Food Processing Plant

Industry Type: Food Processing Plant
Project Description: Recommendations to Upgrade the Client’s Plant to Meet FDA Standards
Disciplines Involved: Facility Planning, Process Engineering

ProU was involved in a project for a confectionery plant in Guadalajara, Mexico. The client wanted to upgrade their food manufacturing standards in order to export products to the U.S. and Europe. We performed an evaluation of the plant and their current methods of processing milk for caramel candy, and prepared a feasibility study to upgrade the facility and equipment to meet FDA standards. Included was a new design for milk processing with a CIP system, building improvements, building renovation plan, floor plans for new equipment, equipment sourcing, costs associated with purchasing and installing equipment and performing building renovations, and a schedule for implementation. Three different options were presented in the study. Many of the recommendations were implemented over a five year period and have resulted in improved product quality.

Key Project Responsibilities and Skills:

• Process Engineering
• Facility Planning
• Equipment Selection  

 Ice Cream Platform

Industry Type: Food and Beverage 
Project Description:  Platform System for Accessing Control Valves in an Ice Cream Plant equipment room.
Disciplines Involved:  3D Design

Design and construction of platform for ice cream plant equipment room. ProU created a large and intricate platform system to access approximately 18 control valves in an existing and cluttered equipment room. The platform covers an area of 120’ x 30’ and surrounds 5 large refrigeration processing vessels. The main platform level is 14’ above the floor with numerous elevation changes to provide maintenance access to each of the control valves.

During the beginning phase of the project, ProU discovered that existing conditions would not allow for on-site platform design.  ProU contracted a laser scanning company that scanned the project area into a 3D file that was accurate to 3 mm. Using the 3D design system. ProU was able to review the platform design stage by stage to ensure the system was meeting the client's requirements. ProU was able to create construction deliverables from the 3D model to submit for permitting and construction. The construction company is able to use the finished 3D model to review the design for construction planning and visualization.

Key Project Responsibilities and Skills

• Conveyor Design
• Process System Design
• Installation Plan

Color Sorting for Nut Processor

Industry Type: Food and Beverage 
Project Description:  Color Sorting System for Processing Nuts
Disciplines Involved:  Process, Mechanical, Electrical, Instrumentation and Controls

Redesign of a color sorting system for processing nuts. ProU worked with the client to develop a new process flow that solved the bottlenecking and maintenance issues of the old system. The solution ProU developed provided nearly double the output and was installed quickly to accommodate the year-round production requirements. As a result, throughput was increased by 90%.

A ProU Senior Designer also worked with the client to develop and implement an installation plan, which included removing a wall section of the building, to allow for a rapid transfer of the main frame assembly. This plan reduced the original installation from 4 weeks to 10 days, saving the client valuable production time and thousands of dollars of critical processing down time.

Key Project Responsibilities and Skills

• Conveyor Design
• Process System Design
• Installation Plan

Winery Conveyor System

Industry Type: Winery 
Project Description:  Conveyor System
Disciplines Involved:  Machine Design

ProU conducted the engineering design of a live roller case conveyor system. Over 1,200 feet of conveyor was installed to move cases from the case sealers of three production lines to automatic palletizers. This conveyor system contains numerous 90-degree curves and inclines in which the conveyors converge on an overhead bridge and terminate at the palletizers.

The conveyor system is fully automated and designed to be a low backpressure system. Accumulation of cases occur on the conveyors. Conveyor speed is approximately 40 cases per minute. Forty-two electric drives are required to run the system, and a motor control center was specified for this project.

Key Project Responsibilities and Skills

• Machine/Conveyor Design
• Process System Design
• Electrical Interconnection Design
• Power Distribution
• VFD Specification, Programming, and Startup
• Control Panel Design and I/O Drawings
• Project Management

Aseptic Bottling Line

Industry Type: Beverage
Project Description: Bottling Line
Disciplines Involved: Electrical Instrumentation & Controls, Electrical Design

Processes Unlimited recently completed the engineering and design of a new Aseptic Bottling line for a leading juice manufacturer. Part 1 of the project consisted of a Web based integrated batch data system transferring information between a corporate Oracle system and a local MS SQL system. Part 2 of the project integrated the production control of all packaging equipment back to a Supervisory Process Automation Controller, or PAC. The capital cost of the project was $225K.

Key Project Responsibilities and Skills:

• Conveyor Control Panel design
• All PAC programming
• Web based integrated batch data system