Efficiency and low cost are the major reasons ammonia is the preferred industrial refrigerant in the food processing industry. Ammonia is often a natural refrigerant and has no ODP/GWP. However, ammonia is a dangerous substance and there are several advantages to lowering the overall amount of ammonia used at a facility.
Continue Reading “Two Approaches, One Goal: Reducing Your Ammonia Charge”
Whether companies are maintaining outdated systems or upgrading to newer ones, they need to be aware of the safety issues and requirements related to the systems’ relief components.
Continue Reading “Relief Valve Compliance Issues for Older Systems”
Numerous substances used in industrial refrigeration are believed to be responsible for ozone depletion, especially a common low-temperature refrigerant – R-22. While R-22 is widely used in numerous food plants and cold storage facilities, an international treaty, the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, calls for a halt in the production of R-22 and other chemicals damaging to the atmosphere.
Continue Reading “The R-22 Used to Cool Your Plant is Being Phased Out. Now What?”
Many food processors are turning to wireless automation to improve the efficiency and interoperability of the plant’s control systems. This method of automation architecture offers significant cost savings in engineering and installation, while providing more flexible access to data for monitoring and analysis.
Continue Reading “Food Processing Plants Cut the Cord With Wireless Automation”
For the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), 2014 will be a year of change. The President’s 2014 budget includes a request for $295.8 million allocated to the FDA’s food safety initiatives. According the FDA’s 2014 Congressional Budget Request, the agency’s priorities this year include:
For many companies, obtaining LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification is often too costly, and the documentation process too cumbersome, to warrant the effort. While not as well recognized, Green Globes is gaining traction as a less-expensive and more user-friendly alternative to LEED certification. Established in the U.S. in 2004, Green Globes is administered by the Green Building Initiative (GBI).
Continue Reading “Green Globes ® Gains Traction as Alternative to LEED ®”
High pressure processing (HPP) is gaining popularity among food manufacturers as a method that induces a pasteurizing effect on packaged food without subjecting the products to thermal energy. The recent explosion of the health and organic markets is partially responsible for the increased acceptance of this natural and environmentally friendly process.
Continue Reading “Demand Rises for High Pressure Processing”
In this day and age of fierce competition and tighter budgets, food manufacturers are often faced with making critical—and expensive—business decisions as part of their strategic plan. Should you refurbish existing equipment or buy new equipment to meet your manufacturing needs? Should you add product lines to increase market share and what impact would that have on current operations?
Continue Reading “When to Conduct a Feasibility Study For Major Plant Decisions”
What will your food processing facility look like in the future based on your growth projections? Will you expand your current facility, buy and develop adjacent property or will it be necessary to embark on a greenfield project? A master plan—a comprehensive three-to-five-year plan that determines your facility’s physical and site requirements based on growth projections—can help answer these questions.
Continue Reading “The Three Stages of Master Planning For Food Processing Facilities”
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 “Three Steps in Developing a Food Processing Manufacturing Plan”
