The Apostrophe_v11

THE APOSTROPHE
Automation + Advanced Facilities
1 Letter from Kevin Bean
A New Paradigm
1
An Automation Primer
Automation Keywords
2
Fitting the Pieces Together
Keys to the Automation Puzzle
3 Seeing the World in Cubic Feet
Distribution Automation
5 Taking Charge
Women in Leadership
6 O’Neal in the News
News and Information About O’Neal
V11 / 2019

A NEW PARADIGM
From two different directions, the digital age is
changing how we plan, design and construct
manufacturing and distribution operations.
The changes are coming from customers with the
demand for customization and faster delivery and
from the ever-changing opportunities to incorporate
automation in ways that reduce overall labor costs,
increase productivity and improve quality.
At O’Neal, we use the term advanced facilities to describe the integration of
traditional and non-traditional structures with automated systems that drive
the internal work outputs of the facility. We are helping some clients determine
how to integrate automation within an existing building, but more and more,
we are helping others plan, design and construct integrated operations for
facilities that are built to be largely run by equipment and software rather than
masses of people.
The key word is integration. Just as traditional distribution centers were built
around human constraints in moving, storing, picking and shipping inventory,
the new generation of facilities are designed around automation systems that
reduce traditional labor requirements in favor of workers who can support and
manage the automation. These changes continue occurring within our traditional
manufacturing base as well: chemical, industrial, food processing and clean
industries.
Our Advanced Facilities team is conducting studies all over the country to define
needs, select automation approaches and implement the strategy through project
delivery. I hope you find our experience and insights helpful.
Kevin Bean
President + CEO
O’Neal, Inc.
AUTOMATION KEYWORDS \\ KEYS TO THE AUTOMATION PUZZLE \\
An Automation Primer
AI – Artificial Intelligence — A computer system that mimics human
intelligence in areas like translation, speech recognition and decision making
without the need for much human interaction.
Machine Learning — A form of AI that takes the massive amount of data
collected in a warehouse, like inventory and order numbers, and quickly
translates it into actionable language. It has the ability to identify inventory and
order patterns to reveal which items are selling and should be restocked first.
Cognitive Robotics — A form of AI that includes using robotics for picking
orders and delivering them to workers.
Rack-supported structures — A structure where the rack system serves as
structual support for the roof and walls, as well as providing high density storage
for automated storage and picking.
RPA – Robotic Process Automation — systems develop the action list by
watching the user perform that task in the application’s graphical user interface
(GUI), and then perform the automation by repeating those tasks directly in the
GUI.
Auto Store — Robotized storage and order processing solution that increases
storage density.
ASRS – Automated Storage and Retrieval System — A variety of computercontrolled
systems for automatically placing and retrieving loads from defined
storage locations.
AGV – Automated Guided Vehicle — An automated guided vehicle or automatic
guided vehicle (AGV) is a portable robot that follows along marked long lines or
wires on the floor, or uses radio waves, vision cameras, magnets, or lasers for
navigation. Also known by other names including LGV (Laser-Guided Vehicle), SGV
(Self-Guided Vehicle), as well as Guided Carts, Mobile Robots, Driverless Vehicles
or Autonomous Vehicles and similar name variations.
Fitting the Pieces Together
A
million-square-foot warehouse was once a beehive of activity with hundreds of
workers receiving, storing, moving and picking each item to be shipped. Along
came e-commerce which fed demands for faster and faster delivery and higher
customer expectations, increasing the pressure on a lower-paid workforce that was
already difficult to recruit and retain.
In the industrial space, producers, challenged by labor and operating costs, found
their far-flung network of distribution centers
increasingly more expensive to operate. With
lower transportation costs, the answer in the
industrial space became consolidation.
In both cases, e-commerce and industrial
distributors are applying automation to
increase productivity and reduce operating
costs. Applications range from modifications
of existing facilities to new facilities designed
and constructed with automation defining
the building structure, infrastructure, and
requirements.
O’Neal consulting experience spans the
continental US, ranging from master planning
services to project management for clients who
need the expertise and necessary resources
to implement an automation strategy. The
consultancy efforts result in a range of services
from project management of vendor selection
and automation installation to full design and
construction delivery of lights-out facilities.
For companies that are considering automation
options, the outcomes are not automatic. Of studies conducted by O’Neal’s Advanced
Facilities team, solutions often fall into three categories:
• Maintain and improve the manual approach — Optimizing pick paths,
denser storage racking profiles and state-of-the-art material handling
equipment.
• A combined approach of automation and manual operations —
Automated storage systems with goods-to-person delivery and picking
(increasing labor productivity with automation or using labor as a quality
check).
• Lights out automation — Fully automated production line to automated
storage to automated truck loading (low labor
availability or harsh environments such as freezer
applications).
