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In cold storage environments, thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) single-ply roofing systems have become the roofing system of choice due to their energy efficiency, reliability, labor-saving installation, and maintenance advantages.
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Insulated metal panels (IMP) are becoming the preferred material for ductwork within food plants for their efficient, hygienic and durable qualities. IMPs consist of two steel skins injected with urethane foam insulation, providing a better-insulated solution than traditional ductwork. The steel skins can be constructed of standard pre-finished metal or stainless steel to meet the required sanitary specifications. Panels are cut and fabricated to meet the specific size and space requirements of a facility, and joints are installed together with caulks, urethane spray foam, sealants, vapor barriers and fasteners for an air/vapor-tight construction.
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When performing a design review, BIM gives all of your food processing plant’s stakeholders — operations, maintenance, safety, and engineering teams — an opportunity to explore the facility in a three-dimensional mode. Viewing the design in this 3D model helps visualize the building space so owners can make more informed decisions in these areas:
Food processing plants are embracing business information modeling (BIM) as the new standard in facility design. BIM’s three-dimensional format allows designers to give plant owners, managers and employees a virtual walk-through of the facility. By viewing virtual construction elements such as walls, windows, slabs and roofs, they can then make the most informed decisions on process and work flows.
Every single piece of equipment in a food processing facility – from processing equipment to compressors, chillers and the machine room – requires some form of power whether it’s electricity, steam, hot water, or compressed air. Determining the utility requirements of the plant’s operating systems is a critical part of the design process that involves the plant’s owner, as well as the mechanical and electrical engineering team.
Continue Reading “Best Practices for Developing a Food Processing Plant Utility Matrix”
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.
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It is critical to plan for the future when designing your food processing plant’s mechanical systems. We find that many plants are now undergoing expensive retrofits because future needs were not appropriately considered. Not only are retrofits expensive, but if new equipment is not sized and sequenced effectively, it can significantly affect your energy costs. To avoid these issues, here are four budget considerations to address when designing your plant’s mechanical system:
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Over the years, the role of food plant architects has expanded greatly, requiring designers to become true experts in sanitary design. As a result, some best practices have emerged in the food processing design-build industry to ensure food safety and prevent problems, and added expenses, down the road.
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Stellar often partners with The Probst Group on wastewater treatment projects. Hank Probst, a partner with The Probst Group, contributed to this blog post.
a wastewater treatment tank
Reducing the costs of wastewater treatment spent at an outside facility is leading many food processing plants to consider treating their wastewater on-site. In addition to treatment costs based on volume, municipalities typically impose a surcharge if the characteristics of the wastewater stream exceed the municipality’s typical domestic strength. It becomes an ROI issue and fairly easy for plants to justify.
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Round floor drains are becoming more common.
There are numerous factors to consider when designing a wastewater piping system for a food manufacturing plant. Where will drains be located? What types of piping materials will be used? Can the system be designed to accommodate future physical growth of the facility? Yet the most important factor of a waste-piping system is efficiency – efficiency in location, layout, materials and installation. Here’s what you need to know:
Continue Reading “Food Processing Plant Design: Designing the Most Efficient Waste-piping System”
