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.

Overcoming design challenges following a legacy plant fire

Rebuilding a facility after a fire presents unique challenges. Overnight, the company was presented with the task of upgrading the processing operation to meet current food safety and operation expectations. The fire rendered 60 percent of the facility unsalvageable, while the remaining 40 percent — encompassing offices, raw material storage, and finished goods storage — were damaged but repairable. Thus, a plan had to be devised to utilize the remaining 40 percent while replacing the destroyed portion. 

In addition, the company had the opportunity to upgrade their processing equipment. This presented a chance to increase production and productivity. However, with every opportunity to change and improve processing methods comes the risk of changing product organoleptic characteristics, so great care was taken in working with Family Brands to select equipment that maintained the characteristics of the product that loyal and long-term customers expect. 

Food Safety and Flexibility in Production

Family Brands is a custom producer and thus needed the ability to make a variety of products and produce them in flexible quantities. Working in conjunction with everyone from upper management to the plant floor supervisors, various layout options were developed that allowed for both flexibility and food safety. This collaborative effort helped Family Brands implement new processing and production methods and eased the concern for how they could adapt to these methods. 

In addition to flexibility, a food safe product flow had to fit between the raw material storage and finished good storage structures that were not severely damaged by the fire. Our firm was able solve this issue and create a linear product flow that did not cross between raw and RTE. This flow also incorporated a rack washroom that allows for separation of dirty and clean racks, as well as an employee path that separates the raw from RTE workforce.  

Raw Processing

A layout for the raw processing of meat that allowed for equipment to be utilized between processing lines was developed. This new layout also vastly improved upon the processing capacity of the previous operation. The layout for new grinders, mixers, blenders, formers, stuffers, and linkers allowed for seamless flow from one operation to the next, as well as between process lines. 

Packaging

A variety of packaging machine styles were implemented in the design. These include manually and autoloaded horizontal thermoformer lines and bulk-pack food service lines. Some of these lines are fed by peeling and slicing lines as well. Additionally, a unique method for applying antimicrobial solutions to some of the products was devised by FPE and implemented to improve food safety and extend shelf life. 

Thermal Processing

Our firm worked with Family Brands to select new flow-through batch ovens with VFD fans to vary the volume and change the break point inside the oven. These ovens are flexible in many ways: they can utilize both natural and liquid smoke for flavoring, switch from natural gas to propane as a fuel source, and have a flat floor system that does not require a depressed pit that collects dirt and grease. Overall, these ovens increased Family Brands’ cook capacity significantly compared with the previous ovens. 

The product is moved from the ovens directly to high-intensive chillers. These chillers also utilize VFD controlled fans to rapidly chill the product, which improved food safety and drastically improved throughput.

Facility Development

Space allocation was crucial in this project, as the given space needed to accommodate not only the production and packaging operations but offices, break rooms, locker rooms, restrooms, electrical and water supply rooms, rack washrooms, and space for future production growth. This challenge was solved by optimizing space allocation of each room individually, and then modifying the allocation to fit within the confines of the overall floor and equipment plant. This back and forth, push and pull of functions and areas led to an optimization of each function and the entire layout.

Permitting

Rebuilding a plant that dated back at least 50 years brought the challenge of determining what must be upgraded to meet current building code and what could remain untouched. Working with local code authorities, we were able to develop a sensible plan to safely and cost-effectively upgrade the facility without sacrificing important upgrades for life safety and ADA feature.

Project Overview

One of the largest bulk CBD suppliers in the U.S. approached FPE about designing and building their new production facility. After an initial feasibility study for process and facility requirements and the review of multiple existing building shells in which to house the new operation was completed, our firm implemented the design and construction for the project. The facility encompassed 125,000 sf for offices, raw and finished goods warehousing, hemp processing (pre-extraction, extraction, winterization, crystallization, remediation), purification, filling, and packaging.

The project involved many high-hazard, classified rooms due to various solvents involved in the process. FPE provided process P&IDs based on the client’s input, as well as architecture and engineering for the following, electric systems, backup generator, chilled water systems, air handling/ventilation systems, CO2 delivery system, natural gas distribution, process sewers, boilers, hot water system, compressed air, and exhaust air treatment.

Project planning, design, permitting, and construction for the project was implemented by FPE.

