Page 14 - Graypvine December 2020

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT

Project Diamond:
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Next-level E-commerce

A bird's-eye view of Amazon Project Diamond in Little Rock, Arkansas.

In November of 2019, the Southeast Office of these facilities. That experience gave the team
was awarded its second AR Sort Facility for the the confidence in the schedule and an approach
e-commerce giant, Amazon.com. The LIT1 facility, that was focused on those robotics and material
known as “Project Diamond”, is located in Little handling systems. It was clear in the planning stages
Rock, Arkansas and is the largest project ever of the proposal that this previous experience, as well
built for Amazon. The facility is approximately 3.8 as some innovative construction methods, would
million s.f. and five stories tall, reaching nearly 100 make the Gray proposal a hard one to walk away
feet in elevation just a mile from Arkansas’s largest from. As expected, the team delivered a solid and
airport. The facility houses a very complex system successful proposal. The schedule was aggressive,
of conveyors, robots, racks, shoots, spirals and the team was lean, and the plan included a couple
vertical lifts that allow that package you ordered on a “out-of-the-box” ideas that had everyone interested.
Tuesday to arrive at your house on Wednesday! We Randy Benningfield and Matt Brown have led the
are certain that the unanimous decision to award charge on site while Brad Heberling and Daniel
this facility to Gray was not solely because of the Scarpelli run point on the Project Management front.
proposal and presentation, but also in large part This is a team that quickly gained the cohesiveness
because of our team’s incredible performance on the necessary to carry out that bold plan presented in
first AR Sort Facility — Project Crowne in Bessemer, late 2019.
Alabama. Since winning Project Diamond, Gray has I want to highlight a couple of those “out-of-the-
been awarded two more of these AR Sorts, located box” construction methods that gave the team
in Augusta, Georgia and Detroit, Michigan. not only a higher rate of production but a ton
Project Crowne provided Gray the knowledge of flexibility – flexibility that would allow them to
of Amazon’s robotic and material handling overcome adverse weather, changes in scope, and
installation process, which is the heart and soul other unforeseen circumstances, but still provide the