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Why Facilities Maintenance is Crucial

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Facilities MaintenanceFacilities Maintenance is responsible for a comprehensive, program to identify and carry out necessary maintenance and repair of our facilities. Facilities provide detailed inspections to evaluate the maintenance condition of facilities and to identify any necessary corrective work.

In addition, we employ an organized and detailed system, under which property components, equipment, systems are inspected, tested, and serviced on a scheduled basis. Required periodic tests of elevators, fire protection systems, boilers, and pressure vessels are performed in accordance with applicable codes and regulations. While these tests and inspection programs identify the majority of the buildings maintenance and repair work, additional deficiencies should be reported immediately to the us.

Call us 24×7 for whatever you need — from building repairs, lighting replacement and upgrades, and roof cleaning to plumbing, grounds maintenance and more. Plus, we’ll help with interior painting, picture hanging, desk repair, and even furniture moves.

At SiliconX, we apply our knowledge and skills to address your needs, efficiently and affordably. We also rely on proactive safety programs to maintain a safer workplace.

Construction is often seen as a process that can be impacted by unexpected developments and unpleasant surprises. Not at SiliconX. We draw upon a thorough understanding of potential issues — born of decades of first-hand experience — to avoid common pitfalls and bridge over any unanticipated difficulties.

Our commitment is simple: we strive to make every project as uneventful as possible and deliver an outstanding result — on time and on budget.

SiliconX Construction in High Gear at Club Auto Sport

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CAS-bldg20,000 Square Feet of Tenant Improvements Built during the Past Year at the Unique Automotive Facility

SiliconX Construction has demonstrated exceptional versatility and responsiveness by completing nearly 20,000 sq. ft. of tenant improvements for a wide variety of customers at Club Auto Sport in North San Jose.

Club Auto Sport provides a unique automotive ecosystem within a single, 120,000 sq. ft. facility — including a 21st century auto row that features non-traditional dealers of new and pre-owned cars — plus businesses involved in vehicle service, repair, modification, as well as many types of specialty automotive shops. Club Auto Sport also features a one-of-a-kind club for auto and motorsports enthusiasts. The club sponsors track days, hosts monthly Cars & Caffeine shows and meet-ups, and organizes a variety of functions and activities held within an elegant 10,000 sq. ft. clubhouse ballroom with dramatic lighting treatments, video screens and 20-foot window walls.

Completing A Project a Month

Over the past 11 months, SiliconX has built an average of one tenant improvement project per month in the second of the two buildings at the Club Auto Sport complex. The company has been able to respond quickly with the full range of resources needed to address the rapid rate of new tenants moving into the facility.

The SiliconX team has worked closely with each business to ensure that work is completed on time and within budget, and that every space conforms to individual business requirements.

“SiliconX has done a great job for us at Club Auto Sport,” said co-founder and co-managing member, Ralph Borelli. “We’ve been able to count on their broad range of skills and expertise, attention-to-detail and outstanding responsiveness — from building the shell itself to accommodating the specific desires of each tenant.”

 

Construction Highlights

Among the facilities SiliconX has recently completed in Club Auto Sport’s Building B are:

 

  • Classic Car Fusion — SiliconX transformed Suite 301 into an attractive showroom and efficient shop area for the company, which offers a full range of services for acquiring, restoring and customizing classic cars. The company handles everything for car owners from transport and modification to photography and even sales, when required.
  • Elite RV Vacations — Elite RV delivers a “5-star RV experience” from Suite 303 at Club Auto Sport. The company rents luxuriously equipped Airstream travel trailers that are fully stocked with everything needed for an unforgettable vacation: from dinnerware and luxury linens to lawn chairs and gas BBQs. Customers can even have Elite RV deliver their Airstream to a chosen destination, set it up and pick up the family at the nearest airport, if desired.
  • Infinite Auto Tech — SiliconX completed all the improvements required for a modern automotive shop to service Audi/VW, BMW, Porsche, Honda/Acura, Toyota/Lexus, and other import automobiles. Owner Dick Chiang offers precision, personalized service to ensure the highest performance and safety for every vehicle.
  • Liquid Trends — Since 1999, the company has installed high-end audio systems in watercraft — in addition to becoming experts in car audio, LED lighting for vehicles and watercraft, and laser cutting and engraving of Plexiglas. For Liquid Trends, SiliconX was asked to complete a high-end fabrication shop. This included supplying more power and an extremely efficient air filtration system to ensure that Liquid Trends could complete its precision work in a virtually dust-free environment.
  • Sonic Motorsport — In Suite 323, SiliconX created a showroom and versatile shop area for the automotive tuning shop founded by Andrew Fang and Barrett Howard. Sonic Motorsport offers a broad selection of premium quality parts and accessories — with wheels and suspension parts a specialty — installed by its team of certified service technicians.

