GOALS

• Bakery facilities planning and design for relocating and expanding Melita JMJ’s bakery in Long Island City to a new 40,000 SF location in the Bronx to meet increasing wholesale production requirements.
• To design the new bakery in a larger space that will accommodate increased production and efficient work and product flow.
• Improve levels of automation while maintaining desired product quality

RESULTS

• The new bakery has much more production capacity.
• Improved work flow and circulation within the various production areas as well as shipping and receiving.
• More automated equipment including a highly automated laminated dough production line which has helped reduce labor costs and improved product quality.

CHALLENGES

• The greatest challenge was providing accurate documentation of the many specialized equipment items in terms of dimensions and utility characteristics. Sold directly to the owner, the design team needed information on built-to-order ovens, mixers, dividers, proofers, and specialized coolers to stay on schedule.
• Given the schedule constraints, equipment data was being gathered as final drawings were “in process” and the consulting engineers were finalizing their drawings simultaneously.

SOLUTION/STRATEGY

• Maintained close contact with the specialty equipment manufacturers to obtain the necessary utility and dimensional data a.s.a.p.  Expedited engineering of systems including exhaust hoods, refrigeration, cold storage rooms, floor troughs and water filtration systems.
• Once schematic design was approved, expedited the preparation of slab penetration and floor depression drawings to prevent construction delays.