THE CHALLENGE
On April 4, 2020, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck the city of Mexicali, Mexico, causing significant damage throughout the area and bringing the local community to a standstill. Among the impacted businesses included a leading U.S. aerospace manufacturer’s facility, a key player in a complex supply chain and a significant employer in the area responsible for more than 1,400 jobs. With such an important role to play in the local community, and with billions of dollars of time-sensitive orders on the line, restoring production as rapidly as possible was an imperative.
THE SOLUTION
With projected loss of more than one million dollars per day if the plant were to remain closed, there was not a moment to waste. FIRST ONSITE arrived on the scene quickly to assess the damage, provide safety recommendations, restore temporary power, and develop a plan to maintain business operations while restoration efforts were underway.
To handle this complex and urgent restoration, FIRST ONSITE developed a two-phased plan that allowed for manufacturing operations to stay up and running. Phase one included rapid restoration of critical operations, with as minimal disruption as possible. Along with emergency mitigation, this involved making immediate repairs to the heavily damaged onsite daycare facility, which employees relied on to manage their childcare needs. Phase two included seismic upgrades to make the facility more stable, and to protect employee safety in the event of future earthquakes. This involved working closely with the facility’s engineering team to update and retrofit the main transformer; a critical component to maintaining power during future catastrophes.
THE RESULT
FIRST ONSITE prioritized safety, planning, and communication from start to finish of this project. In addition to training the locally-hired workforce on our highly rated safety program, FIRST ONSITE appointed bilingual Project Directors to lead the process and keep communication seamless. Daily safety meetings and field reports ensured schedules and budgets stayed on track throughout the custom restoration and engineering work. At the end of the project, the facility was not just fully restored, but improved, enhanced, and stronger than ever thanks to FIRST ONSITE’s code and aesthetic upgrades.
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