Adam Opel GmbH - Reconstruction of the Rüsselsheim Facilities

Client: Adam Opel GmbH

Object: Press Shop, General Assembly, Paint Shop

The facilities and production units of Adam Opel GmbH Rüsselsheim had been subjected to considerable reconstruction measures before the production launch of the GM middle class vehicles in 2008.

In September 2006, the KOCKS ENGINEERS were awarded the contract for the preparation of the design for construction changes of the body shop taking into consideration the adjacent building complex for the relocation of production facilities.

At the beginning of December 2006, the association R.U.M. Plan and KOCKS ENGINEERS were awarded the contract for the following services:

construction supervision

support of the project management

supervision of construction of the technical equipment for the building

coordination for security and health protection

and for the production areas:
press shop

general assembly

new logistics area

paint shop

In spring 2007, the KOCKS ENGINEERS were additionally charged with the general planning for reconstruction measures of the buildings incl. the technical equipment of the building for the general assembly as well as different design services for the paint shop on levels +9 m and +20,5 m.After a short planning period, construction works started on numerous locations in the different production areas. First reconstruction measures were scheduled for the holidays around New Year 2007 and summer holidays 2007 when the production was supposed to be interrupted. In the other periods the works had to be carried out under ongoing production process in accordance with the production schedule as well as on weekends and during night.

Among the numberous measures to be implemented only a few shall examplarily be mentioned:
The major part of the reconstruction fell upon the Body Shop:

adaption of the existing infrastructure to the requirements of the new production machinery

extension and construction of new platforms over the existing production equipment in operation

The general assembly was subdued to reconstruction and adjustment works on 20 sites carried out simultaneously during the summer holidays 2007:

steel construction works for the extension of transformer platform, overhead structure for production line and new handling equipment

construction of new worker pits made of reinforced concrete and adjustment/construction of worker platforms

construction of 3 docking stations for deliveries via truck

adjustment of electronic supply, media and ventilation.

A new area for logistics was built up next to the body shop providing a restructured infrastructure according to the logis-tics process. Extensive works were essential for the adjustment and renewal of the ventilation and sprinkler technologies.

The construction works in the paint shop were already terminated in autumn 2007. Here the following measures were carried out:

demolition of the existing workshop and storage rooms on 20.5 m level

steel structure works to open the facade at the 20.5 m level for demolition and assembly of production facilities

construction of a pump station of approx. 1,000 m² on the 20.5 m level as steel construction with thermal insulated ceiling and wall panels

reconstruction and construction of working platforms on the 9 m level

adjustment and renewal of water and compressed air supply, ventilation and extraction, electronic supply and illumination and the sprinkler system.

In 2008, the media connection occurred for the production and assembly equipment as well as the installation of the fire alarm equipment, right in time for the production start of the Insignia series, which will hopefully gain success on the market.

On this occasion we would like to express our thanks to Worldwide Facilities Group Europe for the excellent cooperation, to the persons in charge of the production process and the layout department as well as to the companies carrying out the works.

A great number of employees was working on this challenging task in the teams of R.U.M. Plan and KOCKS EN-GENEERS. Among them we would like to name Dipl.-Ing. B. Petri for the design, Dipl-Ing. M. Seifert and Dipl.-Ing. H.-J. Winterhoff for construction supervision, Dipl.-Ing. D. Hackmann for the security and health coordination. The project was managed by Dipl.-Ing. R. Ulbig and Dipl.-Ing. H. Merklinghaus.