Page 31 - Food&Drink Magazine October 2018

three as these items will be critical to taking your business to the next level as you fly towards your year five target.
Once you have a plan for what the production processes will look like over time, then you can start to think about the factory footprint. Sketch up a layout that
be a complicated exercise. Generally following the
guidelines and applying some common sense to the design and execution with consideration to food safety will allow you to tick the right boxes without over-engineering and over-spending.
up on the external appearance. While the building must be vermin proof, it’s the internal fit-out that you need to execute accurately.
If budget permits, create a clean looking façade, entrance and reception area that will impress your customers but don’t cut corners on the fit-out. Plan to use the real estate wisely and create a physical environment that your people will love to work in. It’s wise to take your plans and ideas to your food safety auditors, get their advice and, importantly, get their buy-in.
MINIMISING COSTS
For both small and large projects, the key to minimising building costs is getting accuracy with the final design and then obtaining competitive pricing from reputable construction companies. The mostdetailedarchitectural plans can still yield 30-40 per cent price difference between the lowest and highest tender
prices depending on current market conditions.
Finally, look to grow
your production volumes by prioritising processing upgrades before spending money on real estate. If you must build or renovate, don’t compromise on quality when budget is tight, just go to the market and let competition drive down costs. Seek advice from industry experts and make sure you control your own scaling-up journey. ✷
✷ ABOUTTHEAUTHOR
PLANT DESIGN & FITOUT
“ The more defined your growth target is, the easier it will be to figure this out how best to scale over a given timeframe for the lowest possible cost.”
works within your current footprint, ensuring that the process flows align with the relevant food safety standards. Think about segregation of processed foods from unprocessed foods, operator paths and hygienic entrance controls and always design with foodsafetyinmind. Thankfully, navigating through food safety standards, compliance codes and retailer standards doesn’t need to
BUILD IF YOU MUST
Now that you have a clear understanding of what the processes will look like, and you’ve come to the conclusion that you’ve definitely outgrown your current facility, you may begin to look for alternative site options.
Whetheryouleaseorbuy, there will likely be fit-out works required. If leasing or buying an existing site, don’t get too hung
NEW 36pp brochure now available. Contact us to get your FREE copy.
Peter Taitoko is managing director at RMR Process, a company that designs and builds food manufacturing facilities and processes for SME food manufacturers transitioning through scale-up, from facility and process design through to validation, training and ongoing facility
support. Contact him to arrange a tour through one of its newly built facilities at www. rmrprocess.com.
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