Raw Material Receiving and Storage

An exploding market for meal kits demanded an upgrade to Blue Apron’s southwest operation. Food Plant Engineering built-out the first 50,000 square feet of the original operation and was asked to look at expanding it once again. The plant was originally conceived to produce meal kits with primarily manual means, but market demand grew to a point that only additional space and automation could address.

This project required not only a creative design mindset, but a thorough understanding of a unique operation that combines manufacturing with traditional ecommerce within the same building and business. FPE project managers were given a rough concept layout from Blue Apron’s startup team. We were able to improve upon the concept to create additional space for incoming materials, reduce travel distance for the product flow, improve the hygienic environment to produce the meal portions, and reduce the space needed for employee amenities.  

Producing meal kits that contain ingredients that differ from week to week creates the need for adaptable storage. Our firm was able to work with Blue Apron’s plant management to devise a flexible storage and space plan to accommodate their needs. Containers, packages and pallets of all shapes and sizes needed to be stored. In addition to the large number of SKUs, Blue Apron’s raw materials have very high turns as these are typically not stored for more than a week. Temperature needs within this area range wildly as well, so flexibility is also necessary regarding freezers, coolers and temperature/humidity controlled dry ingredient storage.

Growth & Flexibility

In addition to a flexible storage plan, the production environment needed extreme flexibility to produce the large variety of SKUs needed. Though automation is typically well-suited for mass producing the same type of products in large quantities, our firm was able to help devise a strategy to implement targeted work cell automation. This allows for flexibility in production while reducing the workforce requirements.  

Processing Environment

This facility’s hygienic environment is critical, as a variety of food types are portioned from bulk ingredients into individual packages for assembly in mail order cases. Our design team determined that the operation should be separated into two basic room types, depending on the type of products being produced and packaged. One room type is a cooled low-humidity dry room, and the other is a refrigerated wet wash-down room. The vegetable processing operation required a cold and wet environment; the grains and spices needed a dry and cool environment, and the oils and liquids required a cool wash down environment. Our firm was able to position these different types of spaces into a layout that created a productive and hygienic work environment. In addition, many bins are utilized in the operation for the transporting of work-in-process. A plan for installing an automatic wash system was devised by our firm and added into the operations workflow to keep a circulation of clean bins available for use.  

Significant collaboration between Blue Apron’s team and our firm’s designers was necessary to achieve the correct balance in processing areas. Our team learned the process flow of this operation, was willing to consider space tradeoffs, and designed in tight spaces. We were engaged in the entire process from start to finish. 

Packaging, Cold Storage and Shipping

The facility needed a way to increase the rate at which meal kits are packaged into shipping cartons. The original system involved mostly manual assembly line style packing and sorting. In order to automate this operation, our firm worked with a vendor that provided an automated pick-to-light style system and automatic sorting and slotting for the finished cartons. This system was installed while maintaining ongoing packing and shipping operations.

Project Overview

With the goal of producing donuts in a central facility for their network of franchise stores, a group of  owners reached out to FPE to build out a former storage facility. Although the 31,000 sq. ft. building once housed a food warehousing operation, significant infrastructural upgrades had to be made to accommodate a commercial baking process as a Dunkin Central Manufacturing Location. Notable among these accommodations were a new plumbing system, the demolition of several coolers/freezers, and upgraded rooftop HVAC equipment.

The project site was landlocked between two neighboring buildings and a decommissioned railroad at the facility’s rear, each within several feet of the property line. With limited space for construction materials and equipment in the parking lot, the scheduling and execution of key phases of facility construction and process installation was critical. Another factor our team had to consider was the facility’s proximity to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, whereby an FAA permit was obtained to lift and install rooftop HVAC units.

All project planning, design, permitting and construction for the project were implemented by FPE.

Commissary Efficiency Today, With Room for Tomorrow

When the health department inspector did a final review of Federal Way Schools new 35,0000 sq. ft. central kitchen, the response was, “Wow. Wow. Wow,” says Mary Asplund, Director of Nutrition Services for Federal Way Schools in Federal Way, WA. Such a reaction was just what Asplund envisioned when she approached Food Plant Engineering about building a commissary to serve her district’s 38 schools and 21,554 students, many with restricted diets. Asplund wanted to avoid the engineering snafus she had encountered while directing an earlier remodeling project for another school district.

