Engineering Inc. - September/October 2006 - 14

oWners' EyE ViEw manufacturers assess the impact of engineering on The
3.5-million-square-foot Nissan plant rose out of 1,400 acres of their
businesses farmland. i n f r a s t r u c t u re for the plant. plant.
Another major project Wages was put in charge of was overseeing the design
and helping to make sure the job construction of a 12-mile water By Heather
B. Hayes got done within two years, with pipe that would supply the site
clearing kicking off early in plant with water. 2001. By holding regular
meetings, It was a pressure cooker, he Wages could be certain that says.
It was imperative for the everyone was aware of changes texas future of
this state to show the or adjustments, and the chances instruments world
that we can live up to our of last-minute surprises were Headquarters:
Dallas commitment. For us to have greatly minimized. The key Locations: 25
countries Founded: as geophysical failed would have crushed the was
communication and being Services incorporated in 1941 state's future. able
to provide quick answers industries: Semiconductors, Wages' biggest
challenge was and make quick decisions, says electronics Products:
integrated coordinating with the project Wages. circuits, Digital Signal
director with more than two W h e n emergencies arose Processors,
Calculators Shaunna Sowell dozen contractors, consultants, or critical
issues had to be 2005 revenue: $13.39 billion Vice President employees:
30,300 state agencies and others who answered immediately, his cell Texas
Instruments Website: www.ti.com had a hand in the infrastructure phone
would ring. Everyone in project and making sure every- the county had the
number, he PaciFic one received the same informa- says. This included the
county PLastics t i o n . He designated himself sheriff, who called once
in the Headquarters: Soquel, Calif. the point man for all matters middle
of the night to report Locations: United States, india Founded: 1989
related to the state-funded isolated flooding on a part of industries:
medical devices, infrastructure and made sure the site because of a backed
up biotechnology, life sciences, that all questions were routed culvert.
telecommunications Products: injection mold tool- through him. But it was
well worth any ing, molded plastics, assemblies This way we didn't have
inconveniences. The plant was 2005 revenue: Does not Stephanie Harkness 15
people giving 15 different completed within budget and disclose CEO
employees: 205 answers, he says. All informa- on schedule in early 2003.
Pacific Plastics Website: tion came through me or the Now the plant
employs more www.pacificplastics.com project director and it was my than
5,000 people and Nissan merck & co. job to disseminate it to all the has
four models rolling off the Headquarters: other parties. That was
critical. assembly line. Yet Mendrop- Whitehouse Station, N.J. Wages held
daily meetings Wages' work isn't completely Locations: 51 countries
Founded: 1891 with a team of key players to finished. The firm is still
under industries: healthcare, discuss important issues, such contract with
the state and is pharmaceuticals as the design and construc- implementing
some finishing Products: Vioxx, Zocor, Propecia, Singulair, etc. tion of a
nearby highway inter- touches to the infrastructure. 2005 revenue: $22.01
billion change that would allow con- B u t , for the most part, employees:
61,500 Steve Mongiardo tractors to begin delivering and Chad Wages can give
his cell Website: www.merck.com Senior Director installing equipment for
the phone a rest. n Merck & Co. 14 ENGINEERING ENGINEERING INC. SEPTEMBER
/ OCTOBER 2006
http://www.ti.com http://www.pacificplastics.com http://www.merck.com
Engineering Inc. - September/October 2006

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