In 1993, BEI Associates, Inc. provided architectural/engineering services for the award winning 1996 Model NS' Minivan program at the Windsor Assembly Plant for DaimlerChrysler (DCC) Corporation. This program involved an addition of 450,000 s.f. for a new body shop.  Once again, to successfully increase production and reduce model changeover time (as in the recent body shop addition in the Jefferson North Jeep Assembly Plant in Detroit), DCC selected BEI to return to the site to design an additional 440,000 s.f. of new floor space for the 2001 RS' Minivan program.  The first critical phase of construction commenced in May, 1998. The body shop expansion, involving approximately 320,000 s.f. of new construction and 124,000 s.f of renovation, was carried out in three phases.

Phase 1 expanded the existing "NS" Model Body Shop to the west by four bays in width and 22 bays in length, for a total area of 220,000 s.f. Within Phase 1, there was an immediate need to provide for continuous truck receiving dock access to the existing plant while construction was underway. This need was met by an early opportunity to finish 12 bays at the southwest corner.  Phase 2 expanded the existing NS' Model Body Shop to the south by four bays (200 ft wide), filling in the gap between the body shop and the existing Grand Marais Road Building (GMRB), the remains of a former engine plant. The total addition for Phase 2 was four bays by 10 bays (100,000 s.f.). BEI also added loading docks, staging facilities and process renovations to the existing Assembly Plant as part of the RS' Program.

The third phase included gutting the existing GMRB offices and shops and integrating this area into the body shop. The north face of the GMRB was extensively modified to provide a good connection to the new body shop. Roof truss height in the existing GMRB was 18 ft. from the floor to the bottom chord steel, whereas the new body shop clearance is 27 ft. Columns in the GMRB were at 40 ft. centers as opposed to the 50 ft. centers of the new body shop, which created an even greater challenge for routing mechanical and electrical services in the truss space. By using BEI's intelligent CATIA CCPlant (3D CAD) capabilities, this challenge was met successfully.