Article | 5 Mistakes in Food Factory Layout That Can Lead to Production Delays and Increased Costs | PMG Engineering

5 Mistakes in Food Factory Layout That Can Lead to Production Delays and Increased Costs

A well-designed factory layout is the backbone of efficiency and profitability in the food manufacturing business. However, even experienced teams can make major mistakes when developing optimal factory layouts.

Pain Points

Here are the five common mistakes to avoid:

1. Ignoring People-Material Flows

Examples packaging material movement inside the production areas, avoidable waste movement across the production floor, and excess travel distances from amenity to process (people), or storage to process (material).

Consequences include increased handling time leading to delays, higher risk of contamination due to longer product exposure to the environment, and increased labor, and equipment costs from unnecessary transportation.

2. Overlooking Hygienic Zoning

Examples include uncontrolled access to process or packing rooms from storage or amenity areas, inadequate physical barriers or airlocks between high-risk and low-risk zones, and cross-contamination due to shared equipment or personnel movement between zones without proper sanitization.

Consequences include risk of product recalls due to contamination, non-compliance with food safety regulations such as FDA and FSSAI standards, and damage to the brand’s reputation and consumer trust.

3. Underestimating Space Requirements

Examples include insufficient storage space for raw materials (overcrowding), inadequate room for equipment maintenance, and limited operational space.

Consequences include reduced operational efficiency due to cramped work areas, a higher risk of accidents and injuries from overcrowded spaces, and increased maintenance costs as equipment becomes difficult to access for repairs.

4. Neglecting Utility Placement

Examples include improper positioning of electrical panels, placement of water or steam lines far from the equipment, and poor alignment of HVAC systems.

Consequences include higher energy consumption from inefficient utility routing, extended downtime during maintenance or upgrades due to poorly placed utilities and increased initial installation costs for additional plumbing or electrical work.

5. Overlooking Staff Movement and Ergonomics

Examples include inefficient workstation layouts requiring excessive bending, reaching, or walking by staff, lack of designated pathways, and inadequate provision of ergonomic tools, such as adjustable workstations or anti-fatigue mats.

Consequences include delayed production cycles due to inefficient workforce movement, higher employee fatigue, leading to increased errors and lower output, and higher attrition rates in key roles due to uncomfortable or poorly designed work environments.

How Top Companies Are Mitigating or Avoiding These Issues

1. Optimizing People-Material Flows:

Implementing advanced simulation tools to map material and people flows, ensuring minimal handling times and optimized transportation routes. Automated systems like conveyor belts and guided vehicles reduce manual handling and minimize contamination risks.

2. Prioritizing Hygienic Zoning:

Employing strict zoning guidelines with dedicated pathways, airlocks, and physical barriers between high-risk and low-risk areas. Regular audits and integration of international food safety standards (e.g., FDA, FSSAI, HACCP) prevent cross-contamination.

3. Planning Adequate Space Requirements:

Using space optimization tools and modular designs to ensure sufficient room for raw materials, maintenance activities, and operations. Scalable layouts provide flexibility for future expansions, ensuring operational continuity and safety.

4. Strategically Placing Utilities:

Advanced Building Information Modeling (BIM) is used to ensure efficient placement of utilities like electrical panels, water, and steam lines. Redundancy systems and smart monitoring tools help reduce energy consumption and minimize downtime during maintenance.

5. Enhancing Staff Movement and Ergonomics:

Designing ergonomic workstations and pathways that minimize unnecessary walking, bending, or reaching by staff. Investments in staff-friendly equipment like adjustable tables, anti-fatigue mats, and well-defined movement corridors improve productivity and reduce fatigue.

Why Only PMG? Distinct Abilities That Can Work It Out

Here’s why PMG is uniquely positioned to address these challenges:

1. Material Flow Optimization Expertise:

PMG ensures seamless integration of people and material flows that minimizing delays and risks of contamination. By minimizing unnecessary transportation and contamination risks, PMG ensures efficient workflows that align with operational goals.

2. World-Class Hygienic Zoning:

PMG integrates strict zoning principles, physical barriers, and international standards to prevent cross-contamination. This ensures compliance and safeguards your brand’s reputation while meeting global food safety benchmarks.

3. Space Planning Mastery:

With extensive experience in food factory projects, PMG ensures layouts are scalable, operationally efficient, and safe. Proper space allocation eliminates overcrowding, minimizes risks, and allows for future expansions with minimal disruption.

4. Utility Placement Precision:

PMG leverages its engineering expertise to strategically position utilities like electrical panels and HVAC systems. This approach reduces energy costs, enhances efficiency, and minimizes downtime during maintenance or upgrades.

5. Ergonomic Design Excellence:

PMG designs ergonomic workstations and pathways, improving staff comfort and productivity while reducing fatigue and errors. The result is an optimized workforce environment that drives operational efficiency and employee satisfaction.

PMG is not just a consultant; it is a partner in achieving operational excellence, compliance, and profitability. With PMG’s integrated approach, you can avoid common pitfalls and build a factory layout that meets global standards while maximizing efficiency and sustainability.

We at PMG can help avoid the pitfalls and issues:

PMG plays a significant role in supporting the development and implementation of factory Layout and Building Elevation in detail engineering. Our services include gathering requirements, coordinating stakeholders, reviewing designs, managing scope and schedule, controlling costs, ensuring quality, overseeing documentation and communication, managing changes, and facilitating integration with project execution. Let’s work together towards operational excellence, compliance, and profitability, avoiding common pitfalls in factory design

PMG Engineering | Build World-Class Food Factories | Article | 5 Mistakes in Food Factory Layout That Can Lead to Production Delays and Increased Costs