FRESH JUICE PROCESSING, BOTTLING AND PACKAGING LINE
Auburndale, Florida

The Facility Group planned, designed, and constructed a 330,000-SF processing facility for The Minute Maid Company in Auburndale, FL.  The planning included development of the facility layout and utilities to meet the client’s needs for the installation of a fresh juice processing, bottling, and packaging line with consideration of one future fresh juice line, plus two hot fill processing, bottling, and packaging lines with consideration of two future hot fill lines.  Requirements for receiving raw products and packaging materials, plus storage and shipping of finished goods all contributed to the final program that was executed.

The project was fast-tracked to take advantage of the client’s market position, was constructed under a guaranteed maximum price contract, and was completed on schedule and within budget.  Constructed with conventional steel, cast in place concrete exterior and interior wall panels, and a membrane roof the facility was built in approximately nine months between formal groundbreaking and production of the first case of finished product for customer delivery.  Specialty areas in the facility included refrigerated storage areas for raw materials and finished products, processing areas with FDA approved food grade finishes, isolated clean room bottle filling area with special environmental controls and ventilation filtration, quality control laboratory and two-story administrative office area.

Specialty utility and facility support functions included 1,200 ton ammonia refrigeration system for chilled propylene glycol generation and distribution, 2,400 boiler horsepower steam generation and distribution, 150 psi and 600 psi compressed air generation and distribution for plant/instrumentation needs and P.E.T. bottle blowing needs respectively, reverse osmosis/nano-filtration treated water system and distribution, and on site waste water pre-treatment plant to significantly reduce biological components and total dissolved solids to a point that the local water treatment facility could handle the waste.

• Planning, design and construction services
• 620,000 SF fresh juice processing facility
• ONEsource Collaborative Approach with GMP