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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.
Continue Reading “How Product, Product Mix and Production Volume Impact Design”
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:
Continue Reading “Four Key Budget Considerations in Designing Your Plant’s Mechanical System”
More and more food manufacturers are developing energy management and resource conservation programs, focusing on water and heat as the two resources that offer the greatest opportunity for significant savings in the long run.
Continue Reading “Food Manufacturers Look to Water and Heat for Resource Conservation”
Your food processing plant’s mechanical system will affect the entire facility’s operating efficiency. Water, steam and gas are the basic functions required to run any processing plant, so the design process must begin with a full evaluation of these resources. Your mechanical engineers should address four critical areas in the early stages of your plant’s design:
Continue Reading “Food Processing Mechanical Systems : 4 Critical Areas To Address Early On”
Food processing facilities in the U.S. have long made food safety one of their top priorities. Unfortunately that’s not the case in China. In recent years the country has been plagued with numerous high-profile food safety scandals, from grilled kebabs made from cat meat to pork buns so loaded with bacteria that they glow in the dark.
Continue Reading “Food Safety in China: What Food Processors Need to Know”
We have very tight quality control standards in the U.S. and chances are, you’ll want to employ those same standards in your facility overseas. China has different, often non-existent, standards so managing quality control is solely up to your team. Ensure that you have a team of individuals who oversee everything from your engineering documents to intellectual property to equipment selection and installation. Here are my top four areas that must be managed closely to ensure quality control.
Continue Reading “How to Ensure Quality Control in Food Processing Facilities in China”
Expanding your food processing business into China requires much more than a capital investment—it requires a significant investment in upfront planning and research. Expats who are currently operating a business in the country can be your greatest source of information, both in navigating China’s financial industry and in identifying trusted sources. Here are a few key things you need to know about banking, taxes and staffing before expanding your food processing operations in China.
Continue Reading “Your Guide to Financing and Staffing a Food Processing Plant in China”
