Do you ever consider how much you accomplish in a day, a week or a year? We do. Each year at this time, Food Engineering's editorial team begins work on a three-and-a-half month project that provides a very unique service to our industry-the Food and Beverage Plant Construction survey. In its 29th year, this research survey uncovered more than 500 plant projects of $1 million or more last year.
Over the past three decades, our editorial team has uncovered upward of 800 plant projects each year, enabling the industry to see where and when growth is happening and what it might mean to the industry's overall health. In recent years, as a result of consolidation and the push for lean manufacturing, plant projects haven't increased as steadily as they did during the building boom of the ‘90s. While greenfield projects are few and far between today, we are seeing a great resurgence in plant renovations and expansions.