Like adaptation of any new technology, the
challenge is to fully define what is being purchased
and what is required to support it. Like any
technology package, the devil is in the details. One
of the challenging assignments O’Neal’s Advanced
Facilities team takes on from time to time is helping
a client who has purchased an automation package
only to find the client did not fully understand the
implications and requirements of that system.
Buying an automation system is not unlike buying a
car. There are many options. The options someone
should choose are based on their unique needs
and what they are trying to accomplish in their new
workflow. Understanding the options available can
be overwhelming.
This is where O’Neal’s experienced consulting team
can assist. Through a deep-dive data analysis, we
can help you understand your business needs and
which technologies, vendors, and solutions best fit
your unique goals. The decisions made during this
phase of a project not only help drive the type of mechanical and software needs of
the systems but also the overall success of the project.
As distribution strategies continue to be driven by customer demand and emerging
technology offerings, O’Neal is ready to provide experienced assistance with
understanding the best strategic options, the best procured options, and the
integration of building, utilities and automation to provide the best overall solution for
your business.
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DISTRIBUTION AUTOMATION \\
Seeing the World in Cubic Feet
The method of describing the size of distribution centers may be
changing, with footprint area no longer the key descriptor of size. In
a late 2018 earnings call, Chief Financial Officer Brian Olsavsky said
that Amazon could start using cubic feet, instead of square footage, to
measure its fulfillment center footprint.[1] Amazon is not alone in thinking
in terms of total facility volume. A recently completed O’Neal project
represents the crossroads of high-volume, smaller footprint with high
levels of automation and minimal staffing.
HP Hood is one of the country’s major dairy producers. Hood purchased
a facility in Batavia, NY, and expanded production capacity, creating the
need for an innovative warehouse solution to meet future requirements
and to alleviate workforce availability issues. Hood’s desire was to use
automation to store and pick orders. The resulting distribution center
represents a next-step in facility automation, moving from a labor-based
approach to a lights-out automated operation.
O’Neal partnered with an automation supplier to deliver a turnkey,
refrigerated automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS) and case and
layer-picking system. O’Neal and the automation supplier concepted the
25,000-pallet, nine-aisle storage system and incorporated a sophisticated
means to automate the case and layer-picking process. Maintained at 35
degrees, automation removes the need for a constant labor force inside
the temperature-controlled area.
In total volume, the high bay area provides over five million cubic feet of
storage capacity.
White noted the savings and benefits derived from the approach used on
the new facility. “The ASRS technology enables HP Hood to store 25,000
pallets in a building footprint of less than 55,000 square feet, which is
three to four times less space required than a conventional building and, at
the same time, get the benefits of automated pallet storage and picking.”
Incorporating a rack-supported structure with refrigeration, plumbing and
other utilities required a high level of design and installation coordination.
Additionally, floor flatness and levelness requirements become even more
critical to support ASRS systems that are picking pallets at elevations as
high as 100 feet.
The remaining 30,000 square feet provides a shipping area which is fed
both by the ASRS and from the existing warehouse to which the new
structure is tied.
O’Neal is also supporting HP Hood as its representative during prestart-up,
start-up, and performance testing activities of the automated system. The
O’Neal team is working at the direction of HP Hood and System Logistics,
the automated system supplier, to coordinate the testing activities and
provide regular interval reports to ensure transparency of these testing
activities.
Ryan White, O’Neal’s Manager of Manufacturing and Distribution Planning,
worked with the automation supplier to develop the system. “This state
of the art refrigerated Unit Load ASRS and Case Picking facility allows HP
Hood to store, pick and ship orders with reduced labor and load trucks
faster in a small footprint. The automated system does all the thinking
and heavy lifting for HP Hood’s distribution operation so they can focus on
producing a quality product for their customers.”
In addition to the automation system, O’Neal delivered design and
construction of the 80,000 square foot building that includes a 55,000
square foot, 110-foot tall, rack supported structure for the ASRS system.
The HP Hood facility is the latest delivery of this type of automated system
by O’Neal. Based on O’Neal’s current level of client engagement, there are
many more to come.
For more information, contact:
Ryan White | O’Neal, Inc.
Manager, Manufacturing +
Distribution Planning
e: rwhite@onealinc.com
d: (864) 298-2149
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WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP \\
Taking Responsibility
In an industry heavily dominated by men and slow to embrace change, O’Neal is
empowering women in leadership roles, showing the way for other women in the
engineering and construction industry. Meet three women successfully serving
critical management roles at O’Neal.
She is used to being in a room full of men, but when it is time to discuss contracts,
Judy Castleberry’s gender doesn’t keep anyone from holding back. As O’Neal’s
Chief Financial Officer, one of Castleberry’s roles is to negotiate the complex
EPC contracts that define O’Neal’s project relationships. “When it comes to
negotiating contracts, there’s no gender in the role. It’s about defining roles and
responsibilities and reaching mutually beneficial terms.”
