Licensed to Build: Turner Transforms Vision into Reality at Skyfall Biologicals

When a James Bond enthusiast’s passion for the legendary spy franchise inspired him to name his agricultural venture “Skyfall Biologicals,” it set the stage for an extraordinary project. The planned facility represented the future of natural crop preservation, designed to produce dormancy-enhancing products for potato storage using natural compounds to prolong shelf life. What began as a seemingly straightforward pilot plant construction for Turner Industries quickly evolved into a fast-tracked project with design changes flowing in real-time.

Turner served as both a key advisor and contractor for the Skyfall pilot plant. Much of the plant was prefabricated with “package units” manufactured in the U.S. and Germany. Turner’s team, working off Navisworks models and piping and instrumentation diagrams, performed civil, piping/mechanical, crane and rigging, scaffolding, painting, insulation, and electrical installations. They also set a boiler, chiller, air dryer tank, and an air compressor. 

Turner also provided constructability and value engineering advice. For example, when the owner initially planned copper piping, Turner suggested more durable stainless steel for water and air, advising that copper would leak and couldn’t be easily repaired. Similarly, when the owner wanted to put lifting eyes on the pipe rack steel, the Turner team advised against it, saving significant money and time by suggesting a nylon sling instead. The close proximity of Turner’s pipe fabrication shop, just a mile away, allowed for rapid shifts in pipe fabrication sequences as designs changed.

Frequent changes made to the schedule required highly detailed planning and real-time, face-to-face decision-making. Turner quickly accelerated the schedule, boosted manpower, and began working seven days.