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. 

Project Overview

One of the largest global food ingredient companies approached FPE to assist with increasing production at their Erlanger, Kentucky facility while daily operations continued. This project focused on two key areas in the facility: FPE was first tasked with the renovation of an existing production space designed for the staling, drying, and packaging of bread, stuffing, and seasoned croutons. After the completion of this work, our firm was then employed to design and build the space and infrastructure for a new bread crumb production line.

The initial renovation involved improving the facility infrastructure to support upgraded equipment, such as floor-mounted and ceiling-supported bread conveyors, loaders/unloaders, stackers/unstackers, dolly loaders/unloaders, bread slicers/dicers, bucket elevators, conveyor dryers, hoppers, and belt conveyors. An additional 8,000 sq. ft. room was designed for the drying oven and packaging equipment.  

The following expansion for a new bread crumb production line involved the design and construction of a 16,000 sq. ft. section of the facility to accommodate the following equipment: a mixer, sifter, overhead conveyors, an oven, proofer, pressure washer, two CW pumps, a hot water heater, and a boiler.

Throughout both parts of the project, FPE thoroughly reviewed options for air flow, zoning, and equipment, given the high-allergen environment and heavy potential for dust collection. A substantial review of the facility’s electrical demand was performed, and an additional transformer was installed to help fulfill the increased power requirements for both projects.

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

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.

How to unleash production when the bottlenecks clear

Supply chain woes may have limited your ability to meet a rising demand for your product. And labor shortages—already a problem pre-pandemic—have worsened the situation for everyone in the food industry. As you scramble to obtain everything from ingredients to packaging materials, it’s likely that your focus on immediate needs has left little time to think about tomorrow. Expanding or upgrading your facility may seem like an impossible dream now.

But at some point, this will end.

And when it does, food processors that have planned will be ready to move forward and ramp up production, even if labor remains scarce. Here’s how to prepare:

Set Goals

Manufacturers are frequently in a hurry. “What is your timeline?” is often answered with “Yesterday” by those seeking engineering and professional design assistance. If you’re grappling with a recall or a food safety threat, the need is urgent, indeed. But if you’ve been putting off a renovation, struggling with consistent operational inefficiencies or waiting for the perfect time to automate a process, the time to start the planning phase of your project is now, while the world is waiting for the ships to come in (truly).

Planning provides the roadmap for your project. When you have made important decisions in advance, what follows is a much smoother process. Given the uncertainties of today’s supply chain, this planning step is even more important. The following are among the many issues you’ll need to address:

• Identify what you want to achieve:
• Increase production by 25%?
• Introduce an automated process?
• Reconfigure your space?
• Make room for a phased expansion?
• Set a timeframe. Ideally, when would you like to have your project completed?
• Look beyond tomorrow.
• Are your goals realistic if labor remains scarce long-term?
• What steps can you take to prepare for a future without the same level of hands-on labor you had before the pandemic?

Get Real

Take stock of your internal resources and expertise. Ask and answer these questions:

• Do you have an internal engineering team that can lead your project?
• If so, are these individuals aware of the materials and processes required to maintain a safe and sanitary food facility?
• Can they handle the design of the intricate systems necessary to operate the equipment you need?
• Do they understand what it takes to meet today’s regulatory requirements?
• Can you afford an interruption in your operation as you take on a construction project? If not, do you have the knowledge and time to manage a construction project while managing your day-to-day operations?
• Do you have access to a design/build team with extensive experience building food processing facilities? Note: Constructing a food processing facility is NOT the same as building a restaurant or a warehouse, so don’t be fooled by a local contractor into believing these are similarly complex.
• Do you have a budget in mind? While the cost of goods and services may vary with the economic outlook, your budget is your budget. Know what you can spend.

Proceed to Plan

After you’ve done the above, it’s time to get down to the nitty gritty. If you can tackle your entire project internally, dig into that planning now. If you need help with process planning, master planning, site planning or facility planning, reach out to an experienced design firm to gauge if your expectations and resources are realistic. You can contact us here.

Regardless of the path you choose, having a plan puts you at the front of the line when the supply chain congestion eases. You’ll be ready to install that line, receive that equipment, initiate that automated process, or even break ground on that new building, so you can move forward to meet or exceed your production goals.