Hiring the Right Industrial Contractor: What You Need to Know

Industrial construction of any kind can be daunting, to say the least. If you are planning to bring to life an industrial space of any kind, you likely have a lot of questions or concerns about the overall process. There are lots of things to consider such as schedules, coordinating multiple agencies, and your overall strategy for how you might get your industrial building completed. You will likely need all the help you can get with both building design and execution.

This is where hiring the right industrial contractor comes in. Having a contractor you can trust from start to finish is key to completing your industrial space on time and within your budget. To help you pinpoint the kind of contractor you should hire for your industrial build-out, we’ve compiled a list of characteristics you should look for in an industrial contractor, as well as some helpful tips you will want to use.

• Experience is Key

  The right contractor for any industrial construction project you may have in mind should always have experience. You wouldn’t want to trust the entire future of your industrial building construction to someone who has never managed an industrial build before. If you have been looking at a specific industrial contractor, but are not sure how many years of experience they have in the industry, be sure to ask.

  How Norwest Compares: Norwest Contractors has some of the most experienced contractors in the industry. We couldn’t imagine trying to construct the kind of large scale spaces that we have for our clients if we didn’t have a team of experts on our staff. Experience has always been one of the best features of our industrial contractors. If you decide to work with us, we are sure to instill a sense of confidence in you every step of the way until your space is completed.

• Examples of Past Projects Should Be Available

  Past examples should always be requested if you are considering working with a certain industrial contractor. If you haven’t seen previous examples of a contractor’s work, how can you be sure that they will provide you with a high-quality build? You should only trust an industrial contractor that is able to walk you through industrial construction projects they have worked on before.

  How Norwest Compares: Norwest Contractors has examples of industrial building construction we have been a part of in the past that can help give you an idea of the caliber of work we aspire to. UltraTape is a great example of one of our largest industrial construction projects. UltraTape is a manufacturing company that creates high-quality adhesive tapes for various industries. Aerospace, medical, pharmaceutical, and semiconductor companies rely on their products every day. For their warehouse, our industrial contractors helped transform over 21,000 square feet into a beautiful and well-designed space that met all of their standards for clean and safe production.

  Another great example of our industrial construction work comes from Carl Zeiss Vision. Their 23,000 square foot industrial building in Clackamas, Oregon was constructed with the help of our industrial contractors and strategic team members. According to Jeff Grumbling, the Director of Operations at Carl Zeiss Vision, “of the contractors we considered, Norwest was clearly the best prepared… Besides meeting our budget, they always recommended cost-effective and creative options for us.”

• A Thorough Site Inspection Should Always Be Performed

  If you have been considering industrial construction of any kind, you may already find yourself overwhelmed with questions regarding the building’s specifics. For example, do you know whether or not the electric and plumbing are up-to-date on the site of your industrial construction project? Are their safety concerns that you know need to be addressed, but you are not sure where to start? Some industrial contractors may not be as thorough as others when it comes to all of the details of your building. The right contractor will perform a rigorous inspection and leave no design or structural element up to chance.

  How Norwest Compares: The first step in our industrial building construction process starts with getting to know your building space. Our Know Your Building assessment is an invaluable tool that we use to help evaluate your existing site conditions. We want to know as much as possible about your industrial building plans, as well as the actual site you plan to build on. Our contractors will work with you to ensure that your budget will account for electrical reconstruction, plumbing, and allow you to comply with building safety regulations.

• Your Budget Should Always Be Respected

  When it comes to any industrial construction project, you will incur two kinds of costs. The first are hard costs, which include labor and materials. The second category is soft costs, which are more difficult to estimate and include insurance, architectural and interior design elements, and taxes. The right contractor will go over these expenses with you in detail before and throughout the process of your industrial construction project.

  Additionally, the right industrial contractor will ensure that any unforeseen expenses that may arise will be communicated to you in a timely fashion. You will be kept in the loop when it comes to any abrupt changes that may affect your budget. Make sure to hire a contractor that has a streamlined process for working with client expenses and is prepared to communicate with you about the financial side of things before and during construction.

  How Norwest Compares: For a large-scale industrial build-out, you don’t want to take a gamble when it comes to estimating your costs by going with your best guess. That is why we will help you account for fluctuations in the market, as well as the costs of specialized materials your industrial build-out may require. We establish a Baseline Budget for all of our clients, which is essentially a minimum project investment. This process helps us avoid any surprises throughout the building processes of your industrial construction space.

• The Process Should Be Made as Simple as Possible

  Industrial construction can be complicated, but it doesn’t have to be if you work with the right contractor. An experienced industrial contractor will have a streamlined and simplified process for working through each of your goals. Be sure to ask your future contractor how they plan to make sure you can anticipate a smooth transition from one stage of construction to the next.

  How Norwest Compares: At Norwest, we take you through the entire building and designing processes in two-and-a-half easy steps. The first step is Know Your Building, where we perform a thorough inspection of your site to evaluate and assess what needs to be done for your industrial space. In the second step, we move on to our Design-to-Budget™ methodology. In this phase, we bring your building site conditions into alignment with your design expectations. Then finally, in conjunction with the Design-to-Budget™ process, we will take you into our DesignLab to look at design examples that will fit your preferences and budget.

• Interior Design Elements Should Be Considered

  The best industrial contractors help see you through every step of construction, from the plumbing and electrical requirements, all the way down to the smallest details and decorations. Your building won’t be complete until every last interior design element has been established. The right contractor for the job won’t leave you hanging when it comes to these small, but important features. You will want to make sure to hire an industrial contractor that has an interior design team so that your building is both functional and beautiful when completed.

  How Norwest Compares: When you enlist our services, you will have complete access to our DesignLab. Norwest DesignLab is outfitted with flooring samples, paint samples, cabinet examples, doorknobs, and other design materials that you can see up close and for yourself. We have found that our DesignLab helps significantly in the beginning stages of industrial construction projects of all kinds. Right from the start, you can choose the flooring, colors, materials, and other design elements you want to incorporate. Our interior designers will guide you in your decisions to make sure your industrial construction project begins and ends with the right design elements in mind.

Experience the Difference When You Work with Norwest Contractors!

Now that you know what to look for in a contractor and have seen how Norwest Contractors compares, let us know how we can help! We know that industrial construction projects can be lengthy and time-consuming, but with the help of our experts, you can count on a smooth process from beginning to end. Our project managers, interior design specialists, and skilled financial experts will see to it that your project meets your expectations.

Feel free to call us anytime at 503-291-6986 and we’ll get back to you ASAP. We can’t wait to help see you through your industrial design and building processes. We look forward to partnering with you!