Food Processing Plant Design
With over 15 years of experience and dozens of completed plant builds, DeJong stands as a cross-discipline thought leader in the industry.
From Recipe to Realization
As a full-service design and build engineering firm. We help our partners design plants, reduce waste, repurpose by-products and increase their overall production, all while maintaining industry standards for food safety and cleanliness. We work both existing plants and new turn-key builds.
We’re A Solution Looking For A Problem To Solve
If you are frustrated by a challenge in your plant project or sanitary process and want a fresh set of eyes, we can be your easy button. Our Engineers have experience across a wide band of food processing industries, bringing innovative thought to each step of the process, from raw ingredients to finished packages. Dry, Vacuum, Wet, PMO Dairy… if it is food we can handle it.
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Food Processing Industry
Food is one of life’s most basic needs, and twenty-first century shoppers want it faster, healthier, tastier and more eco-friendly than ever before. DeJong Consulting can help you exceed consumer expectations, through improved flexibility and solutions-oriented resources, tailored to your organization’s needs. It all starts with a conversation.
During that conversation, we will listen and ask essential questions. After a full review to understand your organization’s vision and goals, we’ll provide unparalleled customer service to make those aspirations a reality. From plant design to process optimization, you’ll get uncompromising quality, no matter the size of your organization. All we ask in return is a willingness to innovate and consider unique solutions to your challenges.
How we can help
The food industry is sure to change in the coming years with new farming practices and a growing world population. Your organization should be primed and ready to feed the hungry throughout it all without sacrificing quality or nutrition. We will help you find ways to reduce waste, repurpose by-products and increase your overall production, all while maintaining industry standards for food safety and cleanliness. Through strong industry partnerships, we are able to bring custom plant operations and process solutions that can fit a new or existing plant footprint.
We work with you to find process efficiencies and equipment improvements to elevate your food processing to the next level. You’ll see your ROI increase, your plant production soar and the amount of waste you produce dwindle. We put clients first, no side deals with equipment vendors, no pushing products you don’t need. Just honest, creative problem solving.
Our solutions include process consulting, plant design, project management and equipment installation to support:
- Production Line Install
- Product Optimization
- Filling Lines
- Turnkey Solutions
- Industrial Refrigeration
- Wastewater Collection
- By-Product Recovery
- Sanitary Process Development
We strive to bring creative thinking and cross-industry experience to the table as we work to solve customers' process and plant operations challenges. There is no challenge too complex for our team to solve and no business too big or small for us to partner with.
Contact us today to elevate your food production processes!
Dave Erlebach, Intrinsic Organics
I work with DeJong Consulting because of his industry knowledge, drive and willingness to go the extra mile. Many consultants would prolong the problem to make extra money, but Michael does what it takes to get it done.
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228301 County Rd M, Edgar, WI 54426
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Tell Us A Little More About Your Next Project
Food Production Requires Safety, Speed, and Economies of Scale
A properly designed food industry plant layout safeguards employees by minimizing their exposure to potentially harmful materials and processes.
Sanitary design is the central feature of this build. Food needs a hygienic processing environment in which to keep it safe for the consumer.
Our Food Process Engineer will focus on the most efficient layout that will also support sanitary processes, low waste, and cleaning processes with harsh cleaning chemicals.
Food also needs speed for two reasons:
1) The faster the processing time, the less time a food product is exposed to the wrong conditions; and
2) More efficient operation enables an organization to make a profit by saving on overhead costs and increasing production.
Food processors benefit from economies of scale by getting more output for less cost in time and raw materials waste.
Food Plant Design
A good facility layout will reduce cross-contamination. This can include everything from food-borne pathogens to food allergens and human traffic flow.
Sound Facility Design principles ensure shorter construction time and turn-key operation at build completion.
Our past experience lets us point out potential problems and navigate your build to a hassle-free completion.
Furthermore, we're well-versed and comfortable meeting FDA, USDA, FSMA, HACCP, SQF and BRC requirements for hygienic plant design.
Smart Automation Boosts Productivity
Automation is the new buzzword. In our designs, we use automation to reduce human intervention and error, improve productivity and reduce labor costs.
Using automation in the processing of food leads to better manufacturing quality, which results in greater consistency and reliability.
Automation achieves a reduction in costs by reducing the amount of labor required for production and creating a more consistent flow of products.
The food processing industry is going through a digitization revolution. Traditional controls are being replaced with networked computer systems, sensors, and data.
With the rise of technology, we may see a change in food quality.
We are excited about the opportunities coming with automation and the internet of things. This is a level of integration unseen in manufacturing before.
The workforce will also change, as we progress from mass production to craft production. Humans will have to work in more dynamic environments and on value-added batches of products rather than huge runs.
Food Processing Plants Design Principles:
Our framework ensures that we get it right every time. Different clients will have a different emphasis on each step. Our boutique food processing plant engineering system allows us to customize each plant.
1) Process Flow and Material Handling
2) Cleaning and Sanitizing
3) Personnel Safety
4) Energy Automation
5) Food Contact Materials — Chemical Compatibility
6) Quality Assurance
7) Process Automation and Food Safety Auditing — Combined as HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points)
8) Waste Minimization
9) Switchgear and MCC Layouts
10) Labor Efficiency
11) Clean Rooms/ HEPA Filtration
12) Transportation and Storage — Bulk Receiving to Final Packaging
13) Process Capacity Studies
14) Building Codes and Safety Standards
15) Process Equipment Piping
Forward-Thinking Facility Features
You can tell how long someone has been in manufacturing by how many retrofits they have gone through. If you aren't tearing down a wall to install some exclusive piece of equipment that was flown in from Italy, are you even in manufacturing design?
We aim for the pragmatic. Our systems need to not only be efficient but to be easily maintained and optimized for low life-cycle cost.
Automation Opportunities
The food processing equipment and engineering community is shifting from the traditional PLCs (programmable logic controls) to more modern automation systems with open-source software.
An open-source platform for automation enables faster integration of hardware and software components, eliminates proprietary lock-in, and increases maintainability.
Sanitation Systems
Sanitation is a critical step in the food processing industry. We help optimize each step for the best temperature and pressure. We implement both wet and dry sanitization, depending on the client's needs.
Bio-Security
Food safety is crucial. We design walls and floors to repel contaminants for a bio-secure environment that protects the workers, equipment, and food.
Energy Efficiency
Energy costs are the fastest-growing expense of a food plant. We work with our clients to decrease energy consumption, optimize for renewable energy sources, and help them obtain a higher yield per energy input.
Process Optimization
We optimize our clients' processes for the highest quality food and the best yield per input. Our process analysis software helps us optimize your manufacturing for greater efficiency, turnover, throughput, and consistency.
Equipment Compatibility
With over 30 suppliers involved in a major plant built, inter-compatibility and equipment connections can be a real problem. At DeJong Consulting, we have worked with all of the major suppliers and understand the intricacies of cross-manufacturer compatibility and equipment connections. We have long-established relationships with these suppliers to get the best rates and priority service.
Air Condition, Refrigeration, and Ventilation
We work closely with engineering firms that specialize in air conditioning and refrigeration to provide your facility with state-of-the-art cooling and humidity control for the best food quality and safety.
Fire Detection and Suppression Systems
A food processing facility can be a fire trap. We integrate fire detection and suppression systems for optimal protection of life and property. This can include halogen systems where needed.
Floors
Floors must withstand heavy traffic while being easy to clean. We work closely with our clients to optimize the floor and wall design for the best sanitation process.
Freezer Floors
Freezer floors must resist frost and high temperatures while allowing for optimal cleaning. Our design prevents heaving floor slabs from frost build-up.