Flexibility for Growth

Creating and launching a new product in the food industry is an enormous undertaking. Once the product has been formulated and produced in a pilot plant, the process and production must be scaled up to meet the growing demands of consumers. Gathered Foods needed Food Plant Engineering’s food processing design and construction expertise to incorporate their proprietary vegan tuna process into their first large-scale, hygienic operation. Our team knew how to visualize the facility from start to finish and designed each space—from production to packaging—based upon not only the company’s current needs but on their anticipated growth. This project required a great deal of collaboration, as Gathered Foods looked to us for help sourcing equipment and meeting regulatory standards. We strived to maintain the unique integrity of their process and meet their overall needs.

To accommodate a growing business and a rapidly changing market, FPE allocated space in the facility design to allow for quadrupling the capacity of Gathered Food’s proprietary process and supporting processes, including freezing, mixing, forming, and packaging. The space was allocated to allow for the installation of additional processing equipment without expanding the footprint of the building. The layout can be adapted different production methods as new markets for vegan products arise. Opportunities for further building expansion were also considered when the existing space becomes fully utilized.

Food Processing and Packaging

While the core process for manufacturing Gathered Foods’ products is proprietary, Food Plant Engineering was responsible for integrating into the design the supporting food processing steps necessary to transform the initial product into its final form. After the propriety process—during which dry ingredients are transformed into the moist base product that replicates real tuna flakes—the flakes are processed using traditional food production methods to manufacture various products, including patties. Equipment used to produce the final products includes paddle mixers, vacuum fillers, plate formers, spiral freezers, and tunnel freezers. Patties are packaged in either a vertical form, fill, and seal machine or a horizontal form, fill, and seal machine. The secondary packaging includes carton and case formers and sealers. Metal detectors and checkweighers are used throughout the different stages of the process for food safety purposes. 

Facility Development

When developing a facility design, it is important to plan for the location of mechanical rooms, shipping/receiving docks, and utility entrances. These areas are difficult (if not impossible) to move if the building needs an expansion in the future. The location of these areas must be coordinated with other process support areas such as locker and break rooms, offices, chemical storage, and lab spaces. All areas must then connect with each other and the processing functions to allow for the flow of personnel, equipment, and trash in the facility. Often the solution for accomplishing this is to develop well-placed corridors for connecting the spaces. This project utilized a central corridor to separate hygienic zones, provide access to docks and mechanical areas, allow for the move-in of future equipment, and provide a connection for a future building addition. Knockout panels were added to the corridor for future freezers. Numerous gowning areas were placed along the corridor for employees to wash hands and put on PPE before entering more hygienic zones.

Flexible Lab Facilities

Research and development (R&D) and quality assurance (QA) labs were incorporated into the facility. The R&D lab was built as a multi-use space for product development, incorporating areas for food preparation, cooking, baking, and packaging operations. The QA lab was planned to allow for basic operations for sample retention and analysis. Using similar materials as the process areas, FPE constructed both spaces to comply with food safety standards. Added storage and open counterspace allow for flexibility as the business explores new products and continues to grow.

Project Management

Food Plant Engineering provided Project Management support for both the design and construction of the Gathered Foods facility. During the design phase, a Project Manager worked closely with the architectural and engineering teams to monitor the schedule. Weekly meetings with the owner were held to discuss the company’s needs, desires, and the requirements for the final design of the facility. Once the design was complete, the Construction Manager worked on-site directing the construction process and communicating with stakeholders regarding the budget and expenditures for construction.  

Process Feed Systems, Process Utilities and Dewatering for Guggisberg Processing Facility

A significant increase in the production of cheese created a need to increase the whey handling system capacity by 15-20 percent in order to concentrate whey, the primary byproduct of cheese production. The total solids in whey average approximately six percent after it is drained from the vats during the process of curd production. This whey can be further concentrated by removing the water, thus increasing the solid content. A new evaporator was installed to increase the solids to 32-45 percent, depending on downstream product needs. Significant cost and disruption were prevented when Food Plant Engineering’s team devised a way to install the evaporator within the existing facility structure.  

