For more than 25 years Paul Brady Building Group has built food and cold storage facilities for food and beverage manufacturers. From building system changes to accreditation and compliance, Brady has seen all aspects of an ever-evolving industry and can pinpoint where most project success hinges – early engagement.
“When a client comes to us with existing plans that I know won’t pass any accreditation processes, I work closely with them to reset their expectations to avoid long-term cost and ongoing structural issues.
“It’s hard at first, but by the time we complete a project, they are grateful we went through that process. That is why I encourage all F&B manufacturers to consult the right construction company before they even buy the building for fitout or start a refurbishment.”
Brady recalls a client who prematurely paid over $30,000 for plans to fit out a new food processing facility, which did not account for many food producing requirements.
“Within four months we had redesigned the layout, engaged our service engineers, obtained the required planning and building permits, completed the build with a certificate of occupancy, allowing our customer to obtain accreditation and be ready to supply a major contract with two weeks to spare.
“Our goal is to save other businesses from losing that kind of money from the beginning,” Brady says.
Sustaining growth
A baseline shift Brady has seen in F&B facilities is the growing awareness for more sustainable practices, but says the industry still has some way to go.
“We encourage our clients to think big picture. The reality is, more sustainable and higher performing building materials and refrigeration systems pay a financial dividend over the long term.
“It is short-sighted not to invest in using materials with better insulation values in the walls and ceilings, better sealing door systems, energy efficient refrigeration and solar panels. Much of these initial additional costs can be recouped within a few years.”
Education is still needed in this area, he says, but change is definitely underway.
