Selecting the best site for a new manufacturing plant involves knowledge of a host of specialties, including labor market dynamics, transportation services, electric power service, taxes and investment incentives to name a few. The process is based on Fluor Daniel's over 25 years of experience assisting companies to position corporate resources worldwide. Multidisciplinary mix Written mission, timetable, milestones Designated chairman, defined authority Setting the Objectives Lower costs, proximity to new markets and customers, better regulatory climate, incorporating new technology, etc. Reaching consensus on goals and objectives essential step Subsequent site selection decisions rest on clear definition of objectives Analyzing Project Feasibility Market and financial feasibility analyses plus manufacturing process and facility design engineering establish case for moving ahead. Revising and reconfirming these assumptions is an ongoing process.
Early input can save major costs for revisions later on.
Process definition sufficient to establish initial conceptual cost Volume, product mix defined Plant staff sized Process equipment identified Developing Location Parameters General project parameters and critical location factors support initial geographic area screening. Availability of existing facility may be deciding factor if time to market is driving issue. The Factors Categorizing critical factors into musts and wants enables comparative analysis of locations. For most small to medium-sized companies, this phase should narrow the search to between five and ten states . Factors shown lead to first cut elimination of potential states.