What started as a jams and jellies line sold at farmers markets blossomed into more than 2,000 products for specialty food purveyor Stonewall Kitchen, who needed a new facility and corporate headquarters.
Project Highlights
This project involved development of an historically significant 8-acre greenfield site, as well as the fast-track development of a 50,000 SF facility for the processing and packaging of gourmet foods, a distribution center, corporate headquarters and a flagship retail store.
Major accomplishments of the project included the fact that site was challenged by wetlands restrictions, and is located in an historic district. The 50,000 SF facility had to be designed in such a way that it appears much smaller in scale than it actually is, and reminiscent of a New England family farm rather than an industrial production facility.
HJ Heinz European Frozen and Chilled Foods invested $9 MM to establish a strategic headquarters in Dublin and expand its frozen ready-meals production facility.
Project Highlights
Dennis Group provided facility and process design-build services for the expansion of an Heinz’s existing facility located in Dundalk, Ireland. The facility design included renovation of 5,000 m2 of internal production space and the construction of 3,000 m2 of new food manufacturing and utility areas.
This project involved the installation of two high-speed fully automated frozen-ready meal production lines.
A state of the art sauce manufacturing system utilizing vacuum cooling and a flexible batch management and control system supported the production lines.
Additional process equipment included pasta blanching, high shear slurry blending, and potato and fish handling.
Installation of completely new utility systems and a wastewater treatment plant was also incorporated into the project.
When global demand for Ocean Spray dried cranberries doubled within three years and was projected to double once again, the company made its largest capital investment in a manufacturing facility to date with a 130,000 SF expansion that doubled the plant’s size to 440,000 SF. The plant produces both sweetened dried cranberries and cranberry juice concentrates.
Project Highlights
The facility incorporated some of the latest technologies in energy and environmental efficiency, including a wastewater treatment facility, energy-efficient lighting, and an expansion of a system that converts methane from the Veolia Cranberry Creek Landfill into clean energy to power the plant.
A new fully-racked warehouse for both ingredients and finished goods increased storage capacity. The expansion enabled the plant to produce more than 30 million pounds of sweetened dried cranberries per year.
Major accomplishments of the project included design and implementation of 5S standards in creating state-of-the-art maintenance shop and quality control lab spaces.
In order to comply with new Massachusetts regulations preventing the disposal of food waste in landfills, Ahold sought a way to beneficially reuse unsalable organic material from their grocery stores throughout the New England region, resulting in the development of an anaerobic digester.
Project Highlights
Dennis Group designed and built a Product Recovery Operation (PRO) at Ahold’s distribution center. The PRO facility consists of equipment capable of processing 130 tons of food waste daily, converting the waste into feedstock for a 1.3 MM gallon anaerobic digester.
Biogas produced for the anaerobic digestion process powers a 1.1 MW generator, providing renewable energy to power the distribution center.
The facility reduces Ahold’s food waste to landfill by 25,000 tons annually.
The PRO plan produces 30% of the distribution center’s electricity.
Dennis Group was able to secure $1.3 MM in energy efficiency rebates and grants for the project.
Dennis Group teamed with Dole to develop the design for a forward processing plant in the Midwest. Dennis Group worked with Dole to develop the process and then designed the facility around the needs of that process.
Project Highlights
Dennis Group assisted Dole with site selection, and once the site selection was finalized, developed the site, executed preliminary and detailed engineering of the building, erected the building, designed the process and process utilities, installed the process equipment, and commissioned the facility to operate all in under one year.
In addition to the original facility, the Dennis Group executed two expansions to the Dole Springfield facility. The Dennis Group provided design/build services for a 30,000 SF warehouse expansion, and for a 25,000 SF expansion to house processing and packaging of fresh cut fruit.
Dennis Group was enlisted to design and build the Dole Fresh Flowers World Headquarters facility in Miami, Florida.
Project Highlights
This state-of-the-art 328,000 SF facility combines 250,000 square feet of 32º ± 0.5º refrigerated space with 78,000 square feet of corporate offices located on an 18 acre site.
Dennis Group maintained a fast-track schedule for this project.
Dennis Group provided complete site, facility and process design, procurement and installation services for this greenfield site.
Project Highlights
The project included development of a 100 acre site and construction of a 280,000 SF processing facility to house production equipment for the making of prepared salads and cut vegetables.
Major accomplishments of the project include balancing a site that required over 500,000 cubic feet of cut and fill, working with the state to install a 100,000 gallon waste water retention tank, installation of a 2000 ton ammonia refrigeration system, and installation of equipment to produce 500,000 lbs. of salad per day.
Sheetz Brothers wanted to develop a new commissary facility including a bakery and ready-to-eat area to produce products that would be delivered fresh daily to the company’s 350 locations across six states.
Project Highlights
Dennis Group provided complete turn-key site development, facility, process design and construction management design-build services for Sheetz Brothers’ Kitchen new commissary facility in Claysburg, Pennsylvania. The project involved the construction of a new 140,000 SF commissary facility in conjunction with a 28,000 SF expansion to the existing Sheetz Distribution Center, as well as, other campus improvements.
Major accomplishments of the project included complete facility construction, process installation and commissioning in less than 12 months. This successful project was completed on schedule and exceeded expectation in many areas of design and performance. The facility has also been designed for future expansion to both the bakery and “ready-to-eat” areas.
