Hershey Foods recently opened its 1.2 million-sq.-ft. Eastern Distribution Center.



Hershey Foods recently opened its 1.2 million-sq.-ft. Eastern Distribution Center, EDC III, in Hershey, Pa. The building's project team included Hershey employees; civil engineer Evans Engineering; facility engineer St. Onge Ruff and Associates; and material handling engineer St. Onge Co. The team looked at more than 100 sites within a 100-mile radius of Hershey. The final site selection was based on proximity to manufacturing facilities, access to major highways and availability of labor and services. Kinsley Construction Inc. was the design/build contractor. Hershey Foods expects the facility to be fully operational by the fall shipping season.

Tetra Pak Inc. has opened its Aseptic Technology Pilot Plant in Denton, Texas. It is designed to provide customers with complete processing facilities for development of liquid (primarily aseptic) food products, including fruit juices, wine, soy products, puddings, soups, etc. Pasteurized, ultra-pasteurized and UHT aseptic processing can be accomplished using plates, tubular and direct heating systems. Because the pilot plant is a registered food production site, food produced at the facility can be used for product development and consumer testing. According to Andrew Dun, Tetra Pak director of marketing, customers will benefit from state-of-the-art technology and from the confidentiality needed for tests and evaluations.