Integrated approach to brewery extension delivers fast, cost-efficient result

Our client, an international brewing company, wanted to increase the capacity of one of its breweries in Nigeria by more than 50%. It asked Haskoning to undertake design, procurement, project and construction management for the expansion which involved extending the brewhouse, service block and a packaging line. A key requirement was an extremely quick timescale.

Expertise integrated across disciplines and global offices

Input for the design was coordinated by our Building Technology team, bringing together technical, architectural and design specialists across disciplines including mechanical, electrical, structural and infrastructural engineering. In addition, the team integrated input from our global network to make the best use of our expertise and to deliver the solution in the most cost-efficient way.

Insight and knowledge of client needs are key for the initial stage when client requirements are defined and translated into a conceptual design. This work was done by lead architects and project managers in the Netherlands who have worked closely with our client over many years. Then, detailed design was developed by our office in Vietnam, who also have long experience with our client and wide-ranging brewery projects. In turn, this office drew on the local knowledge of our team in Nigeria who provided input about local construction culture, regulations and codes.

Haskoning had designed and managed construction of the initial greenfield brewery. With all the original documentation to hand, we were able to integrate the new extension seamlessly into the brownfield situation in a tailored design solution.

Quality assured through local oversight combined with international expertise

An integrated approach was also used for procurement. Tender documents were drawn up by our offices in the Netherlands. Our team in Nigeria knows the construction market well and, in close coordination with our client, selected qualified contractors for the long list. They arranged meetings together with the contractors and our client for shortlisting, and assisted further with the evaluation of the bids and the selection and award of the contract.

Our local team supervised and managed construction, keeping control of costs, schedules, and quality of the works as well as back office support. The construction manager was also the interface with our experts in the Netherlands and Vietnam. Close coordination was maintained via weekly back office meetings and daily conversations between the project manager in the Netherlands and the construction manager on site. In addition, time lapse images were available to all stakeholders, enabling progress to be tracked remotely.

“What is special about this project is that the design was developed through an integrated process which brought in expertise from global offices and multiple engineering disciplines. It was also completed in an extremely short timescale,” said Rick van der Kolk, Senior Project Manager, Haskoning. “Such an achievement requires strong communication and good organisation. It benefits from the fact that we have all the disciplines in house and are able to draw on local knowledge as well as international expertise.”