Heinz Golden Circle Coldroom Complex

CLIENT

Golden Circle is one of Australia’s most recognised food companies and a leading supplier of quality fruit, vegetable & juice products to Australia.

OBJECTIVES

Golden Circle approached Wiley to construct a $6.5 million state-of-the-art cold room complex at its cannery at Northgate in Brisbane.

The 4,475m² complex, another stage in the company’s $40 million three-year facility upgrade program, was to support the food giant’s diversification into the growing fresh and frozen food market with fresh peeled pineapple slices and chunks for distribution to major supermarkets in the Brisbane metropolitan area.

The new complex was to include a cold store, a thawing room, ripening rooms, packing rooms, blast freezers and a process room.

CHALLENGES

• Designing two rooms within the complex especially for fresh chilled food production
• Integrating the company’s main storage facility into the new complex
• Designing for energy and cost efficiency, durability, and the minimal loss of cold air from the cold storage complex
• Fast tracking of design and construction to meet tight project deadlinesDesign for future expansion.

SOLUTIONS

Advice

• Application of extensive food industry experience to achieve cost-efficient design and construction
• Fast track project management with a high degree of planning and coordination in conjunction with Golden Circle management and staff and the suppliers of all manufactured materials.

Design

• Special design of a purpose-built chilling room (to quickly chill fresh pineapple to avoid spoiling but not freeze it or change its texture) and a ripening room (for ripening but retaining the fresh characteristics of fruit)
• Application of state-of-the-art technical design to enhance product quality
• Integration of the company’s main storage facility into the new complex (this facility was previously 15 kilometres from the cannery)
• Inclusion of new loading areas and docks for optimal distribution and minimal handling
• Use of high quality vertical lift doors and horizontal sliding doors in the cold storage areas for durability and minimal loss of cold air
• Inclusion of a 24-hour-a-day computerised system that constantly monitors room conditions and electrical demand for the entire complex.

Construction

• Fast track construction to an eight-month timeframe.

RESULTS

This state-of-the-art cold room complex offers Golden Circle a greater capacity to produce fresh chilled and frozen products, enhanced product quality, streamlined handling and distribution, optimal energy and cost efficiencies, lower operating costs, and greater flexibility in production.

The computerised energy monitoring system won Golden Circle the prestigious SEQEB Energy Efficiency Award.