R. Baker & Son All Industrial Services Helps Client Win Two Facility of Year Awards

Recently, the Facility of the Year Awards program named MannKind Corporation’s new manufacturing facility in Danbury, Connecticut, as winner of two (2) 2010 Facility of the Year Awards. 

 The Facility of the Year Awards honor the year’s best new and renovated, state-of-the-art pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities worldwide in seven categories.  This year, twenty-one companies in twelve countries were considered and each of the submissions was reviewed by an independent, blue-ribbon judging panel of global representatives from the pharmaceutical design, construction, and manufacturing sectors.

The MannKind facility, which was constructed for the production of their proprietary Technosphere® Insulin System, was chosen as winner in the “Equipment Innovation” and “Process Innovation” categories.  This is the first time in the award program’s history that one facility has been honored in two categories.

This challenging project involved the conversion of an existing building to be used for the new manufacturing process, as well as a new addition for product packaging and offices.  R. Baker & Son All Industrial Services, a premier rigging, dismantlement, plant relocation and building demolition contractor, was chosen to perform select demolition of the existing facility.  Their challenge was to complete demolition with no interruption to utilities, which included existing boilers, compressed air systems, desiccant dryers, condensate pumps, and various electrical and control panels. 

This was the second time in two years that R. Baker & Son has assisted a client with winning a Facility of the Year Award.  Last year (2009), R. Baker & Son contributed to a global pharmaceutical company winning the Facility of the Year Award 2008 in the category of Equipment Innovation.

Prior to starting demolition, R. Baker & Son worked closely with MannKind’s MEP (mechanical, electrical and process) Team to determine what needed to stay and what needed to go, and to devise a plan to remove walls, ceilings, doors and floors while keeping old utilities up and running until the switchover could be made to the new utilities.  R. Baker & Son developed a detailed four-phase plan as part of an overall master plan to keep the project on track and on budget, and achieve the client’s ultimate goals.

As work commenced, R. Baker & Son worked carefully to re-support existing utilities, electrical panels, and control panels that had previously been contained by walls and ceilings that were slated for demolition.  Walls and floors were scanned to see if anything unknown existed inside.  Block by block, brick by brick, walls were dismantled and removed.  The MEP Team helped keep things running smoothing by holding daily end-of-day meetings to review progress, discuss work-arounds, and map out the next day’s plan.  Once R. Baker & Son’s work was completed, the transition from old to new utilities was carried out seamlessly.

R. Baker & Son congratulates MannKind Corp. for their Facility of the Year Awards.  “They’re well-deserved.  It was a great project, and it’s an amazing facility”, said Baker.  “’I’m glad we were given the opportunity to do what we do best”.   

Company president David Baker attributes part of the success of the project to Mannkind’s reliance first rate contractors like R. Baker & Son.  “Demolition and relocation is a surprisingly complex process” that demands the highest levels of technology and expertise, says Baker.  R. Baker & Son’s seasoned team of highly-trained project managers, safety managers, foremen, and field personnel has the necessary expertise, state-of-the-art technology, and impeccable safety record these projects demand. 

About R. Baker & Son All Industrial Services

R. Baker & Son All Industrial Services is the premier specialized contractor in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.  The veteran founded company has been in business since 1935, has over 100 employees, an exemplary safety record (We have been directly involved in four (4) sites that received VPP OSHA Safety Awards) and is financially strong (bonding capabilities over $10 Million).  Capabilities include industrial and commercial demolition, rigging, machinery & plant moving, dismantling, decommissioning, plant and equipment relocation, interior demolition, wrecking, selective demolition , demolition contractors in NJ and warehousing.

R. Baker & Son All Industrial Services
1 Globe Street
Red Bank, NJ 07701
Phone: 732-222-3553
Fax: 732-450-0311
Website: www.rbaker.com

For more information visit our website or contact Damon Kozul, PE, CHMM at dkozul@rbaker.com