Expansion of an operational plant for Puratos Group

The challenge

The Puratos Group wanted to expand considerably and increase the quality of production, without disrupting current production or food safety.

But how do you ensure that construction and production remain separate? That crane set-ups do not obstruct the expedition. That contractors can set to work without disrupting the production. This is a complex technical puzzle for which Uticon worked closely with numerous stakeholders, looking at routing, food safety, the optimal design of new production lines and devising a new line.

The solution

Uticon recommended a three-phase expansion with an increase of 6,500 tonnes of production capacity per year. A well-considered routing brought people, building materials, raw materials, and end products to the right place on time and safely. The building process was separated from the production process by means of barriers, tents, and screens. Traffic lights were used during the production peak levels. On screens, employees were informed about the building process in order to create support and prevent unexpected disruption.

The result

In order to be able to expand, Uticon first focused on the realisation of a large storage area and a large warehouse with 9,000 pallet spaces for a finished product. The number of loading docks for the supply and removal of goods was also expanded: from two to six. Finally, two new packaging lines and a new production line were realised.

For efficient space utilisation and optimisation of the new line, a tower construction was chosen in consultation with the customer. The ingredients fall from the tower into the mixer and then into the roller. By making use of gravity, pumps were no longer required. A smart solution for a new line.