Smith’s Snackfood Company Processing Plant

CLIENT

The Smith’s Snackfood Company is part of giant convenience foods company FritoLay and is best known for their large range of snack food products.

OBJECTIVES

Wiley was contracted to design and construct a 33,000m², world-class processing plant on a 13 hectare site at Tingalpa in Brisbane.

The plant was to be the new base for all processing and national distribution of the entire Smith’s product range, following closure of its New South Wales plant.

A strong corporate presence was a crucial factor of the design for the facility, which was to incorporate an administration building, a process and multi-pack facility, and a warehouse.

CHALLENGES

• Fast tracking construction within a10-month timeframe
• Completing construction in successive stages
• Managing up to 250 workers on site at any one time
• Designing the building exteriors to maximise corporate presentation
• Optimising throughput and efficiencies for 24-hour operation
• Designing for ease of access for staff
• Incorporating capacity for future expansion.

SOLUTIONS

Advice

• Master planning of the site layout, considering site-specific issues, such as site slope and shape
• A range of recommendations for addressing environmental issues, such as soil conditions, vegetation protection, site drainage, and waste disposal
• Detailed planning to construct the facility in successive stages.

Design

• Design for a 8,000m2 administration building, a 15,000m2 process and multi-pack facility, and a 10,000m2 warehouse
• Inclusion of separate, enclosed external walkways interconnecting throughout the facility for safe and time-efficient staff movement
• Incorporation into the design of an eight-metre vertical expansion system that would double warehouse capacity when activated, as well as expansion options for the process and multi-pack facility
• Compliance with stringent health and safety requirements.

Engineering

• Coordination of the equipment supplier’s service and utility requirements
• Coordination of the equipment supplier’s installation programs.

Construction

• Completion of construction on a fast track schedule of 10 months
• Completion of construction in successive stages, with careful onsite coordination and management of up to 250 onsite workers at any one time.

RESULTS

Wiley delivered the largest snack food processing plant in the Southern Hemisphere – which consolidates the company’s production and distribution operations.

This world class facility offers Smith’s Snackfood Company superior processing and enhanced production efficiencies and significantly increases their capacity.

It also achieves the client’s requirements of a strong corporate presence and capacity for future expansion.