Food And Drink

Food factory plant design consultants

Food processing plant design consultants can help you improve your plant’s energy efficiency, increase your rate of production, reduce lead times, and achieve 100 percent food safety compliance. However, they are also essential when you want to expand your operations.

If you are planning a new food factory or want to extend or improve an existing one, food factory design consultants can help. They assist with layout, technology, equipment, and even packaging to help streamline your operations and deliver the highest return on capital possible.

In this post, we take a look at some of the considerations you’ll need to make if you are planning an expansion. Here’s what you need to think about:

Volumes

Food factories process vastly different volumes. Large bottling plants, for instance, can produce millions of units per day, while smaller, niche product suppliers might only churn out hundreds.

A food factory consultant will always ask you about your volumes before setting up a new plant or extending an existing one. They then use this information to suggest floor size, the type of equipment that you will use, and the best contractors for the job.

Forward-thinking consultants will also talk to you about your likely medium- and long-term equipment requirements. While a small-scale operation might be sufficient today, it might not be enough in the future.

Safety

Food safety is of paramount concern, both in terms of reputation and compliance risk. Operators need to put high hygiene standards in place from the start, designing them into the fabric of their buildings.

If you are handling meat, meat processing consultants can show you how to do this safely. You may require specific plant and machinery, as well as enhanced factory layouts, to prevent the spread of disease.

Budgeting and feasibility

Food factory consultants can also tell you whether your plans are feasible, based on your estimated costs and revenues. Tell them the competitive price for your product and they will calculate the likely per-unit cost once you reach certain volumes. For instance, a new beverage might not be profitable at £2 per unit but may allow you to break even at £3 per unit at a volume of 20,000 per month.

Construction management

Building a food factory requires extensive expertise. Contractors must understand both factory planning and the niche requirements of food businesses.

Consultants help here, too, by liaising with contractors with the skills necessary to complete adequate facilities. They work with you during the design and planning phase, all the way through to project completion. Many pre-qualify trusted contractors and select them specifically for the customer, depending on their prior experience and level of expertise.

Maintenance

Lastly, food factories can depreciate rapidly because of the high throughput and the nature of food ingredients. Therefore, it’s essential to put a depreciation mitigation plan in place ahead of construction or extension.