Created with Sketch.
The Austin Company
  • Contact Us
  • Austin Consulting
  • Spanish
  • Why Austin
    • Leadership Team
    • Austin Past and Present
    • Safety
    • Results, Not Excuses
    • Project Gallery
  • Markets
    • Aerospace and Defense
    • Food and Beverage
    • Pharmaceutical and Biotech
    • Automotive
    • Industrial Manufacturing
    • Process Industries
    • Utility Plant Support
    • Commercial
  • Services
    • Design and Engineering
    • Construction
    • Facility Maintenance
    • Location Consulting
    • Planning
    • Development and Financing
  • Subcontractors
  • Careers
  • News & Blog
  • Why Austin
    • Leadership
    • Austin Past and Present
    • Safety
    • Results, Not Excuses
    • Project Gallery
  • Markets
    • Aerospace and Defense
    • Food and Beverage
    • Pharmaceutical and Biotech
    • Automotive
    • Industrial Manufacturing
    • Process Industries
    • Utility Plant Support
    • Commercial
  • Services
    • Design and Engineering
    • Construction
    • Facility Maintenance
    • Location Consulting
    • Planning
    • Development and Financing
  • Subcontractors
  • Careers
  • News & Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Austin Consulting
Home > Precise Engineering, Quality Construction
NEWS & BLOG

April 10, 2018 posted in Construction, Design and Engineering

Precise Engineering, Quality Construction

head shot of Matt Eddleman

Matt Eddleman

Senior Vice President of Operations

Call 404.564.3962 Email Matt View Profile

Q: How long have you been with The Austin Company, and in what capacity have you worked for them?

I started with Austin in 1988. Except for a brief break in the early 1990s, I have worked for the company ever since. I began in purchasing and have worked in estimating, project management, business development, regional management, and now as a Corporate Officer.

How have manufacturing facilities evolved in recent years (or since you have been in the industry)?

Several changes come to mind, including increased automation, “smarter” buildings, lean manufacturing, and sustainable construction and operational processes. Also, reshoring: manufacturing previously shifted to lower-cost labor parts of the world are now returning to the U.S.

What are some notable projects you have worked on over the years?

Due to The Austin Company’s breadth of industry experience, I’ve had the opportunity to work on food processing facilities, pet food plants, bottling facilities, rocket factories, television studios, newspaper production facilities, aircraft manufacturing facilities, aircraft paint facilities, laboratories, office buildings, engine and turbine plants, and more. Overall, I am involved in projects totaling more than 5.5 million square feet of special use facilities, valued at over $1.3 billion.

What was a particularly challenging project you worked on, and how did The Austin Company overcome the challenges presented?

When building the rocket plant, the overall scope of the project was drastically changed two weeks after we mobilized on-site and began preparing for foundations. Due to the size of the rocket, certain portions of the manufacturing process could not be performed anywhere else in the world – it had to be manufactured at the new facility. Due to the dramatic scope changes, the schedule was in jeopardy. Working with the team of designers from around the country and the local construction team, we reorganized and re-sequenced portions of the work. Along with a lot of overtime, we maintained the original completion date, so that the rocket production and ultimate launch could proceed on schedule.

Typically, Austin engages with a client to provide a preliminary concept or feasibility study to determine if a project is viable or not. As the project progresses to advanced stages of design and ultimately into construction, Austin is never assured that the next step will be awarded. Our clients are under no obligation to move to the next step with Austin. It is up to our team to earn the right to be the service provider for the next step.

Austin offers a flexible approach to contracting. We are comfortable with lump sum or open book contracting, where we serve as an extension of our client’s organization.

What are the main goals you seek to achieve when taking on a project? How do you go about doing this?

Our primary goal is to achieve the objectives we establish with our clients early in the project development process. Once we have defined the solution that will solve the problem identified by the client – the scope of service – we create a customized Project Execution Plan that contains a variety of critical information, such as critical metrics for safety, quality, cost, schedule, and client satisfaction. Each metric is monitored and evaluated to ensure we are meeting the established project goals.

How do you align site selection and design with a client’s strategic goals?

Austin’s site location consultants take into consideration a client’s strategic needs when conducting a detailed site location study. The outcome is to recommend the best property and community for an organization to maximize profits while minimizing annual operating and one-time costs. Operating costs typically include a thorough analysis of the client’s transportation, labor, utility, taxation, and other essential costs factors that can be influenced by geographic location. These factors also consider future growth projections forecasted by the client to assure the recommended site will serve them well into the future.

What in-house subject matter expertise does The Austin Company have for different industries, and how does that help create complex facilities unique to specific industries or products?

Because of our long history (140 years this year!), Austin has established subject matter expertise across multiple industries.

With regard to different specialties for food plants, this includes food processing, baking and snack, and meat and poultry. Austin also has extensive expertise in aerospace manufacturing facilities and recently celebrated 100 years of serving this industry. Austin has designed and built more facilities in this sector than any other firm. Austin has a growing expertise in automotive manufacturing, as well —both in OEM and Tier suppliers.

Within these industries, Austin team members have expertise in the design and construction of these types of facilities, as well as working within the specific industry from the owner’s perspective.

This level of knowledge with specific facility types allows our team to bring experience gained from related projects, along with knowledge of what works well and what may not work so well. Experience working within the various industries offers an understanding of and empathy for the challenges faced by operations personnel who maintain and operate these facilities daily. As a result, we can design and build better projects that meet the needs of today while considering and allowing for expansion capabilities in the future.

Interview originally published by Generis Group for the 2018 American Manufacturing Summit
and reprinted in Results Magazine, a publication by The Austin Company

Looking for an expert?

To connect with one of our knowledgeable team members for a media opportunity, please contact Leslie Panfil via phone or email. We look forward to sharing our expertise!

440.544.2255 | info@theaustin.com

MORE NEWS FROM THE AUSTIN

The Heart of the Matter

March 13, 2023 by Sean Barr, PMP

Winter Construction Safety Guide

March 9, 2023 by Charlie Engel

Two Books and a Podcast that Inspires Service, Leadership, and Purpose.

March 8, 2023 by Mike Pierce
Austin®
Transparency in Coverage Privacy Policy Employee Resources
  • Connect with The Austin Company on LinkedIn
  • Follow The Austin Company on Facebook
  • Follow The Austin Company on Twitter
  • Subscribe to The Austin Company's YouTube Channel
Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}
Manage Cookie Consent


This website stores cookies on your computer. These cookies are used to collect information about how you interact with our website and allow us to remember you. We use this information in order to improve and customize your browsing experience and for analytics and metrics about our visitors both on this website and other media. To find out more about the cookies we use, see our Privacy Policy.

If you decline, your information won’t be tracked when you visit this website. A single cookie will be used in your browser to remember your preference not to be tracked.


We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “ACCEPT”, you consent to the use of all cookies. For more information, please visit our Privacy Policy.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}