Page 47 - Food&Drink magazine April-May 2023

specific information required as part of the connection applications.
SUSTAINABLE FUTURE STEP CHANGE Environmental Impact
Net Zero 2050 is now 26 years away, so if you’re giving
greenfield the green light, now is the time to embed sustainability and resilience into all stages of your project.
At the outset, establish sustainability targets for
the project. These may be
a natural progression from your business targets and
can include energy or water reduction targets, goals to use recycled materials, or targets to recycle all construction waste. These targets will set the culture and drive the sustainability activity for
the duration of the project. From a climate resilience
perspective, understanding not only the risks within the site, but more broadly in terms of transport links and utilities will help inform the design and future operations.
Once the sustainability in design framework is in place, it can be incorporated into the procurement process, with contractors’ tenders evaluated based on sustainability criteria.
SOCIAL IMPACT
Many food and beverage clients now recognise their impact on local communities far beyond just the economic employment provided. In many regional or rural towns the industry is the cornerstone employer, so design considerations might include shared community facilities, site tours, or even an architectural façade.
Many clients are also progressively taking on and implementing Reconciliation Action Plans (RAPs) to support and grow the future of First Nations peoples. Breaking ground on a new facility is a great opportunity to recognise the Traditional Owners of land into the site design. From day one, a site culture of recognition and respect can begin.
MAKE THE MOST OF DIGITAL
Digital assets refer to any data or information that is captured or created during the capital project. An ‘integrated’ digital
asset refers to how connected the digital assets are (or could be in the future).
Start with the mindset that you’re creating ‘integrated digital assets’ alongside the creation of a physical asset. Digital assets have significant and separate value that will be realised during operational phases. They do so by enabling data-driven decision- making to improve efficiency, reduce costs, enhance safety and even more advanced functions such as predictive maintenance.
GREEN IN REGULATION
Greenfields are a once in a generation project for many businesses. Being spoilt for choice in an initial unconstrained opportunity takes diligence to work through to an achievable reality. With so many active concurrent workstreams across the entire business, it takes a truly cross-functional approach and team to bring these beasts of a project to life. ✷
PLANT DESIGN & FITOUT
A New Digital Era for Intralogistics Automation
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