Prefabrication was once viewed as an option for projects, but today, it is considered essential. Industrial facilities can easily exceed 500,000 square feet, with some projects spanning hundreds of acres. The construction of these facilities requires considerable time, materials, and budget, making prefabrication an essential solution. To better understand the impact of prefabrication work on your project, consider these five key questions covering various aspects of building a new facility.

#1: What is your schedule goal?

Meeting our clients’ aggressive speed-to-market goals is a top priority. With industrial facilities, the timeline of a project has accelerated in recent years and is even more magnified. Thankfully, speed is a key benefit of prefabrication work. As your construction team works on the core and shell of your project, prefabrication teams can simultaneously work on the interior components off-site. This parallel work accelerates the project because once the shell is complete, prefabrication teams can immediately begin to install components and allow successor scopes to start.

Outside of its impact on labor scheduling, prefabrication can also guarantee that the material needed is already procured. Material shortages continue to be a significant concern within the construction industry and can force delays on any project. At JE Dunn, we uphold project timelines by leveraging our extensive nationwide resources and strategically positioning them so that all our projects will be successful. We recently constructed an on-site prefabrication area to assemble 116,000 feet of piping, 95 pipe racks and other critical components on a battery materials project in northern Tennessee to resolve schedule constraints added to the project because of the time it took to transport materials and finished components. This strategic choice eliminated transportation time and accelerated our timeline exponentially, allowing us to shift workers and resources to other areas.

#2: What does the local labor market look like?

In addition to material constraints, the construction labor market is also feeling the strain, with the industrial and manufacturing segments being among the hardest hit. Large-scale construction projects require a larger workforce and are often built in remote areas for space concerns. These factors typically leave projects with limited labor options. JE Dunn has worked hard to develop and expand its prefabrication capabilities to mitigate these constraints and complete more work in-house.

Depending on a project’s needs, prefabrication also eases labor constraints through off-site flexibility. This is a major benefit when working with a small labor pool. JE Dunn’s off-site prefabrication teams can build complete modules that are dropped into place or deliver condensed kits of prefabricated materials to be installed on-site, allowing you to adapt to the skillset of your local labor pool. Taking work off-site also eliminates schedule stacking and enables you to use local labor resources more effectively. This helps keep sites organized and clean, positioning the entire project for success.

#3 When do you plan to onboard your design and construction partners?

Involving your design and construction partners as early as possible, along with key trade partners, is vital. Bringing these teams in during the planning phases can maximize prefabrication use on your project. These partners can analyze what aspects of the project could benefit from prefabrication work by evaluating pain points related to cost, scheduling, labor and safety. For example, if you’re seeking creative ways to lower costs without modifying your timeline, material solutions through prefabrication can enhance cost certainty.

Another example that illustrates the impact of involving design and construction partners early is Georgia-Pacific’s new facility in Jackson, Tennessee. During the planning phases, JE Dunn’s team was able to tour another Georgia-Pacific facility to get a feel for what would be needed for the new build. This early evaluation led to the identification of several elements that could be prefabricated, including mechanical racks, pump skids, and piping systems. Each component was later built for modular assembly, ensuring easier installation at the job site. This approach shifted 42% of the required labor hours off-site and improved the project schedule.

#4: How will you maximize safety and working conditions at the job site?

Nothing is more important than the safety of workers. JE Dunn recognizes the mental and physical benefits of off-site work and its crucial role in enhancing working conditions and productivity.

Off-site facilities are controlled environments that offer workers additional safety and resources. Key variables of projects that benefit from these conditions are weather and working at unsettling heights. Prefabrication facilities provide stable working environments and protection from rain and extreme temperatures. For projects with tight deadlines, having a controlled work environment is a game-changer that boosts overall productivity. When working at significant heights, prefabrication facilities provide enhanced safety by bringing tasks closer to the ground and utilizing specialized resources and equipment, minimizing risk and improving overall safety.

#5: What strategies are built into your plan to elevate and maintain quality?

Maintaining quality through every project phase is essential when planning a new industrial facility. These projects require hundreds, sometimes thousands, of workers and numerous vendors, making consistent quality challenging to uphold. Assigning work to prefabrication teams helps mitigate this risk by ensuring consistency throughout the building process—a concept known as ‘scaling.’ This enables builders to produce larger quantities of components for diverse applications, maximizing quality. This work is also routinely reviewed and inspected, adding an extra layer of quality assurance.

