BACKGROUND

As a producer of electronics based in Kyoto, Japan, Omron Manufacturing identified the need to improve the quality of the company’s components. Therefore, the company chose to relocate its assembly line from Japan to the United States, an endeavor that would require the construction of three new clean areas – one for each of the main steps of fabrication. Knowing our track record for successfully designing, constructing, and certifying dependable exposures for numerous high-profile companies, Omron Manufacturing called in Western Environmental to assist with the assembly line relocation project.

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PROJECT CHALLENGE

To accommodate Omron Manufacturing’s equipment and manufacturing process, Western Environmental was tasked with completing three separate cleanroom projects within a designated time frame. As Omron Manufacturing was relocating its assembly line, our timely completion was essential to keeping production interruption to an absolute minimum.

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Aside from the challenge of meeting Omron Manufacturing’s time constraints, its new facility in the United States featured walls that were self-supporting and independent of the building. This required collaboration between Western Environmental and the utility and electric services of the Japanese equipment to be installed, which allowed us to achieve a layout that did not interfere with maintaining a clean environment nor inhibit the manufacturing process.

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At the same time, this assembly line relocation project required the construction of an addition to the facility. For this aspect, we coordinated the design and installation of these clean spaces with the general contractor responsible for the addition.

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RESULTS

Our engineers designed and executed three new cleanrooms that allowed Omron Manufacturing to relocate its assembly line from Japan to the United States. In close collaboration with the Japanese equipment provider’s utility and electric services, we designed each cleanroom to accommodate the equipment efficiently and effectively. A total of four separate HVAC units were installed – one unit for each of the two smaller rooms and two units for the large space. Additionally, we designed a portion of the large area to carry the load of the HVAC equipment serving that room.

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Omron Manufacturing’s assembly line relocation project also successfully delivered an addition to the building. By working with the general contractor, we coordinated the design and installation of the clean spaces, which guided the contractor through the installation of the exterior equipment platform. The finished platform extended from the concrete slab through the cleanroom AHU platform, as well as through the building’s roof.

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DESIGN PARAMETERS

– Cleanliness: ISO 8 (Class 100,000)

– Enclosure Size: Approximately 13,000 square feet, with the largest room measuring 60’ x 120’ x 12’