WHITEPAPER

Design challenges of
brown field
industrial project

INDUSTRIAL DESIGNS FOR

EXPANSION OR MODIFICATION PROJECTS
The brownfield projects are those projects where WHAT'S INSIDE?
there is a existing facility which could be operational
and the project is either an expansion or for
Business Landscape
modification of the existing construction.
Site Selection
Industrial Areas
The advantages of brownfield projects are:
Size of Projects
The basic infrastructure like roads, power, water Challenges faced by
and manpower are in place. Industries
The consultant has to follow the pattern of the Design Challenges
existing buildings. Trends in Industries
The master-plan helps in the brownfield project. A few trends in industrial
designs are:
A few of the drawbacks are: Best Practices
The project has to be planned without disrupting
the production.
Any bottlenecks in the existing facility have to be
overcome
BUSINESS LANDSCAPE
Investments
With the help of Make in India drive, India is
on the path of becoming the hub for hi-tech
manufacturing as global giants such as GE,
Siemens, HTC, Toshiba, and Boeing have either
set up or are in process of setting up
manufacturing plants in India, attracted by
India's market of more than a billion consumers
and increasing purchasing power. Cumulative
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in India’s
manufacturing sector reached US$ 76.82 billion
during April 2000-June 2018. India has become
one of the most attractive destinations for
investments in the manufacturing sector.
India’s infrastructure development has not kept
pace with economic growth as it continues to be
beleaguered by perennial problems. To name a
few, these challenges revolve around poor
project management practices, financing and
regulation. The rising demand for infrastructure
facilities, rapid growth in urbanisation, bulging
of the middle class and an increasing working-
age population would engender substantial
increase in infrastructure investments during the
next few years.
Source: IBEF.GOV
Infrasturcture
Sustained investment in infrastructure
is one of the key imperatives for
turning the “Make in India” vision into
reality. Achieving a manufacturing-led
transformation would necessitate
addressing the bottlenecks across
infrastructure.
The Government has started taking
initiatives in this direction and we are
already witnessing early rewards. To
start with, public spending on
infrastructure such as roads, railways,
irrigation and urban infrastructure has
received a significant fillip in the
Budget. Many bottlenecks facing
infrastructure projects have been
eased, particularly in the area of
procedurally complex environmental
rules. The execution of planned
infrastructure in a timely and high
quality manner would provide the
necessary boost to the manufacturing
sector and help India realise her true
potential in manufacturing.
Source: D&B
SITE SELECTION - FOR PRODUCTION EXPANSIONS

LOCATIONS & SIZE THE SIZE OF THE

The brownfield projects could be in a industrial area of PROJECTS DEPENDS

any of the following:
ON THE AVAILABILITY

1. Each State has its own Authority for Industrial Areas OF LAND OR LAND
Eg: SIPCOT, KIADB, APSIIC, GIDC, MIDC etc.
PROVIDED BY THE
2. There are many private players who develop Industrial
Areas eg Mahindra World City, One Hub, Sricity etc LAND AUTHORITIES
3. Many corridor’s have also been designated Industrial
Corridors Eg: Mumbai-Delhi Industrial Corridor, OR EXPANSION
Bangalore- Chennai Industrial Region and Chennai-
REQUIREMENT
Vizag Industrial Region.
PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE
Industrial Parks: Every state in India
has developed industrial parks for
setting up of industries.
National Investment & Manufacturing
Zones: NIMZ is a combination of
production units, public utilities,
logistics, residential areas and
administrative services. It would have a
processing area, where manufacturing
facilities, along with associated logistics
and other services and required
infrastructure will be located, and a
non-processing area, to include
PHOTO BY MARTIN R. SMITH residential, commercial and other social
and institutional infrastructure.

ECONOMIC ZONES
Special Economic Zones: India has also developed SEZs
that are specifically delineated enclaves treated as
foreign territory for the purpose of industrial, service
and trade operations, with relaxation in customs duties
and a more liberal regime in respect of other levies,
foreign investment.
Sector specific clusters: like electronic manufacturing
clusters, mega food parks etc: The government of India
has been promoting the development of sector specific
parks.
Country specific zones: The country also have few
dedicated zones for industrial units from countries for
example Neemrana Japanese Zone etc.

Industrial corridors: The Government of India is developing the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor
(DMIC) as a global manufacturing and investment destination utilizing the 1,483 km-long, high-capacity
western Dedicated Railway Freight Corridor (DFC) as the backbone. The objective is to increase the
share of manufacturing in the GDP of the country and to create smart sustainable cities where
manufacturing will be the key economic driver.
Other corridors: planned include Bengaluru Mumbai Economic Corridor (BMEC); Amritsar - Kolkata
Industrial Development Corridor (AKIC); Chennai Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (CBIC), East Coast
Economic Corridor (ECEC) with Chennai Vizag Industrial Corridor as the first phase of the project.
FACING CHALLENGES -
BROWN FIELD INDUSTRIAL PROJECTS

In a brownfield industrial projects requires major amount of planning rto ensure

that the production is minimally disrupted. This could mean cordoning off the
area where construction activities are going on.
The following hurdles could come in the way of an industry:

The production related issues:

a) Organising the production so that the construction goes side by side.
b) Too much of dust in the production area. In a GMP facility- avoiding dust
during a construction phase is a factor that has to be considered

Land related issues:

a) Non-availability of a proper shape for further development
b) Improperly planned previous development could be a major deterrent in the
full utilization in a brown field project.

