Practical Design, Construction and Operation of Food Facilities

Around the world concerns about cost, efficiency, and safety - employee, product, process and consumer -- have led to changes in the way food plants are planned, constructed and evaluated. From initiation of major capital requests to legal design requirements to project management and plant operations, food engineers and scientists must understand the myriad of requirements and responsibilities of successful food facilities. J. Peter Clark provides that guidance in this complete volume.

Included are:

A summary of lessons on understanding how management evaluates potential investments and how they can contribute to ultimate shareholder value, and checklists to help accurately estimate capital and operating costsImportant, and in some cases unique, features of a food plant including focus on food safety. Addresses not only consumer products, but ingredients for consumer products and the concerns of distribution and flexibility that must be considered. Also considered are the support facilities that are equally essential to the safe production of foodAn effective approach to understanding production lines and optimizing operations during expansion by briefly introducing Goldratt's Theory of Constraints. The book explores the challenges of construction while maintaining safe and sanitary operationsAn approach and methodology that can be extended beyond the case studies presented in order to effectively plan development processes and make correct equipment selectionsProject management and plant operations guidance to assist engineers who find themselves in the role of managing a design or construction process project, or of supervising a portion of a plant. Includes suggestions for effectively troubleshooting an unsatisfactory operation

Provides real-world insights including guides for proper project estimation, understanding the role and importance of support facilities, maintaining standards while under construction and other vital considerationsIncludes checklists and proven approaches to guide the reader through the wide range of necessary planning and implementation stepsConsiders factors for both new plant construction and expansion of existing plants

Context for new or expanded facility Economic Evaluation Design of New Facility Expansions and conversions Process and Equipment Selection Equipment selection Project Management and Execution Plant Operations Appendices I-IV