An Overview Of Food & Beverage Manufacturing Construction

As companies plan for future growth, many build flexibility into their plant design. They’re incorporating space to change lines, add equipment and accommodate new technology.

Choosing the right site is also essential. Working with a contractor that offers value-driven site selection services will prevent unforeseen project delays and cost increases.

Cost-Effectiveness

Manufacturers need to be ready for change as consumer food trends come and go. Many are turning to design and build solutions that include flexible components, so they can quickly adapt their facilities to accommodate new production lines or technology. With a focus on sustainable materials, these changes can also reduce operational costs.

While spec buildings can seem like a cost-effective option, they’re not always an excellent choice for food and beverage processing. Spec building frames may not have adequate structural load capacity to support equipment and piping. Moreover, they’re typically confined by their outer walls, limiting space for the process layout.

Lastly, spec buildings rarely have water service or utility infrastructure for food and beverage processing. Sanitary sewer lines and natural gas must be enlarged, and electrical services must be increased to meet the plant’s load requirements.

A thorough, value-added site selection analysis is vital to a thriving food and beverage facility project. Considering the distance from raw resources, nearby transportation facilities, and the local labor market is essential. Considering these elements will help avoid unforeseen schedule delays and budget increases once construction begins. Partnering with a firm offering value-added site selection services will ensure a more accurate proforma, allowing processors to manage their project costs and timelines better.

Safety

Keeping food and beverages safe is top-of-mind with consumers, the industry, and government regulators. It is, therefore, important that facility design incorporates a focus on safety from the outset.

This is especially true for processing facilities that produce gluten-free foods and beverages. In this case, the facility should be designed to avoid porous materials that may harbor bacteria. This includes concrete walls that absorb moisture, leading to mold and bacteria growth. Instead, the facility should be designed to use IMP flooring that can be easily cleaned and disinfected.

Another critical aspect of safety in food and beverage manufacturing construction is ensuring the proper equipment for each product type. This requires collaboration between the design team, contractor, and processing equipment vendors early in the process. This allows the most optimal overall plant layout to be developed and enables a seamless sequencing plan for equipment installation to minimize delays.

Additionally, many chemicals and gases used in a food and beverage processing plant can be toxic or flammable. It is, therefore, important that the plant’s air quality is monitored closely and that any potential sources of contamination are identified and addressed early in the design phase.

Finally, the high number of temporary workers in food and beverage processing plants often necessitates the creation of multilingual messaging and instructional materials. This ensures all employees can access the information they need to stay safe and understand procedures and requirements.

Flexibility

Food and beverage processing plants transform raw food commodities into products for intermediate or final consumption, using labor, machinery, energy, and scientific knowledge. These plants account for a smaller share of value added in manufacturing than other industries but are still important drivers of GDP and jobs.

Food and beverage manufacturers must adapt as consumer demands continue to reshape distribution channels across consumer goods. That means upgrading equipment, expanding facilities, and designing for new technologies like IoT devices and automation systems. Due to these modifications, the building process must be adaptable and agile to meet the changing demands of end users and their distributors.

One of the most common ways to deliver a project is through design-bid-build (DBB). Under this method, designers and engineers create designs sent out for bid. The lowest-cost contractor is selected to build the facility. However, this method can be inflexible and expensive. When designs go over budget, valuable time is spent redesigning to bring costs back in line with projections.

For these reasons, many projects are moving away from the traditional DBB model in favor of a negotiated project delivery approach. The benefits of this type of project delivery include a shorter project schedule, increased flexibility, and improved cost controls. Food and beverage processors should work with a construction company that can offer a negotiated project delivery option to maximize their bottom line.

Efficiency

Manufacturing plants transform raw food commodities into intermediate or final consumption products. They also may serve as inputs into further processing (such as syrup for manufacturing soda).

With a growing appetite for healthful products, food, and beverage manufacturers are looking to increase production and improve the quality of their existing facilities. They also seek to improve their distribution and warehousing systems to make them more resilient and competitive.

However, the industry faces several challenges that could delay project completion and impact bottom lines. Steel and raw material costs are rising, while specialized hardware and equipment lead times have been longer. In addition, wages are increasing, and labor is difficult to find and hire.

The solution to these obstacles isn’t necessarily to build a new facility but rather to optimize the design of existing facilities and implement smart technologies. For example, implementing IoT devices can streamline processes and reduce downtime. Bringing a plant into the digital age can also help manufacturers use more data and insights for improved operational efficiency.

In addition, selecting the right location for a project is critical to ensuring success. An expert team can evaluate site options to ensure a project’s proximity to raw materials, transportation infrastructure, and the local labor market is a good fit, avoiding unforeseen schedule delays and costs once construction begins.