SiliconX Construction also handled a move and expansion for Supreme Detailworks from Suite 315 into Suites 327 and 329. And soon, the company expects to begin work on a very special new space that will be part of Borelli Motor Sports’ presence at Club Auto Sport. More details on this spectacular venue to come later!

Meeting a Variety of Challenges

In addition to all of the construction details, SiliconX dealt seamlessly with some of the planning and zoning issues that often arise in conjunction with construction at a specialty facility such as Club Auto Sport. The experience that the company has in dealing with a broad array of challenges has proven to be extremely valuable in keeping the projects on track for scheduled completion dates.

If you’d like to learn more about the work SiliconX has done at Club Auto Sport — or anywhere else in Northern California — contact Tony Gonzalez, Director of Construction Operations, at tony@siliconxconstruction.com, or call (408) 418-0099 (w) or (408) 318-1869 (c).

 

 

 

Maintenance New Years Resolution for 2015!

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Happy-New-Year-2015-Wish-ImagesMaking New Year’s resolutions is a popular way to ring in the year each January. People all over the world commit themselves to doing things differently and making positive changes in their lives, be it working out more or eating junk food less.

Facility management is no different. No matter the size of your facility, there are likely areas in which you can improve day-to-day operations. Here are some New Year’s resolutions you may want to consider after you sing Auld Lang Syne.

Clean up your reporting

Reporting is one of the most important parts of managing operational efficiency. Accurate and accessible reports can lead to greater precision when it comes to making, managing and updating operational budgets, which can translate into more savings as well.

Larger facilities especially may experience greater lag time between on-site repair staff and the updating of work orders and maintenance reports. Fortunately, the days of pen and paper record-keeping are all but over. The continued development of facility management technology, has streamlined the reporting aspect of building maintenance. The Web-based functionality of such services can offer real-time reporting, request-for-proposal management and updated life cycle information.

Increase maintenance mobility

Mobility is key for staying on top of mounting planned maintenance operations. With larger or multi-building facilities, unchecked repair jobs or delays in reporting can amount to less efficient operations and budget planning.

CMMS technology has co-evolved alongside mobile and handheld hardware to give facility managers and repair teams the ability to respond to emerging maintenance concerns while onsite, without having to return to an office to input data into a single centralized service. The less time repair teams spend running back and forth between facility management offices and maintenance sites, the more effectively they’ll be able to keep up with emerging repair jobs.

Focus on prevention

As the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. In the world of facility management, this translates into an operational focus on preventive rather than corrective maintenance. Centralized building management technology can help in this regard, by providing real-time tracking of repair requests and equipment status.

Buildings.com also recommended that facility managers increase the frequency of standard audits and inspections of essential infrastructure.

Sustainability is the way forward

Facility management is no longer just a field centered around maintenance. Standards from industry and federal governing bodies such as LEED, ASHRAE and ENERGY STAR are placing increasing importance on initiatives such as green energy and sustainable building design and construction.

New building construction should be undertaken with an eye to sustainability at every step of the process – from design to construction. One important consideration pointed out by Buildings.com is understanding the difference between products and services that are “green” and those that are “sustainable.” Chemical agents and cleaning products may be considered “green” due to their composition, but that doesn’t mean they’re automatically safe as well. Sustainability is an overarching process that works toward continued facility operation, including safety for all occupants.

Prepare for the skills gap

The next several years may see a sharp decline in the number of facility management professionals active in the field. As the current workforce moves closer to retirement age, administrators may find themselves facing a greater demand for maintenance staff than the current job market can supply for.

Facility administrators can begin to counteract this now by revising their training programs to incorporate the new skills and technology that are rapidly becoming an integral part of the field.

SiliconX Construction Helps Comet Maintain Rising Trajectory in X-Ray, Ebeam and RF Technologies

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cometMore Than $450,000 in Quality Tenant Improvements Completed in Comet’s Silicon Valley Facilities over the Past Several Years

The Comet Group — a leading global provider of high-quality systems, components and services in x-ray, ebeam and RF technologies — has turned to SiliconX Construction for tenant improvement projects at its Silicon Valley facilities totaling approximately 4,500 sq. ft. and worth $450,000 over the past several years.

