Page 33 - Food&Drink Business magazine October 2022

One part of the redesign was the construction of bespoke cooling tunnels, designed by Process Partners and manufactured locally.
Prior to the installation, the bakery used industrial fans that would simply blow ambient air onto the freshly baked products.
The method was inefficient and could be expensive, when in summer, the factory, while air conditioned, wouldn’t allow for the biscuits to be cooled sufficiently to pack.
“There are two stages in the tunnels, the first blowing ambient air when they first come out of the oven and the second cold air as they move along the conveyor to be cooled for packing,” Gilbert says.
Warehousing and racking was also reworked to provide much needed space onsite.
A core part of the new fitout was the layout of the factory, shifting stages of the production process for a most efficient flow of operations.
“Something we see a lot with small to medium sized manufacturers is a haphazard plant design because of the very nature of small business; you might need to add a line or another extruder or more warehousing quickly, but you have limited capital or other contributing factors, so the additions just get added piecemeal. At the time it gets the job done, but as you continue to grow it can slow you down,” Gilbert says.
Carp says the outcome has been increased capacity, flexibility, and capability.
“Craig and the team provided us with innovative designs which we would not have thought of.
“They enabled us to think beyond our own experience and coordinated all of the elements and suppliers required to complete the construction within the limited timeframe we had.
“It has improved our
manufacturing process significantly,” Carp said.
Carp adds that in hindsight, the decision to go ahead during the pandemic was one of the best decisions they made.
“If we were attempting to do the same thing today, the delay time on equipment would be twice as long, interest rates would be three times as high, construction costs would be significantly higher, and access to the number of contractors we needed to complete the job in three weeks would be extremely difficult.
“We are already capitalising on the investment – and success – of this project,” he says.
The new fitout allows the company a much greater capacity to accommodate increased orders.
Carp says the outlay has more than paid for itself, with strong growth and the ability to capitalise on improved processes already recognised. ✷
PLANT DESIGN & FITOUT
Sustainable Manufacturing Solutions
FOOD | BEVERAGE | DAIRY
• Implementing new technology for recyclable packaging
• Optimising flows and increasing efficiency
• Site performance assessments and health checks
• Waste reduction and yield optimisation
We work in greenfield & brownfield, processing and packaging projects, plant upgrade & efficiency improvements
www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au | October 2022 | Food&Drink business | 33