Preliminary discussions with your food processing plant architects should include a thorough discussion of your sales and marketing goals. Your plant’s specific products, product mixes (including future products), and production volume all impact decisions made during the design process.
Continue Reading “How Product, Product Mix and Production Volume Impact Design”
More and more food companies are expanding into emerging markets such as China, capitalizing on growing middle classes and increasing popularity of westernized diets. Yet setting up a food processing facility in China – from financing and permitting to quality control and food safety – is a vastly different process than in the U.S. This month in Food for Thought, we’ll explore these topics in more depth and offer our tips and insights based on our own experience operating in China.
Continue Reading “Four Tips for Food Processing Site Selection in China”
It’s no secret that working in a food processing plant can be quite dangerous. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has listed the food manufacturing industry as one of the most hazardous. A big contributor to workplace accidents is improper lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures.
When production in a food processing plant is halted for the installation, servicing or maintenance of machinery and heavy equipment, there must be a LOTO procedure in place to prevent the machine from turning back on and injuring a worker.
Continue Reading “Food Plant Safety: Lockout/Tagout Best Practices”While new refrigeration control systems are significant capital investments, their value far exceeds their cost. In large food processing or cold storage facilities, refrigeration typically accounts for more than half of the facility’s total electric energy use. And with unplanned downtime costing many facilities tens of thousands of dollars per day, an aging refrigeration control system can put your business at significant risk.
If you answer yes to any of the following questions, it may be time to upgrade or replace your existing system:
Continue Reading “Is it Time to Upgrade or Replace Your Refrigeration Controls?”
Whether you’re designing a new food processing plant or upgrading an existing facility, determining necessary upfront water treatment is a critical step in protecting and maintaining your plant’s systems. Many plants forgo thorough analysis resulting in poorly or untreated water that can lead to scale and bacterial buildup on equipment. Stellar often partners with water treatment professionals such as Southern Waters Company, Inc. to effectively manage clients’ clean water requirements.
Continue Reading “Eight Critical Steps in Water Treatment To Protect Your Products and Equipment”
You’ve likely heard of a facility assessment before. It’s a top-to-bottom check-up for your food or beverage plant that can optimize energy usage, improve food safety, minimize risks and save money. But I’ve also heard from people who have their doubts.
Isn’t it just an embarrassing and awkward critique by an auditor? How is it different than if our own staff analyzes our facility? Do I really need an assessment if the plant is running fine?
Continue Reading “Is a Facility Assessment Worth It? [VIDEO]”
Food processing engineers are frequently challenged with developing controls and processes for managing food safety precautions within a plant. Yet food safety is a role that every employee, from the top down, needs to embrace. It should be deeply rooted within the plant’s culture and most important, it should be a continuous improvement process.
Continue Reading “Food Plant Sanitation: Five Roles Your Employees Should Play in Food Safety”
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 ®”
When Royal Cup first sat down with Stellar to discuss its expansion project, it had bold aspirations and high expectations. The Birmingham-based importer and roaster of specialty coffees and fine teas decided to invest in cutting-edge manufacturing updates to keep pace with its growing consumer base and sales.
“To do a project of this magnitude, you really need to have an expert here involved on the day-to-day, with their fingers in the project,” said Bill Smith, Royal Cup’s president.
Environmentally conscious construction sites have earned praise over the years as the world’s priorities have shifted to address growing climate concerns.
The World Green Building Council (GBC) estimates the building and construction sector is globally responsible for 50% of the world’s resource consumption, 36% of energy consumption and 38% of energy-related carbon emissions. Keeping this in mind, any time a building or facility can feature sustainable design, it’s a win for the planet.
Expectations are changing, however. What was once seen as the “cherry on top” of a construction project is quickly becoming standard practice.
A prime example of this is the evolution of the use of low-impact development (LID).
Continue Reading “Low-Impact Development: From Eco-friendly Trend to Industry Standard”
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