Freezer Replacement

$8,674,275 in documented project savings realized through a reduction in schedule and demolition costs, as well as a number of design modifications.

Recognizing the poor condition of the existing, 50-year-old, -40 degrees F freezer, the client had a decision to make. Due to quality concerns, the client chose to replace the freezer and reached out to SSOE to provide a complete project solution.

Laser scanning was employed to capture an accurate baseline for the design. The resulting scan was then used to confirm discrepancies in the client’s 2D layout that would have been detrimental to the project if gone undetected. Next, a 3D model was developed to ensure the freezer and associated equipment would fit into the building envelope. Finally, the corrected plant layout was integrated with the freezer and conveyor layouts to perform clash detection.

SSOE’s solution involved the complete demolition of both the freezer and corresponding penthouse. As the freezer was located in the center of the plant, special considerations were taken to complete the project without disrupting operations. TuffWrap was installed to provide an airtight separation from the remainder of the plant, allowing the use of diesel equipment within an operating food plant.

Schedule concerns posed a major challenge for SSOE’s team. A study provided by the client indicated that removing the penthouse would make the project approximately 23 weeks long. As such, the client was experiencing furlough issues with employees and needed the work completed in 13 weeks. SSOE worked to compress its base schedule of 18 weeks down to 13 weeks. This was accomplished through the combination of requiring two shifts (day and night) and overtime construction. Schedule coordination was crucial to the success of this project.