As the construction industry adapts to different working norms, utilizing prefabrication on manufacturing projects has become a natural solution to ongoing and new challenges. Prefabrication services are no longer a luxury—they are essential to ensuring project success. Whether you’re looking to positively impact scheduling, labor, cost certainty, or quality and safety, prefabrication is the clear solution.

The post The 5 Questions You Should Ask to Determine if Prefabrication Is the Right Fit for Your Industrial Project first appeared on JE Dunn Construction.

Supported by close partnerships with Louisiana Economic Development, St. Mary Parish, and other state and local officials, Saronic is expanding its facility to meet surging demand for its autonomous ships. The company broke ground on the new construction project in November 2025, which will add more than 300,000 square feet of new production capacity. The project is slated for completion by the end of 2026, with expanded operations coming online in early 2027.

“This expansion represents what American industry can achieve when innovation and production are fully aligned,” said Dino Mavrookas, Saronic Co-founder and CEO. “Our expanded shipyard will enable us to deliver autonomous ships at unprecedented speed and scale while creating 1,500 high-quality jobs across Louisiana. Together with our next-generation Port Alpha shipyard, we’re establishing the modern blueprint for American shipbuilding — an integrated ecosystem that connects autonomy innovation with large-scale production capacity to strengthen and sustain America’s maritime leadership for generations to come.”

As part of the shipyard expansion, Saronic will construct three new slips, expand its warehouse, and develop a dedicated production line for large-vessel assembly — namely Marauder, the company’s 180-foot autonomous ship. Saronic is collaborating with industry leaders JacobsWyper Architects, P2S, KPFF, JE Dunn, and Alberici on the design and construction.

“Saronic Technologies’ decision to invest in Louisiana speaks to the strength of our workforce and the state’s leadership in defense manufacturing,” Governor Jeff Landry said. “Louisiana has long built the ships and technology that keep America strong. This project shows that our people, our ports and our pro-growth policies are creating jobs and securing our state’s place at the forefront of America’s defense economy.”

“Saronic’s expansion draws on Louisiana’s historic strengths — a world-class maritime workforce, generations of shipbuilders and unmatched technical expertise,” LED Secretary Susan B. Bourgeois said. “This project builds on that proud legacy by integrating new technology and innovation to ensure our state continues leading in the maritime and defense sectors for decades to come.”

The post Saronic Expands its Louisiana Shipyard with $300 Million Investment to Accelerate Autonomous Ship Production first appeared on JE Dunn Construction.

“JE Dunn is very excited to work alongside Paris Baguette to further their mission of opening 1,000 bakery cafes in the United States by 2030,” said Krizia Diaz, JE Dunn’s Food & Beverage Market Leader. “Bringing manufacturing capabilities stateside is key to that mission. As design-builder, we will be able to work closely and provide a customized solution unique to Paris Baguette’s needs. This project is also integral to JE Dunn’s continued growth in the food & beverage space.”

The fast-growing bakery brand, owned by SPC Group from South Korea, has 210 stores already open across North America, including 57 new locations added in 2024 alone. Paris Baguette hired general contractor JE Dunn and design partner CRB to build a 267,000 square-foot facility that will reduce the chain’s reliance on frozen dough shipped from Korea or China. Having localized production operations set up on 37 acres south of the Dallas-Fort Worth metro will ensure fresher baked goods, faster distribution, and the ability to meet growing demand in North America.

“Today marks more than the start of construction — it’s the foundation of Paris Baguette’s future in the United States,” Paris Baguette North America CEO Darren Tipton said. “With this $200M-plus facility in Burleson, Texas, we’re not just building walls and machinery; we’re building momentum, innovation and the ability to bring heart, joy and nourishment to even more communities across North America. This is a milestone on our journey to 1,000 cafés by 2030 — and a testament to the passion, dedication and vision of our team.”

“Partnering with Paris Baguette and JE Dunn on this facility is a tremendous opportunity to bring CRB’s food and beverage design expertise to an important project that will localize production and improve speed to market,” said Tom Rychlewski, CRB’s Vice President of Food & Beverage. “By integrating efficient process flows, advanced food safety design, and scalable infrastructure, JE Dunn and CRB are designing and building a plant that will support Paris Baguette’s operational goals from day one and adapt to future demand with speed and certainty.”

JE Dunn and CRB will work together with other food and beverage subject matter experts to further Paris Baguette’s mission to serve smiles daily. The new manufacturing facility is expected to be completed in the summer of 2027.

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