Ninth Institute Project Case | Qingdao Hailong Factory Renovation General Contracting Project

The Qingdao Hailong Factory is the first complete vehicle production base for new energy commercial vehicles of the FAW Group, and this renovation project is also a key project of the FAW Group. The project applied a large number of new equipment and technologies, with a construction cycle from project initiation to vehicle rollout of only three months. The high level of requirements and urgent schedule are rare in automotive factory construction projects. As the general contractor, the Ninth Institute leveraged its overall advantages to efficiently achieve the project goals.

01 Optimize implementation plans according to local conditions

In addition to the tight schedule and high quality requirements, the project involved transforming an existing automobile chassis production plant into a complete vehicle production base. To reduce project investment, it was necessary to make full use of existing building facilities, which significantly increased the project's difficulty. Team members fully understood the on-site situation, adapted to local conditions, actively thought, collaborated, and completed multiple optimization plans. While ensuring that complete vehicle production requirements were met, all existing building facilities were utilized, allowing the main investment in the project to be applied to improving product quality production equipment, achieving the overall optimal goal of factory construction.

02 Reasonably formulate progress plans

To ensure project progress and quality, and to effectively play an organizational and coordination role, team members fully identified customer needs and used their rich experience in factory design and construction to break down customer needs into actionable items. They quickly formulated the process and civil engineering utility plans for the project, reaching consensus with customers in the shortest time possible. By developing a project progress plan that is comprehensive in task breakdown, clear in interfaces, well-defined in cooperation relationships, reasonably overlapping in tasks, scientifically synchronized in implementation, and highlighting key paths, as well as effectively monitoring the progress plan during project implementation, promptly solving problems that arise, predicting and preventing risks, and maintaining clear work thinking, the smooth implementation of the project was ensured.

03 Efficient collaboration ensures timely completion

During the project process, efforts were made to ensure cooperation and communication among clients, the Ninth Institute, civil engineering teams, and over 20 subcontractors. The internal procurement department, production operation department, and various engineering institutes of the Ninth Institute unified planning and coordinated efforts. They worked overtime to efficiently complete all design work for the project within just 20 days. The procurement department completed bidding and procurement for 18 bid blocks within 20 days, ensuring that the critical milestone of officially starting construction on October 3 was met. To ensure rapid project advancement, on-site management was divided into four sections: civil engineering utilities, mechanization, non-standard equipment, and process equipment. Each section advanced rapidly in sync while working orderly together. The project team held daily meetings to check on completion status for the day, resolve issues encountered by various construction units, and arrange work for the next day, truly achieving daily completion checks. The rich production experience of clients was fully utilized as they participated in managing equipment manufacturing, installation, and debugging processes. This not only guaranteed smooth project implementation but also laid a solid foundation for subsequent production training, equipment handover, and engineering acceptance. At the same time, subcontractors played an active role; everyone worked together towards common goals to achieve various phased objectives.

04 Strict safety management eliminates hazards

With the collective efforts of the project team during construction, zero casualties and zero penalties were achieved. A dedicated safety officer was assigned on-site to conduct unscheduled inspections daily and promptly notify rectifications upon discovering problems or hazards. As on-site safety management personnel, they were diligent and responsible at all times without neglecting safety hazards. The dangerous operations involved in on-site construction mainly included working at heights, deep foundation pit operations, painting operations, and hot work; among these, cross-construction of dangerous operations posed the greatest risk. The main safety management measures included arranging work areas for each construction unit in advance to manage time and space effectively while reasonably avoiding overlaps in construction schedules and areas. To this end, the project team held nightly meetings at 7 PM with suppliers to delineate construction areas and conducted spot checks during subsequent construction periods to accelerate progress while ensuring on-site safety.

On December 7, 2017, a grand ceremony was held at the final assembly workshop to celebrate the rollout of FAW Jiefang's Qingdao New Energy Base. Leaders from FAW Group's Party Committee Standing Committee and Vice President Dong Chunbo attended along with representatives from Qingdao Municipal Government, Jiefang Company, Ninth Institute, Qingdao Automobile Company (Qingqi), media reporters from over 20 outlets including Xinhua News Agency and Economic Daily as well as nearly 300 representatives from Qingqi and construction units witnessed this milestone historical moment.

From signing the contract to rolling out the first complete vehicle took less than 90 days. The Ninth Institute fully leveraged its EPC general contracting advantages to create a miracle. "After playing a thousand tunes one understands their sound; after observing a thousand swords one recognizes their form." With profound accumulation and continuous progress, people from the Ninth Institute will always uphold the core concept of "professional service dedicated to customer satisfaction" and work hand in hand with clients to continue writing new chapters.