Also, sanitation was top priority for the district, so she insisted on involving experts who understand the nuances of cleaning a commissary kitchen. “I knew Food Plant Engineering had been designing USDA food plants. This background and industrial engineering experience was easily transferable to a school environment,” she says. “It was an extremely good fit.”

Asplund notes that the district’s needs are significant, yet administrators have a responsibility “to be good custodians of public dollars.” Thus, practicality was essential in the commissary design. “This kitchen is built out of ordinary materials,” she says. “It’s not a fancy building,” yet every portion is easily cleaned. Utility piping—drops, equipment points, runs—is positioned unobtrusively for optimum sanitizing.

Another bonus? “Despite really, really complicated energy requirements, Food Plant Engineering made it easy to operate,” she says of the kitchen, from the careful placement of each drain to the flow pattern of product and personnel. Mechanical rooms, refrigeration areas and electrical services are ideally located for maintenance. “And we can plug in food carts practically anywhere,” notes Asplund. Extra space was creatively allotted for dry storage, and room for future truck bays for the district’s new mobile feeding busses was also built into the commissary's design. Federal Way’s central kitchen can flex and adapt to multiple applications, says Asplund. “The potential for growth is phenomenal,” she says.

Attention to Food Allergens in Central Kitchen Commissary

"Food Plant Engineering has a special dedication to special diets,” states Asplund. (She shares this commitment. In fact, Asplund was awarded the Food Advocate of the Year Award from the Food Allergy Initiative in 2010 for her efforts in providing custom-made meals for students with food allergies, intolerances and diet restrictions.) In this commissary, preparation areas for custom meals are dedicated, yet streamlined for efficiency. Storage areas are also thoughtfully designed to prevent cross contamination. These areas are sanitized independently from the rest of the building as well.

Why Food Plant Engineering?

Though Food Plant Engineering is based in Cincinnati, Ohio and Federal Way is on the West Coast, the distance “didn’t matter,” says Mary Asplund. The company’s food plant engineers were readily available at all times. “It’s not a large world. Anyone looking to hire Food Plant Engineering should know that they are perfectly postured to travel,” she says.

“Our experience was absolutely phenomenal,” says Asplund. “I do not have one criticism of Food Plant Engineering,” Asplund says, adding, “I couldn’t be happier. We got 100% of what we wanted.”

Facility Expansion for RTE Gourmet Deli Meat

When Ron Ramstad purchased property to expand his Philadelphia facility that produces organic and natural deli products, he interviewed a variety of A/E firms before choosing Food Plant Engineering LLC. Specifically, Ramstad asked to develop master plans and layout improvements for his inner-city operation.

Forward Thinking

He implemented much of the plan, finally deciding to expand the facility to the adjacent property. However, Ramstad opted not to enlist Food Plant Engineering’s help for on-site management of the project. Instead, he kept the firm on as a business representative and consultant. Site complexities and difficulties with a contractor Ramstad hired on his own made the process challenging.

“We didn’t think we needed that,” Ramstad says, and he admits that the decision was difficult. Working with knowledgeable experts is a must in the food plant industry. For Ramstad, finding the professionals suited for his specific problems while he ran his own business became the prerogative.

“People like us: we don’t do this every day,” Ramstad says. “So you need people who know what they’re doing.”

Trusted Consultant

FPE understands that a business owner has a lot on their plate when it comes to managing their own daily operations. Alongside A/E design services and construction oversite, FPE can help owners via consultation on a variety of different contractor needs.

Despite the challenges Ramstad faced, the expansion project finished on time and on budget. Those involved in the day-to-day operations of the facility “love it,” says Ramstad. “It’s changed the whole appearance of the company. Overall, it changes from being a shack in the corner to a beautiful building.”

Why Food Plant Engineering?

“Anyone can design, but keeping people accountable, that’s where you’re really good,” Ramstad says of the FPE team. Food Plant Engineering’s professionals are “fair, professional and accessible,” he says. “You can adapt quick. You respond quick. That’s your strength.”

Would he recommend Food Plant Engineering? “Oh, I do!” Ramstad says. “All the time.”