Manufacturing & Lab Utilities Program

The challenge

Woodward's Fort Collins and Windsor facilities run precision machining and environmental test equipment that depend on mechanical utilities most HVAC contractors never touch — and that cannot be taken out of service casually.

The approach

Rather than a single project, this has been an ongoing program combining service and construction on the same systems: ASE maintains the equipment, and is brought back to build the next phase. Work has been delivered as design-build alongside Mortenson at the Drake campus and owner-direct everywhere else.

Selected work

• 2022–2023 — Drake Campus manufacturing renovation. Design-build with Mortenson: 20,000 SF of manufacturing space including HVAC and utility requirements — compressed air and distilled water piped to machining equipment.
• 2024 — 160-ton chiller installation. Rigging, welded piping, and full system commissioning.
• 2024 — RMTIC 2 lab utilities. Process cooling and HVAC utilities for a new laboratory.
• RMTIC Windsor. Two large air handling units with new ductwork and chilled water lines (2014); four new RTUs totaling 65 tons with roof curbs and structural reinforcement (2021); chiller and piping replacement (2023).
• 2017 — Department relocation. Complete mechanical fit-out moving a department from the Drake campus to Loveland: exhaust fans, ducting, chilled water, and compressed air lines.

Operational constraint

Active manufacturing and environmental test facilities. Utility outages have to be planned around production and test schedules, not the other way around.

Result

ASE has been Woodward's service provider since 2016, maintaining chillers, HVAC equipment, and environmental test chambers. The construction work keeps coming back for the same reason the service contract does: systems that get commissioned right and stay reliable. Service and construction aren't separate businesses here — what our technicians learn on Woodward's equipment every month is what makes the next design right.