When a global-leading food and beverage company needed a new production facility for their liquid creamer, they reached out to us. With demand for seasonal creamers steadily increasing, especially in western markets, and the cost of shipping rising, the client wanted to look at options that would reduce transport costs and impact and improve distribution to customers.
Our team helped with site selection across several states. Ultimately, the client decided on the southwestern U.S. for a new facility to produce and distribute products regionally.
With the right site — and preliminary design from our team — funding was secured and our client embarked on their latest in a series of U.S.-based projects.
Hot take
The selected site met the client’s goals, but extreme desert heat required a robust electrical system within budget. Putting the main electrical gear outside in the heat, as is typical, would mean larger, more expensive switchgear and upsized cables and conductors to protect power supplies at high temperatures. Instead, our team developed a system to distribute power from a set of medium voltage switchgears in an outdoor electrical yard. With this option, power flows through a series of duct banks into low voltage switchgear located in centralized electrical rooms — a better long-term solution that saved the client $7 million during installation.
Inside, the chiller and cooling tower systems generate their own heat, and the client didn’t want it to go to waste. In response, our mechanical engineers recovered the heat using heat pumps and instead channeled it to boilers in the process area. This solution grants the client access to hot water without burning fossil fuels. Additionally, the small modular boilers make it easy to bring in only energy that’s needed, further minimizing waste. The boilers are also fueled by renewable natural gas, a more environmentally friendly option.
