One aspect of feed mill construction that doesn't get much "air time" is the vital close communication during an undertaking of such magnitude.

If all mills were identical, it would be simple to submit permits and have completed drawings for the field superintendent. But, by nature, feed mill construction depends on a complex blending of the owner's know-how and knowledge of his product.

When a project is in its infancy, it is impossible to have many details ironed out and confirmed before sending drawings out for permit approval, let alone for construction. Frequently, a drawing submitted for approval will be adjusted several times as the job evolves while correct in its content.

To stay on a reasonable schedule, construction must start even before engineering is completed on the entire project. When the field superintendent arrives at the site, he will have current and approved foundation drawings. But the other drawings are usually quite preliminary, yet they are necessary for him to grasp the project's overall scope. There will be many revisions to these original preliminary drawings as the job progresses.

And that is where good communication between the office and the field superintendent becomes critical.

We developed a dynamic system to maintain control of the drawing changes to keep track of these many revisions. Our system allows the field superintendent to see whether a drawing has been updated. If he learns that his print isn't the latest, he can notify the project manager to send him the latest drawings.

You may never have thought about it, but communication is vital to the on-time completion of a project.

Please contact us if you'd like to discuss how WL Port-Land uses best practices in communication to do the job right.

Written by Art Hosey