Baking & Snack - December 2024 - 78

DESIGN & BUILD
Bringing raw
materials into one
side of the bakery
and shipping
finished products
on the other end
creates good flow in
a large bakery.
©hit1912-stock.adobe.com
The facility must be functional and the flow of products
through the building must be efficient, Boone said.
" One of the most frequent questions we are asked is,
'How can the building be designed for future growth and
flexibility?' " he said. " This is a great question because it
gives our design team the opportunity to work with the
client on master planning. "
Failure to spend the money necessary to anticipate
the future or to make adequate plans for five to 10
years down the line can create problems in the bakery,
said John Tippmann III, executive vice president,
Tippmann Group.
" We've done several master plans where you do the
inline plants and you're able to expand it every time, and
you build it into your greenfield site, " he said
He said bakers want to set up their plants to receive
raw materials on one end, produce and package their
products then ship goods at the other end.
" That's that inline approach we are talking about, "
Tippmann said. " It makes it super easy to expand. "
Preparing for the future includes regulatory compliance
and making room for new technology.
" Bakers should ask potential builders about their experience
with similar projects, their knowledge of food
safety requirements and how they manage project timelines
and costs, " Coronel said.
Watson suggested that sanitary design is one of the
first factors bakeries should be thinking about when designing
a new plant.
" The beauty of a greenfield plant is the ability to design
an optimal flow, which includes process, people
and material flow. You have adequate space to access the
equipment, get materials in and out of the line, and the
line can be cleaned easily, " he said. " Maintenance folks
have easy access to the ovens and packaging equipment.
That's all about the importance of proper flow during
the early design stage. "
When hiring an engineering and construction
partner, bakers should be asking about the extent of
their experience.
" Does the firm have all engineering disciplines in
house, meaning do they have the ability to do all your
78 Baking & Snack December 2024 / www.bakingbusiness.com
electrical, structural, mechanical engineering in house,
or do you have to go outside for some of those disciplines?
Also, consider firms that can provide a design/
build approach. This can eliminate much finger pointing
during execution of the project. " Watson asked.
Once bakers have established a cost for the facility
and a budget, Myers suggested they do some value engineering
to see if there's anywhere they can save money.
" Invariably, there will be trade-offs and concessions
made, but having a clear alignment about what is most
important will serve the business well, " he said.
He also suggested meeting the team members of the
firms working on the project.
WHEN BAKERS ARE
DETERMINING HOW
THEY WANT THEIR NEW
BUILDING SET UP, PROCESS,
FUNCTIONALITY AND FLOW
ARE TOP CONSIDERATIONS.
" Your team is working with their team every day, "
Myers said. " It's not enough to align yourself to work
with a good organization; you really need to meet the
team that is being assigned to the project. What subcontractors
do they have access to? Working through the
contract is extremely tedious. If your team hasn't been
through it before, I highly recommend engaging an attorney
who can walk you through the finer points. "
He also recommended breaking down the project into
phases, which will help bakers focus on one part of the
project at a time.
" If you can execute it in phases, you can get your arms
around it, and it doesn't become this enormous, amorphous
project, " Myers said. " Make sure the project is
fully funded with adequate contingency for changes and
escalation. The project will rarely reduce in maximum
price as you've negotiated it with your contractor, and
change orders are always more expensive from a sub
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