According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), total red meat, beef and pork production reached record-high levels in April of 2021. The USDA states, “Commercial red meat production for the United States totaled 4.71 billion pounds in April, up 22 percent from the 3.86 billion pounds produced in April 2020.”
With the meat industry reaching all-time high production rates, it’s vital that their facilities have the best equipment to maintain safe, efficient and hygienic practices. That’s where Alaska Structures® comes in.
Whether your meat facility works with beef, pork, poultry, or other livestock, Alaska Structures can provide thermoplastic fabric structures to assist with creating additional facilities for increasing production to meet demand.
Types of Facilities Used at Processing and Packing Plants
Meat processing and packing plants involve many distinct phases, each step with its own particular facility requirements. Alaska Structures can provide additional processing and packing facilities to help meet the needs of your plant’s product flow from the time livestock arrives to when meat is packed and ready to move to retail.
Holding and Isolation Areas for Processing and Packing Plants
When livestock is brought in from farms, holding and isolation areas are vital to keeping healthy livestock away from those that are unfit or ill.
Coolers for Processing and Packing Plants
A number of cooling areas are required throughout the meat processing and packing process, including pre-chill, holding, curing, and retail coolers to keep meat between 28 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Storage Facilities for Processing and Packing Plants
Sufficient space is essential for processing and packing plants. Equipment, tools, supplies, and the meat itself all need a temperature-regulated area.
Employee Facilities
On-site employee facilities for your processing and packing plant can include dining, lavatory, administrative offices, hygiene (shower and latrine systems), and locker rooms..
Waste Management
Waste from livestock and production output needs to be safely managed throughout the entire meat processing and packing flow.
Fabric Structure For Processing and Packing Plants
Alaska Structures can provide superior, alternative building solutions compared to typical construction facilities used at meat processing and packing plants.
On-Site Warehouses and Storage Facilities
We know ample storage space is essential for processing and packing plants, especially those dealing with livestock. Equipment, tools, and meat products need to be properly managed and stored to prevent possible damage and contamination.
Our fabric structures are delivered to your location and installed in a fraction of the time required for typical building solutions.
With open-span storage facilities up to any width, customizable lengths and any side-wall height, our fabric structures are the perfect solution. Allowing you to quickly create additional on-site warehouses and storage buildings.
The DAGB Series of gable truss buildings is well suited for large warehouses, storage buildings, and equipment storage facilities. All engineered fabric structures can be equipped with exhaust systems to allow for the safe loading and unloading of tractor trailers.
For smaller applications, the GB Series is available from 8′ wide to 30′ wide.
With our industry-leading designs, you can customize your on-site storage buildings to fit the needs of your processing plant.
Cold and Dry Storage Facilities for Processing Plants
Food safety during processing and packing is of the utmost importance. The USDA explains, “Beef undergoes maturation and should be held for at least a week at 0EC (32EF) before butchery into retail joints.”
Alaska Structures provide fabric buildings insulated and temperature-controlled to create cold and dry storage facilities for processing plants.
Workshop and Maintenance Facilities
During the holding, isolation, and butchering phases in the plant’s process, our HGB series for workshop and maintenance buildings are a great heavy-duty building solution.
It’s a version of the GB Series and can be used as a standalone structure or a part of a building system. The HGB series is easily reconfigured and a relocatable building. Allowing you to create separate facilities to transport ill or unfit livestock away from the healthier groups.
Our fabric structures can be designed to create passageways into adjacent structures to allow separation in the meat processing flow.
Waste Management Facilities
The DAGB Series is a great solution for the quick expansion of waste management facilities at processing and packing plants. The DAGB is a large, multifunctional fabric building available in widths up to 150′ wide. The customizable fabric structures are versatile and durable facilities.
Employee Facilities
Providing plant employees with on-site facilities is a crucial component of a healthy work environment. Fabric buildings from Alaska Structures are a great solution for quickly creating the following:
[Related: Rethinking Dining Facilities — Alternative Solutions With Fabric Building Facilities]
Useful Products for Processing and Packing Plants
Air Filtration
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) noted in a report that no information is available for the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and particulate emission control techniques available to the meat packing industry.
In order to keep a work environment safe for employees, regular testing of air quality should take place to ensure healthy work conditions.
For locations with extreme climates, high humidity, & excessive dust, fabric buildings from Alaska Structures can be equipped with air scrubbers. Mil-spec HVAC systems remove harmful particulates.
Plug-and-Play Lighting and Electrical Systems
In addition to incorporating skylights into our fabric buildings, allowing natural light to shine through, creating a bright working environment. Alaska Structures also produces a plug-and-play lighting and electrical system.
Insulation Packages
Alaska Structures produces energy-saving insulation solutions that seamlessly integrate with any of our fabric building systems.
Our SuperLayer™ insulation system is lightweight, durable, and impermeable to moisture. The EnerLayer™ insulation system is made of fire-resistant materials. This is an important feature during the stunning or scalding portions of processing and packing plant facilities.
COVID-19 and Processing and Packing Plants
Aside from ensuring that your operations run smoothly, our structures also aid in preventing COVID-19 from spreading among your employees.
A report from the Centers for Disease Control shows COVID-19 is affecting meat plant workers at very high rates. The CDC explained that 115 meat processing facilities in 19 states reported COVID-19 contraction. Close to 5,000 cases and 19 deaths were noted. Lack of physical distancing and poor hygiene in crowded areas is the main attributing factors forCOVID-19 spreading among meat plant workers.
High speed production lines in processing plants make it difficult for workers to take the necessary precautions of halting contraction. Alaska Structures can create fabric structures at custom sizes to ensure your employees have sufficient space while working. A large distance between each worker is the most effective method to prevent the spread of illness and potential death.
Benefits of Alaska Structures for Meat Processing and Packing Plants
Some additional benefits of fabric buildings from Alaska Structures for processing and packing plants include:
- Cost: Lowering the life-cycle cost of your new building system, in addition to low cube shipping, drastically reduced construction schedules, and long-lasting durability all contribute to the lower life-cycle cost of our fabric building systems.
- Multi-purpose Fabric Buildings: Our multi-purpose fabric buildings are suitable for a range of applications across multiple projects and industries.
- Portable Buildings: Fabric buildings designed for fast installation and takedown, combined with minimal tool and foundation requirements, minimal site preparation, are just a few reasons why our portable buildings are popular with meat processing and packing plants.
- Maintenance-Free Building: Once setup, fabric buildings from Alaska Structures are virtually maintenance free. We offer optional powder-coated frame systems to provide additional protection against corrosion.
[Related: The Benefits of Fabric Buildings From Alaska Structures]
Fabric Structures For Meat Processing and Packing Plants
For more information on how Alaska Structures can provide fabric structures that meet your processing and packing plant needs, call +1-907-344-1565, email us, or contact us online if you’d like a quote.
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