Before a facility can become operational, there is much to consider including planning and design, government regulations and the overall goals a plant owner has. Let’s look at four major decisions that should be considered when the process begins.
Continue Reading “4 Major Decisions That Impact the Design of Your Facility”
There is one thing that food processing plants cannot afford: downtime as a result of equipment failure. The loss of a single piece of equipment can halt production and lead to product loss, not to mention a loss of revenue.
Some studies have shown that downtime for a typical food packaging line can result in $15,000 per hour of lost revenue. That’s $250 per minute!
The fast-paced food and beverage industry is continually evolving, and clients are always looking for ways to streamline their distribution. When it comes to the cold storage business, a major trend today is the expansion of value-added services — additional, non-core services cold storage companies can offer clients. Many operators of traditional warehouse spaces are looking to diversify and create new revenue streams. Continue Reading “5 Things to Consider Before Investing in a New Value-Added Service at Your Cold Storage Warehouse”
Developing a manufacturing plan is generally the second phase in the strategic planning process. After creating a business plan and specifying your food processing plant’s sales and growth projections, a manufacturing plan will identify and assess the processes that are used to manufacture the product to meet those sales goals. Continue Reading “3 Steps to Develop a Food Processing Manufacturing Plan”
Stellar is gearing up for ATMOsphere America 2017, the leading forum for discussion about the business case for natural refrigerants in North America. The three-day conference next month will host more than 400 industry stakeholders in San Diego, California, and will feature discussions about the latest in refrigeration technology and regulation. Among the hot-button issues in the industry: the diminishing role of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCS). Continue Reading “CO2 Refrigeration: Debunking 3 Common Myths”
A fully integrated firm is one that offers process design, building and infrastructure design, and construction services all with in-house resources. Compare this with traditional methods that involve contracting a variety of vendors to handle these different elements of your project. Partnering with an integrated firm can benefit your next food or beverage project in a variety of ways. Continue Reading “[VIDEO] The Value of Working with a Fully Integrated Firm for Your Next Food or Beverage Project”
Constructing a new food or beverage plant can be similar to a lot of big investments in life where attention to detail can make or break your budget. Think about renovating a house, buying a car or maintaining a boat — any of these things can quickly turn into a money pit, but it can be efficient if you plan accordingly. The same goes for your next construction project. Continue Reading “2 Biggest Threats to Food Plant Construction Budgets”
Compliance audits for ammonia refrigeration are increasingly more detailed with regulatory standards maturing every year. Which begs the question: How prepared or risk-prone do you want your facility to be?
Compliance is just one of several issues on the agenda this week for the regional conference hosted by the Central Florida Chapter of the Refrigerating Engineers & Technicians Association (RETA). In addition to refrigeration maintenance and operation, attendees at the Central Florida Ammonia Refrigeration Regional Conference will also focus on the importance of compliance with regulators like OSHA.
We all know the design-build methodology, by nature, is faster than the traditional design-bid-build approach. But if speed to market is your goal (hint: if you’re in the food and beverage industry, it probably is), then you can’t beat the agility that a fully integrated firm offers.
We’ve previously explored how a fully integrated design-build firm — one that offers process design, building and infrastructure design, and construction services with all in-house resources — can save you money and increase your plant’s food safety. In this post, I’m going to discuss the numerous ways an integrated approach can streamline your next project and get you from concept to commissioning faster than any other method.
Will your new food or beverage facility be the source of a future recall? The answer could all come down to communication. I’m not talking about how well your staff on the plant floor can work together or how effective your leadership skills are as an owner. The fate of your plant can be decided well before a big ribbon is cut and your processing lines whir to life.
The food safety quality of your next facility depends on whether the people designing and constructing your plant can communicate effectively.
This may feel like something that’s outside of your control — but who you hire can be the difference between a project with streamlined communication and a multi-million-dollar game of “telephone” where mixed messages put food safety (and your budget) at risk.
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