Food manufacturing requires a lot of  technical knowledge especially during the construction of its facility, from design to workflow. All these are vital for the effective production of the said food.

The construction of a food plant needs to consider a lot of factors that go into the production. With a little negligence causing a lot of wasted resources. Building a food plant is already as cost intensive as it is, mistakes here are extremely expensive.

To avoid mistakes that can affect the efficiency of your food production brand, you need the right construction company.

A company that can design and build your food plant while putting your peculiar needs into consideration. And while there are more than a few options when it comes to a food manufacturing construction company, finding the right one may be a challenge with proper guidance.

This guide will help you hire the best construction company for your food plant, providing everything you should know to make the best hiring decision.

Key Consideration When Hiring

You can make the hiring decision easier and more effective by putting into consideration some vital factors. Here, you’ll see those factors that simply elevate the quality of the construction company you choose for your food plant.

1.    Industry Expertise

Being a good plant construction company is nice, but what is nicer is a good food plant construction company.

You should always consider the industry experience of the construction company you chose. And in this case, their experience in the food industry. This is because each industry differs and you want a company that understands what it means to make a plant for food production.

When making food plants, knowledge of safety regulations like FDA, USD, and HACCP standards are vital. Which is why you should be choosing construction companies who have already worked with this in the past.

DeJong Consultants are specialized in food plant construction and can handle specific needs in the industry

2.    Compliance and Certifications

The construction company you choose should understand the compliance and certifications required to build and run a food plant. With local, state, and federal laws guiding these plants and food production, you want a company that can follow such guidelines.

Certifications like LEED and GMP guide the building of such plants and construction companies must abide by them to avoid repercussions.

Check for companies who have a track record of passing inspections and audits. These are the construction companies you want to work with.

3.    Customization and Design Capabilities

Just having experience in the food industry as a construction company is not enough. You want a company with excellent customization and design capacity to make plants that fits your exact needs.

Whether you’re making a plant for dairy, meat, or even a bakery, they all require different setups and workflow.

A food plant construction with diverse design abilities can create specialized environments like cold storage and clean rooms depending on your plant’s needs. All while using modern technologies so these environments are scalable as your company grows.

4.    Project Management and Timeliness

A food plant construction is a huge project that requires proper project management and a corresponding timeline for the completion of the project.

Most construction companies struggle with the project management side of the business and either have poor communication on the details or simply fail to stick to the timeline. You do not want this type of construction brand as it can delay and even disrupt your plans.

Instead, stick to those who have a proven track record of sticking to their timelines and always deliver a clear project management process for the food plant construction.

5.    Reputation

Reputation is vital when you consider the cost of constructing a food plant and the implications of getting it wrong. Now you understand why you should consider the reputation of the company you choose and even go as far as seeking references.

You want to check everything from reviews to case studies to get the full idea of the company you choose and what they can offer. Knowing the experiences of other food manufacturing companies who have used this construction company is vital.

The idea is to evaluate the general reputation of the construction company in the industry to see what people think about them. Truist worthy, detailed, experienced, or difficult to work with. What you find out will help you make a decision.

Red Flags To Avoid

It’s easy to get sucked up into searching for the perfect construction company for your food plant project and miss out on potential red flags that can affect your plant. Seeing any of these features should have you paying extra attention and possibly choosing a different company.

Here are some of the red flags that you should avoid when choosing a food plant construction company.

Poor Communication and Vague Project Timeline

If the company struggles with proper communication with you and detailing project timelines, you shouldn’t be considering them for your food plant project.

Being detailed enough includes exact project timelines to help you p[lan, a company that cannot provide this clearly should be avoided.

Lack of Industry-Specific Experience and Certifications

Construction companies with no experience with food plant construction may not be the best to work with. Food plants require specific guidelines and specifications which a company with experience in the industry will know.

There are also certifications that a food plant construction company should have like ISO22000 and NSF, among others.

If the construction company doesn’t have any of these, you should not be working with them. Companies like DeJong Consulting have these certifications should there’s no reason to compromise with any.

Inability to Provide Detailed Plans for Regulatory Compliance

There is lots of regulatory compliance for making food plants and construction companies with a detailed plan on regulatory compliance should be avoided.

The company you choose should be able to outline how they will comply with regulation while building your food plant. Anything other than this is a red flag and should be avoided.

No references or negative feedback from past clients

If you cannot find references for the selected food plant construction company, then you probably should be using a different company. There should be food manufacturers who can vouch for the selected construction company and their quality of work.

Also if you only get negative feedback from past clients, you should be avoiding such a company.

Conclusion

Hiring the perfect construction company to build your food plant requires some planning and a huge decision. To make this decision easier and ensure you choose the right brand, you should be putting some factors into consideration.

Consider the industry expertise, customization capabilities, and reputation of the construction company before making a decision. With some of these companies having red flags that must be avoided if getting a suitable food plant is vital to you.

Red flags like poor communication and a lack of industry-specific experience should keep you away from certain companies and push you towards brands like Dejong Consulting.

DeJong specializes in designing and building facilities to process and manufacture food products. With their vast experience in the food plant industry, they tick all of the boxes a food manufacturing company will need.