Castleberry came to O’Neal in 2001 as Controller and became CFO in 2004. She is
joined on O’Neal’s management team by two other women who came through the
design and construction ranks. Becky Rollins joined O’Neal’s construction group
in 2004 after twenty years of construction experience across the US. She now
leads O’Neal’s procurement group. Miranda Baladi joined O’Neal early this year as
Design Manager, with overall responsibility for O’Neal’s design resources.
Before coming to O’Neal, Castleberry was a partner with a large, regional
accounting firm. She brought business acumen to her role, but she also
brought a skill set that serves her well in a job where risk and reward are
determined by finding a way to bring two parties together. “To be successful
in what I do, I have to understand the other side’s position, what they want,
what they believe they need. How do we bridge to a mutually beneficial
position?”
While technical skills and knowledge are fundamental to Judy’s negotiating
success, her command of soft skills prove to be the competitive advantage.
Rollins echoes the same approach from advice she said she received from
her father. “He said, ‘You can’t learn if you’re talking, so always listen first.’”
Baladi came to O’Neal after a variety of design and construction roles at one
of the world’s largest firms. Her experience in the field helped her
understand that design is not done in a vacuum. She learned that in the field
there is a sense of urgency that is different than sitting at a desk. “Time really
is money in construction.” The lessons helped her as she moved into design
leadership roles. At O’Neal, she is using her skills to continue honing how design
meshes with overall project needs.
But like Castleberry and Rollins, she values the skill of listening to what people
are actually saying. In her first project engineer assignment, Baladi worked for a
project manager who made time for everyone no matter what he had on his plate.
She asked how he could invest that much time with everything he had to do. He
answered, “Nothing is more important than the people I work with.”
From that lesson, she went beyond asking direct questions and took the time
to listen. What she found was that once “I started to talk to them enough to
understand the full story, I learned the true problems and could prioritize my work
better.”
All three agree that being a woman in the engineering and construction industry
has never held them back. They have held key roles in putting in place billions
of dollars of work and laying foundational approaches to managing
company processes and people. All agree that what others want to know
about you is what you can accomplish.
Castleberry regularly negotiates EPC contracts in excess of $100 million.
She understands her role is built around dealing with people and making
good decisions. “You have to balance emotion and rational processes.
People don’t have to agree with your decisions, but if you have a process,
they respect how you arrived at the decision. Leadership is decision
making.” She added, “You can’t underestimate the importance of being
prepared.”
Rollins has built some of O’Neal’s most high-profile projects over the
last six years: a new tire plant, a $150 million chemical plant and twin
synthetic fiber projects at two different locations. What she learned from
those projects deepens her love for her work and for O’Neal.
(On the chemical plant), “We installed 60,000 linear feet of pipe in a very
compact space with no interferences. The facility started up and made
saleable product right out of the gate.”
On the twin fiber projects, “O’Neal did the design for one and another
company provided design for the other. The difference in design quality
was like night and day.” She thinks that O’Neal can be guilty at times of
taking the quality of its work for granted. “We need to share what we do
here.”
Castleberry echoes Rollins’ sentiment. “O’Neal’s culture hasn’t changed
since I came here: caring, competent people. We’ve maintained the culture
while providing larger, complicated, more challenging projects. We’ve kept
the organization flat, maintained our open door policy without putting in
another layer of management.”
More women will follow these three very accomplished women. As O’Neal
continues to grow, an increasing number of women are filling demanding
roles throughout the business. The future has a different feel to it, and
that’s a good thing.
PROJECT UPDATE
On June 5, 2019, a topping out ceremony was held at the 454-acre Teijin Carbon Fibers site
in Greenwood, SC. O’Neal is providing engineering, procurement and construction services for
the new facility which will produce carbon fibers for a wide variety of applications including
automotive and aerospace.
‘‘
O’NEAL IN THE NEWS
O’NEAL NAMED BEST PLACE TO WORK IN SOUTH CAROLINA, 8TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR
O’Neal, Inc. was recently name as one of the Best Places to Work in
South Carolina for the eighth consecutive year. This fourteenth annual
program was created by SC Biz News in partnership with the South Carolina
Chamber of Commerce and Best Companies Group.
‘‘
This survey-and-awards program was designed to identify, recognize and
honor the best employers in the state of South Carolina, benefiting the
state’s economy, workforce and businesses. The list is made up of 75 total companies.
The fact that O’Neal has been recognized 8 years in row is exciting,” said Kevin
Bean, President and CEO of O’Neal. “The feedback from the Best Places to Work
survey is what we value the most. Listening to our team members is a key
part of our culture. This feedback helps us meet our commitment to provide
challenging and rewarding opportunities to our employee-owners.
Pictured left to right:
5 Judy Castleberry, Becky Rollins, Miranda Baladi
6

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www.onealinc.com