In order to implement this project, the existing evaporator needed to remain in operation while the new evaporator was installed. The plan also needed to allow for changeover of the production feed system to the new evaporator without disrupting production after the evaporator installation. The owner originally thought that a completely new building was needed to house the evaporator. However, working collaboratively with the manufacturer and the Guggisberg team, our firm was able to devise a way to install the new evaporator inside of the existing structure, and create an addition only for the fans, motor, and an electrical VFD control room.  

Utilizing this approach allowed for a streamlined changeover for the product feed system and evaporator utility feed. The downstream product HTST system was also replaced to add pasteurizing capacity for the increased volume of concentrate being produced from the new evaporator. 

To read more about our work with Guggisberg Cheese, see our whey expansion and evaporator installation project here.

Wastewater

The large volume of water generated as a result of concentrating the whey is commonly called “cow water.” This water can be recycled or reused, thereby reducing the demand for fresh water in the plant. The storage system for this water was enlarged and reconfigured to accommodate the increased production of cow water. Typical uses in the plant for this water is CIP pre-rinse and make-up water for the cooling and heating system.

Process Feed Systems, Process Utilities and Dewatering for Guggisberg Cheese Whey Processing

A significant increase in the production of cheese created a need to increase the Guggisberg Cheese whey processing handling system capacity by 15-20 percent in order to concentrate whey, the primary byproduct of cheese production. The total solids in whey average approximately six percent after it is drained from the vats during the process of curd production. This whey can be further concentrated by removing the water, thus increasing the solid content. A new evaporator was installed to increase the solids to 32-45 percent, depending on downstream product needs. Significant cost and disruption were prevented when Food Plant Engineering’s team devised a way to install the evaporator within the existing facility structure.  

In order to implement the Guggisberg Cheese whey processing project, the existing evaporator needed to remain in operation while the new evaporator was installed. The plan also needed to allow for changeover of the production feed system to the new evaporator without disrupting production after the evaporator installation. The owner originally thought that a completely new building was needed to house the evaporator. However, working collaboratively with the manufacturer and the Guggisberg Cheese team, our firm was able to devise a way to install the new evaporator inside of the existing structure, and create an addition only for the fans, motor, and an electrical VFD control room.  

Utilizing this approach allowed for a streamlined changeover for the product feed system and evaporator utility feed. The downstream product HTST system was also replaced to add pasteurizing capacity for the increased volume of concentrate being produced from the new evaporator. 

To read more about our work with Guggisberg Cheese, check out our facility expansion project with them here.

Whey Processing Wastewater Recycling

The large volume of water generated as a result of concentrating the whey is commonly called “cow water” (EcoLab PDF regarding best practices for cow water). This water can be recycled or reused, thereby reducing the demand for fresh water in the plant. The storage system for this water was enlarged and reconfigured to accommodate the increased production of cow water. Typical uses in the plant for this water is CIP pre-rinse and make-up water for the cooling and heating system.

Project Overview

To meet increasing demand, this ready-to-eat protein division of a large international company selected FPE to design and construct an expansion at one of their facilities. The project was phased to keep the plant in operation during the construction. The project involved adding two high-volume, automated processing lines that required a 25,000 sf renovation and expansion of this 95,000 sf operating facility.

Additional circulation space and shipping docks were added as part of the upgrades. Two new automated grinding, forming, cooking, freezing, and packaging lines were also added to the facility. Major infrastructure upgrades included capacity and distribution additions for ammonia refrigeration, natural gas, steam and condensate, water heating, compressed air, and electric systems.

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

Project Overview

After a fire destroyed production capacity at one of their cooked meat facilities, a division of a large North American company turned to FPE for help regaining the lost production. The feasibility of rebuilding the fire-damaged facility and additional options were examined. As a result, the decision was made to implement a major upgrade to this legacy manufacturing facility.

A phased plan was developed to install two new cook lines in the building. The first phase involved installing a high-capacity cook line by carving out 15,000 sf inside of the facility for the automated meat grinding, forming, cooking, freezing, and packaging line. The project required significant infrastructure upgrades to support the two additional cooking lines. A new ammonia refrigeration system, steam boiler, water heater, natural gas service and distribution, electric service and distribution, oven exhaust system and treatment, and wastewater treatment were added alongside upgrades to existing infrastructure systems.

