated future state utility requirements

• Overhead clearance and crane/hoist requirements

• Equipment access paths for delivery, installation, and maintenance

• Mezzanine or platform integration tied to process flow

Output: We deliver block level layouts, space programming, and process flow maps that inform the site plan and building footprint(s).

2. Detailed Design Coordination

As the A/E and CM team starts developing the civil and building design, DSI continues to:

• Refine the equipment layout to final detail

• Identify pits, overhead utilities, trenches, or slab requirements

• Collaborate on ceiling heights, column spacing, dock door placement

• Coordinate timing and location of process equipment delivery

·        Define ventilation and exhaust requirements driven by process equipment

·        Mapped electric, compressed air, water, and other utility drops to layout

·        Drainage or containment areas for washdown, fluids, or hazardous materials

·        Lighting, safety, and egress considerations specific to production zones

·        Space allocation for future equipment or technology integration

Output: A fully coordinated building that doesn’t need rework when equipment starts to arrive.

3. Construction and Install Support

During the build phase, DSI remains engaged to:

• Management and upkeep of master process layout

• Monitor equipment providers fabrication, testing, and ship to site for adherence to specifications and schedule

• Coordinate timing of equipment delivery and installation

• Provide installation management of all process equipment

• Support commissioning, punch lists, and startup support

Output: A seamless transition from construction to equipment install, keeping production launch on schedule.

The Payoff: A Facility That Works on Day One

When DSI is brought in early to work alongside the A/E and CM teams, clients avoid the costly disconnect between what the building can do and what the production process needs.

Here’s what that means in practice:

• Shorter installation timelines (less rework and redesign)

• Fewer field modifications (reduced change orders)

• Higher operator efficiency (better flow and layout)

• Smarter capital investment (building what you need now and protect for the future)

• Long-term scalability (capacity for new products or automation)

It’s not uncommon for clients to reduce total project costs by 10–20%, not just by eliminating construction changes, but by unlocking long-term operational efficiency that pays off year after year. Studies from the Construction Industry Institute (CII) and similar groups suggest that early integration of manufacturing engineering and constructability reviews can reduce total installed cost by 5–15%, and up to 20% when lifecycle OPEX savings are included.

Example: Building a Flexible Engine Remanufacturing Facility

 DSI supported a new state-of-the-art engine remanufacturing plant designed to handle multiple diesel engine families for ground combat vehicles. The A/E firm brought deep expertise in industrial facility design. The construction team delivered the structure and systems on a tight schedule. But it was DSI that defined:

• The flow of engines and components from teardown through rebuild

• The routing of every part from storage to the line

• The development of all equipment procurement packages

• A fork free material handling strategy using aisle layouts and signage

• The layout and sequencing of test equipment, rinse tanks, and ovens

• Workstation balancing through time studies and simulation modeling

• Utility and equipment requirements across every process area

• A complete simulation model to validate throughput and identify future improvements

 Because we were engaged from the start, the A/E and CM teams could design for the actual process, not a guess. The facility was built with the flexibility to support 14 engine models, and the client gained a fully integrated, production ready environment with scalable systems and tools for continuous improvement on time and on budget.

 A Message to A/E and Construction Firms

We don’t see ourselves as competitors, we see ourselves as enablers.

You are experts in designing and building the industrial envelope. We’re experts in what happens inside that envelope. When we work together, clients win.

And for your team, we help de-risk the process:

• Better scope definition means fewer design changes

• Accurate equipment loads and space needs mean fewer assumptions

• Coordinated infrastructure planning means smoother installs

• A shared client aligned goal means faster, smarter delivery

Conclusion: Partnership is the Advantage

Manufacturing projects are complex. They demand a coordinated team with each expert bringing their specialty to the table.

At DSI, we thrive in that environment. Our job isn’t to design the building, pour the concrete or install the equipment. It’s to make sure that when the building is done, it works, for your client, their operators, their equipment, and their business strategy.

If you're a developer, A/E firm, construction company, investor or anyone building a facility and are looking to build smarter, more aligned manufacturing facilities, let’s talk.

We’ll bring the process. You bring the structure. Together, we’ll deliver something exceptional.