There could be issues related to utilities to be provided by the

development authorities:
a) Getting expansion permits

Project Construction:
a) Getting a good consultant
b) Sourcing a good vendor for the project
c) Getting the project in the planned budget
d) Timely completion
e) Time to Market & Go to Market
INDUSTRIAL BUILDING DESIGN CHALLENGES

The most important factor is time. With the entry of the multi national corporations and increased
competition in the market, time has become very important. Industrial Designers will have to plan
your venture in such a way that it fits into the marketing plans of the company or firm you are
working for. A lot of thinking process goes in to calculate the exact amount of time available.
Designers have to work backwards from the date of start of production. Industrial Designers
have to keep in mind the time allocated for trial run of the product. Depending on all these
factors designers actually arrive at a date at which, internally the building is ready, and this date
can be several months before the date of start of production. Designers need to work on a very
tight time frame. Another most important factor is cost. Designs will have to stick to the original
estimates. Two things you can not allow in an industrial building are time overrun and cost over
run. Time over run can really cost you the market you are aiming at and cost over run is hard for
any industrialist.

Industrial designers should keep the international standards also in mind while designing an
industrial facility. This is more important in this era of joint ventures and collaborations. All the
plans should meet international standards. Another matter of great importance is the constraint
of space. Design should be able to utilise the available space to the optimum level. There should
be proper care in selecting the building materials. Design must use material in such a way that
recurring cost is very little.
Again, the type of industry also matters in the selection of material for construction. Designers
and Builders has to use materials that prevent the entry of dust inside the complex as most of
the industries are highly sophisticated.
Industrial designs must be functional and dimensional. The design should take future growth or
extension or expansion plans for the future. You cannot alter or make improvements in the
structure now and then. Along with this, the production parameters of the set-up are also equally
important
DESIGN CHALLENGES RECOMMENDATIONS

Availability of drawings of the existing structures

and site layout
The existing bottle necks are to be solved
The design has to be in line with the existing
buildings. It is a challenge to have a new look mix
with a old building.
It has to represent the ethos of the company
The design should be compliant with design
norms
The design team should understand the process,
visit the facility and have a feel before designing
the brownfield project.
A change in the type of industry is also a
challenge. Making a old building to cater the
needs of a Good manufacturing practice
compliant process needs out the box thinking
many a times
TRENDS - RECOMENDATIONS
The way industries are perceived have undergone a
lot of change in the last decade. It has stopped being
just a shed and is know a style and a brand statement
for companies. Many companies are now landmarks
in the area for various reasons including the
aesthetic, Green rating, ambient work space etc.
Branding, aesthetics make it challenging while
designing a brownfield factory. The design consultant
has to make do with the available options and has to
be creative.

A few trends in industrial designs are:

BIM modelling: this technology helps visualise the

entire facility and anticipates any fouling during
construction.

Digital twin technology: Utilizing digital twin platforms

and reality-capture solutions reduces rework by
creating an active view of the project’s progress to be
tracked and compared in real-time.

Green Design : Green design is essential not only for

a Green Certified building but also industries who are
not targeting Certification. Sustainable sources of
energy like solar power, wind energy, bio energy are
considered as a primary source of power. Net
metering & Reduced carbon footprint are trending in
the industrial sector.

Zero Discharge: The Effluent Treatment and zero

discharge industries help build a environment friendly
brand for the industry. Water reuse helps reduce
requirement of water.

Manufacturing Practices like LeanManufacturing,

Six Sigma, Kaizen , 7s and are to be considered
INDUSTRIAL ARCHITECTURE DESIGN -
THE BEST PRACTICES & RECOMENDATIONS
A well planned brownfield industrial project has to be
always planned keeping in mind the existing production,
manpower and time factor.

Many brain storming sessions are required with the

production, projects, human resource, safety, marketing
team and the design consultant team.

A very well planned and drilled-down time line of the entire

project should be worked out with a view on the production.
A preliminary budget should be prepared so that the a
project outflow can be planned.

It is essential to have a multidisciplinary consultant team so

that all the pain points can be recorded and a solution can
be arrived. A team which can co-evolve the concept along
with the stakeholders of the client’s side can bring good
results in terms of a well planned project goals.

A pre-qualified and well selected vendor or contractor helps

meet the project goals.

A pre-bid meet helps dispel the doubts of a contractor and

paves the way for smooth project completion.

Providing a complete set of Good For Construction

drawings ensure that the contractor is able to plan properly.

A center of excellence at the design consultants, with the

best practices will be a great initiative which enhance the
design thinking, creativity, global standards and reduces the
learning curve for each new project.

For more information, please write to us...

Author: Ms.Roshini
Email: roshini@besten.in
CONNECT WITH US

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