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

Phased Approach to Project Implementation

More Than Gourmet first came to FPE to help determine the operational growth opportunity in their current facility. After a series of evaluations on their kettle operations, it was concluded that the system was at capacity, and only minor to moderate changes could be made to increase the throughput in its current state. With larger goals in mind, More Than Gourmet requested our help in doubling production capacity in their limited space. While maintaining production, the company needed to install new high-pressure kettles, extraction vessels, and concentration vessels. Along with these tasks, More Than Gourmet needed to relocate pasteurizing, filling and packaging operations in the current space and construct a facility addition for additional packaging, laboratory, and storage space.

Thus, the challenge of this project was developing a phased approach to minimize disruption to current operations. Complete understanding of the operation was necessary as we collaborated with More Than Gourmet’s team to time everything from the installation of equipment to construction milestones.   

The first challenge our team faced was the location for a new building addition. Due to site and property restrictions, the only option available was to attach the addition in the location of the current shipping and receiving docks. Since it was impossible for More Than Gourmet to operate without shipping and receiving for any length of time, our team developed a solution for installing a temporary dock for use during construction activities.  

The second challenge involved plant utility systems. After performing an evaluation of the natural gas, steam, water heating, and electrical systems, it was determined that upgrades were required for some of the utility infrastructure. The steam system required the installation of a new boiler to provide additional capacity necessitated by the installation of the new pressure kettles.  

Food Plant Engineering had to carefully plan and engineer the installation of the boiler to fit into the very limited space available in the existing mechanical room. Water heating also needed to be upgraded, so a larger, skid-mounted hot water system was installed to provide for the increased CIP and production needs. The electrical distribution system needed to be enhanced as well.  In order to implement these improvements, a series of well-planned, short plant shutdowns were implemented during which necessary tie-ins to the existing infrastructure were completed.

Food Processing System Design

More Than Gourmet specializes in making bone broth, a process that requires intricate piping and specialized process equipment. Our team studied the process, reviewed the existing P&ID drawings, and determined what changes were necessary in order to accomplish their goal of doubling production capacity. This solution involved installing a second custom kettle system alongside the existing kettles. Process improvements were also needed with the existing kettle operation to integrate the two systems and allow them to function as a combined system or as two separate systems. This approach allowed for a production operation that is flexible in terms of capacity and variations in production schedules.

The existing pasteurizing operation was not ideally located for good manufacturing practices.  Prior to aseptic packaging, the product passes through an ultra-high temperature (UHT) heat exchanger. Our firm devised a plan to improve food safety by relocating the pasteurization and packaging operation to a hygienic area created in the new building addition. Also, the bag-in-box and bulk filled containers did not have on-site storage available for the finished products. FPE was able to ingrate storage into the new addition to permit More Than Gourmet to hold more product on-site in a finished goods freezer. This also allowed for the bulk package products to remain on-site to supplement the supply of products for retail cup filling operations.   

In addition to developing plans for increasing capacity, other studies were performed to understand potential operational efficiency losses. These studies were performed to find solutions to improve processing efficiency and thus prioritize capital spending. The basic production process at More Than Gourmet involves extracting nutrients from animal by-products using temperature and pressure. The protein and nutrients are released into a broth; the broth is then concentrated, stored in holding tanks, and aseptically packaged into containers. The packaging operation that involves both retail packaging as well as institutional bulk packaging was studied. The cup and bottling filling lines were not performing as originally intended and solutions were devised to increase the uptime and efficiency of the operation.

Project Management

Food Plant Engineering provided Project Management support for all aspects of this project. During the design phase, the Project Manager worked closely with the architecture and engineering team to coordinate schedules. Weekly meetings between the Project Manager and the client during this time were used to explain how More Than Gourmet’s needs and wants affected the final design of the facility.  Once the design was complete, the Project Manager worked on-site to coordinate shutdown activities and to oversee the kettle system installation during the renovation. Additionally, the Construction Manager worked on-site to keep the new building construction on schedule and coordinate cash flow. 

Liquid Egg Processing Planning and Design

Facing an increasing demand for liquid egg products, the company decided the fastest way to bring a new plant online was to convert an older grading facility into one that could produce liquid eggs. An existing egg-grading facility was located and evaluated by our firm for conversion. Although the facility needed major upgrades for conversion, such concerns did not deter Perham Egg from retrofitting the space, partly due to the large on-site storage and access to a shell egg supplier.

