The construction of the hall of the CATL factory in Debrecen is progressing well for WEST HUNGÁRIA BAU Kft.

The construction of the production hall for the second European battery factory of the Chinese Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) in Debrecen has been completed. A world leader in energy storage and battery development, the company's customers include well-known car manufacturers such as BMW, Ford, Tesla and Volkswagen.

The WEST HUNGÁRIA BAU Kft., which is not only carrying out (and will soon complete) the structural work on the huge 110,000 square metre hall building, but will also be working on the secondary steel structures, roof and side wall cladding, and finishing works.

The Hungarian company has installed a total of around 5,500 tonnes of steel in the building, which has a floor area of more than 110,000 m2.

Challenging implementation

As we learned from the company, the construction of the hall's additional utility building was suspended in the first quarter due to the revision of the plans, but as soon as possible, WHB continued the works with full speed and will soon finish them. The company's technicians were faced with the challenge of managing the logistics of the particularly large quantities of prefabricated elements and their installation on short deadlines, and they tried to keep up with design changes while meeting deadlines. In addition, weather conditions such as extreme autumn and winter precipitation were a challenge.

It was done as part of the construction of the hall:

• excavation of monolithic reinforced concrete headstocks,
• the construction of monolithic headstocks,
• the placement of precast reinforced concrete elements,
• and the installation of the steel reinforcement.

Resources increased for new tasks

WHB has won the tender for the secondary steel structures, roofing, cladding and finishing works, more than a quarter of a year after the hall was built, and the works are progressing according to the contract schedule.

Tasks under the contract:

• the secondary steel structure,
• the roof and side walls,
• the siding,
• the installation of windows and doors,
• master-builder works,
• the basic electrical installation
• and basic mechanical installation works.

The company is working with the client to further reduce construction time in priority areas by continuously increasing the number of people working on the project and by paying close attention to capacity.

The contractor informed us that next month, the façade construction, roof insulation and bedding will be completed, followed by the construction of the industrial floor, while the other secondary steel structures will be built in parallel. In the meantime, the mechanical elements will be connected.

The goal is to complete the current work, which includes the final architectural work, by the end of the year.

All based on cooperation with the investor

A special feature of the project is that WHB won each tender element in stages, one after the other. In such cases, there is room for manoeuvre in how companies coordinate work between the different project phases. In addition, plans may evolve during the tendering process: new elements may be added, raising questions about the technological sequencing of the package.

But in all cases, the company monitors these changes and reacts in a timely manner, working with the customer to find the best possible solutions. They are also open to customer requests, so there are ongoing negotiations for additional work, as WHB covers the whole spectrum of the construction industry.

In the summary sent to our newspaper, it was explained that the company pays special attention to communication, as it is the basis of long-term, well-functioning business relationships. For this reason, they are extremely open to their partners and try to define the framework for joint work on the implementation side as precisely as possible. In addition to day-to-day tasks, they also invest a lot of energy in further developments, an important element of which is the cooperation with the highly professional BIM team. "The team of professionals is a great help in ensuring accurate and high quality workmanship, which has resulted in a number of other projects ready for launch," concludes the report.