From Call Center to State-of-the-Art Laboratory
QualiChem is investing $9 million to establish a new 48,550-sf headquarters and laboratory in Salem, VA, bringing offices and labs together to boost collaboration, expand manufacturing capacity, and support growth across aerospace, medical device, and automotive markets.
Specialty chemical manufacturer QualiChem is taking a major step forward in its growth strategy with a $9 million investment in a new headquarters and laboratory facility in Salem, VA. The move will unite the company’s administrative and laboratory operations under one roof, improve collaboration, and free up valuable manufacturing space at its existing plant to meet rising demand for its high-performance metalworking fluids.
The company has acquired a 48,550-sf building at 616 Idaho Street—formerly an insurance claims call center—to house its office and laboratory functions. The project will create 12 new jobs and serve industries including aerospace, medical devices, and automotive manufacturing.
The project team includes R.L. Price Construction, Inc. (general contractor), Balzer & Associates (architect), Nycom, Inc. (lab design), and Circle Design Studio (interior design). State and local agencies, including the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, the City of Salem, and the Roanoke Regional Partnership, collaborated to bring the project to fruition. The Virginia Jobs Investment Program is providing recruitment and training assistance for new hires.
Transformation strategies
Transforming the two-story, open-plan office building into a world-class laboratory came with unique opportunities and challenges.
“The area consisted of offices on the perimeter of the building with the interior floor space filled with individual cubicles,” says Rebecca Smith, facilities manager. “This type of layout attracted us to the building by allowing us to design the interior to suit our needs. The open format created more options during the design stage but presented numerous obstacles. Adding to the challenge, we are not building one lab space but creating three individual laboratories to meet the needs of our current business: research and development, technical support services, and analytical spaces.”
One of the first hurdles was reengineering the HVAC system to meet laboratory ventilation needs. The project required redesigning the entire air-handling system, creating more zones, and installing a dedicated quick exhaust system for each lab. “This system will be operated by an emergency push button in each of the labs,” Smith explains, enabling the air to be fully exchanged within minutes in case of an incident.
Plumbing presented another challenge. The former office space had only restroom and breakroom plumbing, but the labs required water service at many workstations. “We chose to cut the existing concrete floor and run all plumbing and electrical lines in the floor to eliminate the need for overhead piping,” Smith says. After installation, the concrete will be repoured, and the floors ground and polished to achieve a modern industrial aesthetic.
End-user-driven design
According to Nick Blandford, director of laboratory operations, early and active engagement from lab staff was essential to the project’s success. “We actively requested input very early on in the design phase from our three laboratory teams to engage them in the process. Ultimately, every employee in the lab was given our initial design and was asked to consider the layout, ask questions, and make suggestions for improvements from their perspective, leading to multiple changes and improvements in the final design.”
This collaboration resulted in strategic decisions such as the placement of sinks, dishwashers, and safety showers to maximize workflow efficiency, particularly for employees processing large volumes of samples each day. The final plan includes dedicated technical support, product development, and analytical labs, with bench space doubled for the first two teams and tripled for the analytical group.
Phased relocation for minimal downtime
To keep lab operations running throughout the move, QualiChem will implement a carefully staged relocation. “The first phase will prepare the lab areas for all utilities and have all general construction completed to prepare for the casework,” Smith says. The second phase will install new casework and relocate existing pieces that are not in immediate use. The final phase will move laboratory equipment and instrumentation, with the goal of limiting downtime to just a few days.
Critical analytical instruments will be moved in coordination with their suppliers, who will handle packaging, transport, and reinstallation to maintain service agreements.
Supporting scalability and long-term growth
The new laboratory incorporates technologies tailored to the company’s specialized work in metalworking fluids. “We have soundproof cabinets for foam testing,” Blandford notes. “We have a special testing location for a high-speed shear mixing device that we use for technical support and product development activities for metalworking fluids.” These additions will enhance the company’s ability to serve clients in highly technical industries such as aerospace, automotive, and medical devices.
The expansion addresses a longstanding challenge: space constraints across multiple sites. “Our new laboratory is designed to support the growth of our business well into the future,” says Blandford. “We are essentially doubling the amount of our current bench space for our product development and technical support teams, and tripling the available bench space for our analytical lab.”
By reuniting all lab teams under one roof, the facility will strengthen cross-functional collaboration, foster employee development, and provide flexibility to adapt to future growth and new technologies.
By investing in purpose-built laboratory and office space, QualiChem is not only enhancing its current operations but also positioning itself for decades of innovation and growth. The Idaho Street headquarters will enable the company to respond faster to customer needs, develop new products more efficiently, and attract the talent needed to maintain its competitive edge in the specialty chemicals industry.
