AeroVironment is an aerospace contractor that designs, develops, produces and supports an advanced portfolio of aeronautical products. Specifically, they produce Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) that are used by government agencies domestically and abroad in order to gain intelligence in areas when it is not ideal for a pilot to fly. These sophisticated remote control planes are used in a multitude of applications that range from weather data collection to intelligence. The company wanted to segregate the production areas for these aircraft and create more defined storage areas within its California production facility.
Project Overview
Application: Production Area Segregation in unmanned aircraft production facility
Product: OmniFlex with Freestanding Wall Panels, Standard and Custom Sized Fire and Sound Wall Panels, 12" Integrated Window Panes
Benefits Provided:
- Segregated Work Areas
- Provided Visibility Into Work Areas
- Lower Cost than Standard Furniture Alternative
- Custom Painted to Match Existing Structures
The Challenge
Because the facility had an open floor plan and government regulations mandated that the company be able to closely monitor all work, the industrial partitions needed to enable supervisors to oversee all production through the wall partitions. It was determined that the company needed freestanding wall partitions with windows in order to segregate the space while maintaining the openness of the current layout.
The Solution
Hyundai selected a customized modular wall partition from PortaFab to satisfy their requirements. Ultimately, the Hyundai team was not just looking for a bulletin board; they wanted a solution that would effectively separate this area from the rest of the plant and engage workers into the space.
The end product is an innovative bulletin board wall constructed with PortaFab's OmniFlex modular wall system. OmniFlex's 3" thick steel studs had already proven to be a durable solution in other areas of the plant and the use of angled end panels created the space-within-a-space that Hyundai was trying to achieve. The wall was also designed to reflect the company's branding, featuring the signature colors of blue and gray.
Hyundai executives are extremely pleased with the streamlined end result. There are future plans to convert many partition walls in their plants nationwide to this dual use bulletin board wall.
"Hyundai made a smart move by getting us involved early in the process. Many pieces in a facility can serve dual purposes and with our experience in designing inplant space solutions, we were able to help Hyundai turn a simple bulletin board into so much more. One of the great things about working with modular materials is that they are extremely versatile and can be customized to meet a multitude of needs."
— Wayne McGee, President of PortaFab
