Honeywell today announced it has been awarded a $37-million project to build and provide ongoing service and maintenance on a power facility for Airbus' new assembly site in Mobile, Ala., the aviation company's first aircraft manufacturing operation in the U.S. Honeywell will lead the design and construction of the facility, which will control the distribution of utilities — electricity, water, heating and cooling — serving the campus and Airbus' production and energy efficiency requirements.

In addition, Honeywell will manage and maintain the facility through a 10-year service agreement. Five operators will provide day-to-day support, and Honeywell will monitor all equipment remotely to identify potential equipment issues and dispatch technicians to minimize disruptions to Airbus operations.

The powerhouse is expected to be finished by mid-2014, and will be designed and built to LEED-certification standards. Honeywell will hire several Mobile- and Alabama-based contractors to help complete the facility. During peak construction, more than 50 tradespeople are expected to be employed in building the facility.

"Complex, large-scale manufacturing plants require precise support to keep assembly 
rolling and costs manageable," said Paul Orzeske, president of Honeywell Building Solutions. 
"Our work for Airbus is a prime example of Honeywell's expertise in helping organizations design, build and maintain technologies that ensure energy and operational excellence for the long term."

The power facility will supply utilities to Airbus's assembly line, including power distribution and backup generation, compressed air, heating, cooling, chilled and drinking water, and sewage handling. As part of the contract, Honeywell also guarantees that all systems — including compressed air and water for fire protection — will be maintained and operate within strict tolerances to help optimize support for the assembly line.

Electricity for the manufacturing lines and facilities will be supplied by the local utility to transformers located in the powerhouse before distribution throughout the campus. The heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system will be metered using Honeywell ComfortPoint® Open, the company's open-architecture technology to control and optimize comfort and energy efficiency. In addition, the powerhouse will help safeguard the site and employees by housing the plant's fire protection system.

HVAC, life safety and energy management will be monitored using Enterprise Buildings Integrator, Honeywell's building automation system. This will help the companies accurately track performance and consumption trends throughout the operation.

Utility data from these systems will also be fed into Airbus' internal metering and energy monitoring system, enabling Honeywell to provide ongoing recommendations for boosting efficiency and conservation to help the site meet the Airbus corporate sustainability goals. This includes reducing overall energy consumption by 2.5 percent and CO2 emissions by 5 percent annually by 2020.

Honeywell's Aerospace business has a long standing relationship with Airbus, and provides a comprehensive range of advanced avionics, safety systems and mechanical equipment to help maximize the efficiency, reliability and safe operation of the Airbus A320 aircraft, which will be assembled in the Mobile facility.