The opening of a new pea producing plant in Long Sutton, Lincolnshire, has led to a collaboration with one of the biggest food producers in the UK.
Food and drink group, Princes, opened its largest food production site in the UK last year as part of a planned £80 million investment.
However, whilst the facility cost in the region of £63m, a further £17m is being spent on associated works, the budget that HBPW now finds itself tapping into.
Partner Emyr Parry takes up the story: “Around £17 million is being invested in capital projects including the replacement of a hydrostat cooker, a soft water plant and new anaerobic digester, which processes waste into biodegradable material.
“The 26.5mm tall hydrostat, essentially a sophisticated can cleaning facility, sits within a new 30m x18m x 8m high production building. We have provided the civil and structural engineering drawings for both the building and the foundations upon which the hydrostat cooker will sit. When in production is weighs in at a massive 670 tonnes.”
Emyr said there had been a number of challenges they had had to overcome on site.
“The ground beneath the new production facility was not only soft but also had numerous services running beneath including things like pipes and electrics etc. This meant we had to be extremely careful in planning where support piles would be driven to ensure that nothing was compromised during the construction phase.”
The Long Sutton site produces a range of canned products including peas, pulses, beans, bean meals, fruits and canned ready meals.
Programme Director at Princes, Andy Hargraves, said: “Our development programme is providing state of the art equipment, better energy efficiency and increased production at the site, and is a major part of our commitment to UK manufacturing and providing long-term, high quality employment opportunities in the area.”
Background info courtesy of https://www.blmforum.net/