New food factory? Where to start
Oakley Food Projects, a specialist in the design and fit-out of food-production facilities, outlines the importance of a comprehensive design phase when planning your food factory
One question that always arises when considering an expansion project is how much will the project cost? Taking time with a thorough design phase means that you can discuss the necessary specifics to ensure you understand what is included and costed within the scope. This reduces the risk of complications later in the project and can mean both you and the contractor know exactly what has been allowed for.
With a comprehensive design phase, you can ensure that every area of your expansion project is discussed and thrashed out down to every detail. Taking time over these details will mean that you have included everything down to the last minutiae and also enables your chosen partner to quote the build and fit-out phase of the project more accurately. This will mean your quote will be an accurate representation of what your expansion project is going to cost.
]Unforeseen costs
Something you don’t want when moving into a new factory facility is regrets. Not being presented with detailed design options could result in fundamental design flaws. You don’t want to be later discovering better ways you could have built your new facilities and wondering why you didn’t consider or do them.
Choosing to carry out a design phase with an experienced food industry partner will mean all the options will be laid out to ensure that your new factory is built specifically for your business’s manufacturing needs. This means you can choose the best option and have one fixed cost to go by, saving cost in the long run as last-minute changes/additions can add significant expense to your project.
A typical starting place is deciding how much space you need in your new factory facility to allow your business to cope with the growth you’re experiencing. If you skip the design phase, how can you determine the building size you require or the amount of production space you need? Discussing the must-haves of your new factory with a turnkey fit-out partner like Oakley means you can be given guidance on the cost base the design team based on previous experience. This will give you an idea of how large your project is going to be and enable you to have a realistic cost in mind rather than pulling a number out of the air.
Safety knowledge
Food safety certifications are often overlooked when planning an expansion project. Without knowledge of certain accreditations such as BRC or SALSA, you may find yourself in a difficult position when realising these haven’t been considered due to the design phase being avoided. This can severely impact the project’s cost due to unforeseen additions/changes being made to ensure you comply with accreditation requirements.
Working with a knowledgeable food industry design partner will mean these accreditations are considered throughout the design process. This is not only important for your brand’s reputation but also saves you a lot of extra cost in the long run due to last-minute additions being made to the project, ensuring the new factory facility meets food safety requirements.
Oakley’s strong reputation is built on solid food factory design experience coupled with a unique turnkey approach that removes the stress and risks from food factory expansion.
