Datwyler, a Swiss based company and a leading supplier of customized sealing solutions to global manufacturers, is building a 170,000 square foot production plant in Middletown, DE. The facility will be the first Firstline TM facility in the U.S. and will create approximately 120 jobs, focused on the local community. When completed, the building will be Datwyler’s most advanced, state-of-the-art manufacturing concept for high-quality elastomer components, catering to the global health care industry.
Datwyler broke ground on the facility in December. The site was a corn field and is now undergoing a great deal of site preparations. Site erosion and control systems are in place, including:
- Silt fence
- Sediment traps
- Temporary berms
These things help to control where rain water goes on the site and helps prevent soils from washing off the site.
Preliminary investigations determined that neither top soil, nor the next layer of soil would be acceptable to build on, so both layers have been removed where necessary and saved for later use, when appropriate.
In order to get the site back back up to the required elevation, proper soil must be placed back where the unsuitable soil was removed. The material being used is a very fine stone dust- the net result of grinding large stones smaller. This is imported from a quarry, dumped onsite, spread out and compacted to reach the correct strength. Once this process is completed, an independent testing agency will verify that the material is now acceptable. This will allow the contractor to start the next phase of construction- digging and pouring the footings/foundations for the base of the building’s structural systems.
We are excited to bring you updates on this project throughout construction! Keep watching the Watchdog blog for more posts about this project and more!
