Products & Solutions

Johnson Controls tackles near-impossible task and succeeds

Logistics
It’s hard enough trying to get a far-flung family together for the holidays. But imagine the challenge of gathering 3,500 employees spread across half a dozen buildings and putting them under one roof. Then add a massive refurbishing project and the fact that existing leases for those half-dozen buildings expired at different times and, well, you have the potential for a logistical nightmare. That’s exactly what was facing the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company’s (EADS) Defence and Security Division. (EADS is a global leader in aerospace and defense services, counting Airbus among its holdings, while the Defence and Security Division provides the group’s security solutions.) After analyzing its offerings and the disparate nature of the employee groups in Paris, EADS decided to consolidate locations, turning to Johnson Controls and its Energy, Environment and Solutions (EES) team for its logistical expertise.

Huge Challenges

The challenges facing the team were enormous. For example, the 3,500 staff had to be transferred to one central building over six months—a compressed timetable for even the most organized of efforts. And since the transfers were dictated by the expiration of leases for buildings housing the employees, there was no wiggle room in company timetables. Any deviation from the predetermined—and outsider-mandated—timetables meant potential penalty payments. To top it off, the central building needed wholesale refurbishing. To this end, Johnson Controls tackled a replacement of the building’s heating and sprinkler system and the installation of air conditioning units, as well as the installation of a Metasys building management system, which allows users to control a variety of building functions, like air handling, lighting, security and utility monitoring via the building’s internal network or over the Internet. That was a monumental task in and of itself, but Johnson Controls accomplished the refurbishing while directing the relocation of employees. Using a phased approach, the EES team refurbished areas and moved employees in by office wing. This phased approach meant no disruption in workflow—for the Johnson Controls team or the EADS employees. Best yet, the refurbishing and the relocation were completed in six months—a testament to the EES team’s skills, determination and operational efficiency.
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It’s All Logistics
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