Southern Steel Engineers provided connection and miscellaneous steel design services for the Ford BlueOval SK Battery Park, an 8-million-square-foot complex that includes two battery manufacturing plants dedicated to Ford’s newest generation of electric vehicles. This massive project represented one of the largest battery manufacturing initiatives in the United States, supporting the automotive industry’s transition to clean energy.

Connection Design
The connection design scope was extensive and encompassed long-span trusses, axial beam connections, vertical and horizontal bracing connections, and moment connections. To increase efficiency throughout the project, we standardized truss connections wherever possible, streamlining both the design process and fabrication requirements.

In addition, SSE worked closely with our client to accommodate specific connection type requests that provided advantages both in the fabrication shop and during field erection. This collaborative approach allowed SSE to tailor the design to meet the unique needs of the project while maintaining consistency and constructability.

Miscellaneous Steel Design
The miscellaneous design scope included developing a bolted bent plate system as a fabricator-friendly alternative to traditional field-welded bent plates. This solution improved efficiency and reduced field welding requirements.
SSE also designed mezzanine guardrails, consisting of 3’-6” guardrail systems with bolted bent plates attached to wide-flange beams, extending up to 1’-11” from the edge of the slab. These guardrails provided safe and durable access throughout the facility while aligning with the client’s preferred installation methods.