Headquartered near Bern in western Switzerland, the Comet Group builds high-quality, high-technology components and modules, such as a variety of x-ray sources and systems, vacuum capacitors, RF generators, impedance-matching networks, and compact ebeam sets. These products are in high demand by manufacturers in the automotive, aerospace, electronics, energy, semiconductor, and solar industries.

The Comet Group came to Silicon Valley for research and development and manufacturing because of the unique technical know-how available locally. The components and modules made here are often shipped to Switzerland to be incorporated into complete systems at the company’s advanced fabrication facility in Flamatt.

Warehouse Expansion

One of SiliconX Construction’s first projects for the Comet Group was the expansion of warehouse space at its North San Jose manufacturing and distribution facility. Comet’s high-tech components and modules can’t be stored in typical distribution space. They require a much cleaner environment to ensure suitability for their ultimate use in an array of finished products and systems.

To meet these requirements, SiliconX installed a high-quality, high-volume air filtration system throughout the distribution center — in addition to a vinyl composition tile (VCT) floor that is commonly found in clean rooms.

“An additional challenge was that all our work had to take place without any disruption to the facility’s operations,” said Tony Gonzalez, Director of Construction Operations for SiliconX. “The Comet Group was very supportive and we were able to complete the warehouse expansion on schedule and under budget while the center remained in full operation.”

Larger Data Center and Cooling Tower for Testing

With the Comet Group’s operations expanding, the company also required a larger data center to meet its growing IT requirements. To ensure that the server room would always be maintained at the correct temperature, SiliconX installed a high-performance heating and cooling system, as well as special lighting and upgraded fire protection capabilities.

The most recent project that SiliconX Construction completed for the Comet Group was a cooling tower used in product testing. SiliconX built the exterior cooling tower and handled all the plumbing associated with the circulation of chilled water through the closed-loop system. This allows Comet Group scientists and engineers to plug products on the workbench into the cooling system as various tests are conducted.

“The start of the project was delayed for several quarters due to company priorities, so it needed to be completed on an extremely tight schedule to meet product ship dates,” Gonzalez explained. “Once again, with Comet Group’s close cooperation we were able to complete the work on time and within their budget. We look forward to continuing to meet Comet Group’s space requirements in Silicon Valley going forward.”

To find out more about the high-quality construction work that SiliconX has completed for the Comet Group — or for any other client — contact Tony Gonzalez, Director of Construction Operations, at tony@siliconxconstruction.com, or call (408) 418-0099 (w) or (408) 318-1869 (c).

 

Ground-Up Construction Tips – Consult With Your Contractor First

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blueprintFinding the perfect location for your new construction is an important step in the journey. Ground-up construction requires the expertise of contractors who have experience. These professionals are great resources when it comes to not only choosing a good location. They can help you to design a structure that will meet your needs. You should consider your current needs as a new business, as well as, what the future will bring your way. Solid construction impacts the trajectory of your business.

The impression of the exterior of your property will either draw customers or run them away. This means utilizing contemporary details and displays that compete with surrounding buildings. At the same time, you will want the interior of your building to be welcoming. Hospitality is impacted by people and surroundings. Interior décor and structural details are important. Their appearance can present a professional image for your business. Ground-up construction must be done in detail to give you the structure that you need for your needs.

Designing a Great Building

You will have a lot to think about when it comes to designing a commercial property. The building itself should be adequate in space and design. Your contractor will help you to design a structure that can be used for sales and storage. This is the case whether your business sells products or services. Office space, sales, staffing and other operations should be accommodated by your design.

Budgeting Each Step

It is very important to have the budget that you need for your new construction. This process requires considering each step. Here are some of the areas where resources are critical:

  • Site Preparation
  • Building Supplies
  • Structural Foundation
  • Interior Design

There will be materials dedicated to the interior and exterior of your structure. Ground-up construction allows builders to make important decisions. They get to decide what materials, details and designs best suit their needs and budget.

The final part of your new construction is a building that is perfect for your business. Ground-up construction considers the location of the property, acquiring land and building in an efficient way. This is why selecting a qualified construction company is important. Working with professionals in the industry is the best way to design a building that fits your business goals.

Contact us today to learn more!

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