The plan was devised to create an efficient layout and design for the manual tasks involved in egg processing. Such tasks included receiving and placing shell eggs into cold storage, moving to warming rooms to heat the eggs prior to breaking, and placing the egg flats for automatic unloading. Machines were selected and placed into the layout for the automated washing, candling, breaking, and separation (yokes from whites). Pumps, heat exchangers, and storage tanks were then integrated into the layout for the pumping, chilling, and storage of the liquid yoke and egg whites.

Food Processing Environment

A hygienic, washable environment was created to accommodate the breaking and storage of liquid eggs. The walls, floors, and ceilings were built using impervious material that can withstand high-pressure wash hoses. In addition, the air handling system was designed for high levels of filtration. The filtration level is MERV 17 (99.97% @ 0.3 microns), and the room temperature is designed at 75°F. One hundred percent of the air in this system is outside air. These areas are maintained under positive air pressure to prevent air infiltration from other spaces.

Waste Handling: Solid and Liquid

The removal and treatment of both solid and liquid waste was a primary concern for the renovation of this facility. The process of breaking eggs to extract the liquid contents creates large amounts of inedible by-products, including shells and waste liquid egg. The plant was designed by FPE to handle this waste in two ways:

• Inedible product captured in the process—by workers or by the automated processing equipment—is moved via a screw conveyor to a shell separator, which separates the shells from the liquid inedible product. Shells are then conveyed to a solids trailer that is removed from the site on a weekly basis. The liquid inedible product is pumped to a by-product holding tank, which is then pumped as needed to an inedible product handling truck for off-site disposal.
   
• Inedible product captured by the building floor drain system during sanitation is pumped to a rotary drum screen to separate the solid waste. The solid waste is conveyed to a solids trailer that is removed from the site regularly. 

A new pre-treatment system was needed to handle the amount of liquid waste generated by the plant. The challenge was to create a system that would work with the existing location of the plant sewer discharge while collecting liquid waste on the opposite side of the plant. The solution was to pump the liquid waste to an equalization tank located closest to most of the generated waste. The equalization tank also serves to control and maintain the pH. Equalized liquid waste is then pumped through flocculent tubes and into a dissolved air filtration (DAF) for treatment located on the other side of the plant. Clean wastewater is tested and balanced for pH and sent to the city sewer system. The remaining by-products from the DAF system are pumped to the by-product holding tank, which is then pumped as needed to an inedible product handling truck for off-site disposal.

Food Raw Material Receiving and Storage

The Amherst facility assembles fresh and frozen sandwiches, burritos, and wraps for wholesale and retail sale. In 2019, Tyson needed help renovating this facility while maintaining operations. Tyson came to Food Plant Engineering asking for help with plans to add eight new packaging lines, reallocate dry ingredients space for conversion to an ingredient unboxing room, increase the size of the gowning room, relocate the trash dock, relocate vacuum pumps for the packaging lines, and modify a finished goods freezer to increase ingredient storage. The engineering staff at Tyson developed the initial concepts for this expansion but needed assistance in working out details and implementing plans.

To prepare for renovation, Tyson needed immediate assistance in evaluating storage options for packaging materials and dry ingredients. Food Plant Engineering worked with Tyson to develop a racking plan that would maximize floor space for ingredient tempering while still having enough racked pallet spaces for corrugate and labels. Once the space was cleared, the unboxing and gowning rooms were constructed. During this process, temporary walls were utilized to uphold food safety standards in the production spaces. Short shutdowns were planned to install the production and packaging lines and relocate supporting production equipment.

Packaging, Cold Storage, and Shipping

As a result of the increased production, part of the freezer was modified to accommodate more ingredient storage. This modification involved altering the pallet racking and constructing a wall to separate ingredients from finished goods. This change in material flow also required a change in the location of the trash dock. When evaluating the plan for the trash dock relocation, it was important to ensure corrugate waste would not pass through an area with exposed product. In addition, the exterior space for the dock needs to be in a location where the waste-hauling trucks can access the trash dock without interfering with the semi-truck traffic at the shipping docks. Food Plant Engineering devised a plan that both optimizes placement of the trash dock without interfering with shipping traffic and allows for plans for a future freezer and dock addition.