Hankook Tire

Scope of Work:  

The Hankook Tire project included 3-foot-thick mat foundations, 2-foot-thick by 20-foot-tall tunnel walls, and a 2-foot-thick elevated deck tunnel lid, spanning eight building areas. Additionally, the project featured 10 equipment “fingers”, each supported by a 3-foot-thick mat foundation with benched upper mats and walls, along with approximately 380 column foundations with anchor bolts. The ASRS (Automated Storage and Retrieval System) slab on grade ranged from 31 to 42 inches thick, heavily reinforced with #8 rebar, while other slabs on grade varied from 8 to 12 inches thick and were fiber reinforced. To accommodate the size of the tunnel walls, crane-set MEVA Imperial wall formwork was used, with pours ranging from 100 to 140 cubic yards, allowing for larger placements, fewer pours, and an expedited schedule. 

Description:

The project featured several unique building components that required thoughtful planning and execution.

A 20-foot-deep underground tunnel was constructed beneath the building, allowing maintenance teams to access equipment “finger” pits without disrupting ongoing operations.

These equipment pits are critical for housing and servicing the facility’s specialized machinery and included over 880 anchor pockets set within the 3’0” thick mat foundation.  

Another standout feature was the 120,000-square-foot ASRS slab, designed to support automated storage arms that manage the finished tire inventory much like a large vending system.  

To handle the massive concrete volumes required for this and other elements, the project utilized an onsite batch plant, supplemented by an offsite plant to keep pace with the high pour demand. 

Additionally, the team operated in a unique project structure, serving as a subcontractor to Concrete Strategies (CSI), who was self-performing for general contractor Clayco.

This layered relationship required Lithko to adapt its communication and workflow processes to effectively support both entities, demonstrating flexibility and a collaborative mindset throughout the project.  

The project faced several significant challenges, beginning with the sheer volume of concrete required by the concrete subcontractor partners.

 While, Concrete Strategies managed an onsite batch plant  to support production, the high demand frequently exceeded its capacity with 3 companies pouring concrete daily.

To maintain the aggressive schedule, Lithko supplemented day time pours with offsite concrete from Orgain Ready Mix, ensuring continuous progress without delay. 

Another major challenge involved the original tunnel construction sequence, which had a two-month gap between building areas.

Lithko proposed a revised plan to re-sequence the tunnel work into a continuous operation.

By adding a second crane and optimizing the workflow, the team was able to shave 6–8 weeks off the overall tunnel schedule.

This directly pulled forward building turnover for the client. 

Quality was a critical focus on this project, with a full-time QC professional dedicated solely to building and executing a site-specific quality control program.

This individual served as the primary liaison, working closely with third-party inspectors, Clayco’s QC team, and Concrete Strategies’ QC team to ensure all standards were consistently met. 

The ASRS slab posed one of the most demanding quality requirements, involving thousands of anchor bolts that, while not installed by Lithko, required precise verification.

To ensure accuracy, Lithko conducted both pre- and post-pour as-builts to confirm that bolt elevations aligned with the slab’s strict elevation tolerances.

This attention to detail was essential in meeting the performance requirements of the automated storage system. 

By having the resources to dedicate a full-time quality professional, we ensured continuous oversight and strict compliance, reinforcing our commitment to delivering excellence on high-profile projects.

Safety remained a top priority throughout the project. In compliance with manpower requirements, a full-time safety professional was assigned once crew sizes exceeded 25.

The team implemented Lithko’s Daily Preparation Plan program alongside Clayco’s PTSA program, ensuring all safety protocols aligned with the general contractor’s requirements. 

Because Lithko has the depth of resources to dedicate individuals solely to safety on specific projects, we were able to provide consistent, on-the-ground monitoring and daily reporting.