Setting up a new manufacturing facility is one of the most ambitious milestones for any organization. It signals growth, long-term commitment, and future scalability. But ask any seasoned project manager or plant head, and they’ll tell you, building a plant from scratch isn’t just about pouring concrete and ordering machines. It’s a strategic endeavor that demands detailed foresight, cross-functional collaboration, and error-proof planning.
Despite years of experience and ample resources, many companies unknowingly fall into the same traps when setting up new plants. These missteps, often avoidable, can snowball into cost overruns, operational inefficiencies, and lost opportunities.
Let’s examine the most common mistakes companies make and, more importantly, how to avoid them.
- Starting with Equipment, Not Strategy
One of the most frequent errors companies make is beginning their planning process with a list of machines rather than a strategic blueprint. This machine-first approach often leads to a mismatch between capacity planning and business goals.
What works better? Start with the “why.” Define your product mix, target output, demand forecast, and scalability goals. Only then should equipment selection and layout planning follow. The plant should serve your strategy, not the other way around.
- Ignoring Flow and Process Logic
Designing a layout based solely on space availability or convenience often leads to poor workflow and unnecessary handling.
Imagine raw material traveling across the plant three times before hitting final assembly. Sounds inefficient? It is. Yet it happens often.
The key is to ensure that every department, process, and material movement is mapped logically, supporting a seamless, linear flow from input to output.
- Overlooking Future Scalability
Many companies build their new plant only for today’s volume. And then, within a couple of years, they’re struggling with bottlenecks and layout rework.
New plant design must answer the question: “What if we double our output in five years?”
Build flexibility into your design. Plan utility lines, walkways, and equipment spacing with expansion in mind. You’ll thank yourself later.
- Neglecting Employee Ergonomics and Safety
Efficiency is important, but not at the cost of safety and comfort. In the rush to meet deadlines, critical ergonomic design elements like workstation height, reach zones, lighting, and ventilation are often deprioritized.
Remember, an efficient plant is one where people want to work.
A well-thought-out design improves not just safety, but also productivity and morale.
- Underestimating the Power of Visual Management
From display boards and and on signals to color-coded zones and markings, visual management is an underrated tool in greenfield planning.
It’s not just about aesthetics. Visuals promote faster decision-making, reduced errors, and better communication across teams.
- Disjointed Planning Between Departments
A new facility affects nearly every department, from operations and supply chain to finance and HR. But often, planning is limited to just the project team and production heads.
Bring everyone to the table early. Cross-functional planning ensures that layout decisions consider manpower availability, inventory practices, dispatch logistics, and even visitor management.
So, What’s the Smarter Way?
Most of these mistake’s stem from one root cause: fragmented planning. Teams focus on tasks, not systems. On immediate needs, not long-term goals. On structure, not flow.
To truly set up a plant that performs and scales, businesses need a comprehensive framework—a proven approach that brings structure, strategy, and efficiency together.
Enter: Lean Facility Design® by Faber Infinite Consulting
At Faber Infinite, we’ve developed a proprietary, 15-step Lean Facility Design® (LFD) framework. It’s not just about layouts, it’s about building future-ready, world-class facilities that balance people, productivity, and process.
Whether you’re setting up a greenfield plant, revamping a brownfield site, or expanding your existing facility, our LFD approach ensures:
- Optimized space utilization
- Reduced material movement and throughput time
- Right-sized inventory planning
- Integrated visual management
- Long-term scalability with minimal rework
And yes, we’ve helped organizations reduce their layout revision costs by up to 40% and improve space efficiency by over 30%.
Planning a new plant? Let’s ensure you get it right-right from the blueprint.
