Site selection | Food Engineering

Ardent Mills, a Denver-based flour milling and ingredient company, celebrated the opening of Ardent Mills’ new Port Redwing Mill in Gibsonton, Florida

Site Locations

Key issues in locating food manufacturing sites

Based on FE’s 45th Annual Plant Construction Survey, two hot button site location topics are availability of labor and a reliable supply chain

Wayne Labs

May 19, 2022

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For locating facilities, operators look for geographical areas with an employable workforce and adequate logistics.

Pet Food

Scoular’s new plant to make high-quality pet food ingredients that shoppers demand

Petsource factory will freeze-dry and package high-protein ingredients for pet food manufacturers

Rose Shilling

September 3, 2020

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The Scoular Co. has completed its new plant to produce freeze-dried protein ingredients that will help pet food manufacturers meet demand for high-quality products.

Site Selection

3 keys to site selection for food and beverage facilities

Site characteristics, hazards and ongoing pandemic affect the process

Casey Laughman

May 11, 2020

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When processors work with design-build firms to identify sites for and begin work on new construction projects, safety concerns traditionally involve factors such as ingress/egress, law enforcement and fire/EMS coverage and electrical and mechanical hazards. But the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and potential disaster scenarios add another layer of complexity to the process.

Fabulous Food Plants

Fabulous Food Plants: Design, build, succeed

The decision to build a new food plant or upgrade usually comes down to which option will keep processors competitive

Wayne Labs

August 12, 2019

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These projects show that renovations and new facilities aren't just for the billion-dollar food and beverage processors. Small and medium-sized processors can benefit from properly scaled and engineered solutions too.

Site Selection

Prioritizing criteria to select a new food/beverage plant site

Casey Laughman

May 24, 2019

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Choosing a site for a new food or beverage plant is a complicated process, with a number of factors to evaluate and prioritize. Like a jigsaw puzzle, it's easier to start small and consider individual pieces before trying to put them all together.

Building a Future Food Factory, Part 6: Legal Issues

When selecting a site for a new food or beverage plant, be prepared for legal issues.

Debra Schug

March 21, 2018

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Now, we turn to the legal component of the site selection process and the issues that could get you into trouble if not carefully considered.

Michigan and Iowa encourage processors to choose them for future factories

These Midwestern states want food and beverage manufacturers to know they are open for business.

Debra Schug

March 9, 2018

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Recently, these two states have made investments into their assets and offerings for manufacturers, particularly those in the food and beverage industry.

Building a future food factory

When looking for a site for a new food or beverage processing plant, land is an important consideration.

Debra Schug

February 26, 2018

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From one of the many presentations at last year’s Food Automation & Manufacturing Conference, Sargento Foods’ vice president of engineering runs down what is important in site selection.

United Natural Foods Inc. distribution center

Building a Future Food Factory, Part 5: Labor

How to get the workers you need to run highly automated food and beverage plants

Debra Schug

February 21, 2018

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How do you ensure you get people with the right skill sets when picking a location for your new food or beverage plant? The first thing to consider is identifying an area’s tech school base and that they focus on what you need done at your plant.

Building a future food factory, Part 4: Automation

Food and beverage plants are increasingly employing more advanced automation, which can affect operations at a future facility.

Debra Schug

January 23, 2018

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In the previous parts of this series, we considered the aspects of land, locale and logistics. This edition will discuss the top trend in the food and beverage processing industry—automation, and how this is affecting site selection decisions.