Dairy Processing - September 2021 - 60

FOOD SAFETY
setup? If decisions are made properly by the entire team in those
types of situations, they can move forward and not have to go
backwards before considering growing the business.
SANITATION CHALLENGES
The design of dairy facilities presents challenges unique to
the dairy industry. The sanitation requirements of these plants
typically encompass both internal surfaces and external
surfaces. Most piping, pumps, valves and equipment also need to
be capable of clean-in-place (CIP) sanitation. Moreover, the US
Department of Agriculture (USDA) also requires specific types of
dairy equipment meet the 3-A Sanitary Standards. The rooms in
which processing takes place must also be able to withstand the
rigors of heavy sanitation. Cultured-product plants and cheese
plants have acidic byproducts that piping, floors and drains must
be able to tolerate.
" A dairy plant receives some regular and pretty harsh
sanitation, and so a lot of the thinking has to go in to how
to provide a design that is maintainable and durable in the
conditions that they have to work in, " Marconnet said. " It's very,
very tough on a food plant and especially a dairy plant, so the
caustics and the acids, chlorines, all have to be considered when
you're selecting materials. So, a lot of thought has to be put into a
carefully selecting materials and the design. "
The dairy industry's hygiene requirements and zoning of
plants requires that internal surfaces are designed to be easily
cleanable and easily maintained.
No one that is a part of the building process is exempt from
adhering to food safety regulations and guidelines set forth
in FSMA, McNabb said. It's very important that all the team
members, whether it's the owners, design team, sub-contractors
and any other consultants involved with the construction are
aware of what those guidelines are.
" The day we start construction on a plant, is the day you
inject GMP (good manufacturing practice), " McNabb said.
" Implementing GMP and regulatory requirements that are going
to be required to operate the plant in a high sanitation manner
really have to happen well into construction. "
Dairy is a very aggressive product and it can do a lot of
damage to floors and walls of a plant. One of the biggest things to
consider is how the facility is being cleaned and ensuring those
responsible for cleaning the plant understand the chemicals
and the mixtures they're using in order to avoid damage to the
finishes, in order to maintain the facility.
" It's really about building a top-level facility and then
transitioning into operations and making sure that everybody
coming on board is trained in the process, " said McNabb. " When
we build dairy processing facilities, it's like a high-end racecar,
and you have to have somebody that can take that high-end
racecar and actually get it to perform on the track. "
60 SEP 2021 | DAIRYPROCESSING.COM
A team from Ogden, Utah-based Big-D Construction.
IN THE ZONE
Dairy processing facilities are split into four zones, ranging from
zones with a product contact surface to zones in areas outside of
a processing zone, each having varying hygienic and sanitation
requirements.
" One of the first things we do on the 2D image is identify
the zone so everybody clearly understands the sanitary zone
that we're in and that drives the sanitary design of that room, "
Marconnet said. " The HVAC in that room, the floor drains
... that's absolutely critical to understand what's going on in
that room. "
Many companies use CAD (computer assisted design)
systems to look at layouts and flow in the plant when it's being
designed. Those simulations provide valuable insight.
" One of the things that's paramount is doing virtual
construction, " McNabb said. " Being able to have all parties look
at it and see how the walls interact with the ceilings, how the
process equipment interacts with the building ... to see what the
plant really looks like and how it's going to flow. It's almost like
saying, 'here's the future, you can see it.' That is a powerful tool. "
Marconnet agrees that there is value in virtual simulations,
but warns they're not a 'silver bullet' in the design process.
" You have to ask questions ... and make sure you understand
the flow of the product, " he said. " So if you had just a building
plan without the equipment in it, you may not understand the
Big-D Construction
http://www.DAIRYPROCESSING.COM
Dairy Processing - September 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dairy Processing - September 2021
