Hill's Pet Nutrition
Custom Stainless Steel Platforms Designed Around Key Equipment
Hill’s Pet Nutrition is a subsidiary of Colgate-Palmolive and a recognized leader of high-quality pet food and treats. The customer selected Gray to design and build a state-of-the-art wet pet food facility on an 80-acre site.
For the company’s newest operation, AD Process Equipment, a Gray company, provided design and fabrication services for more than 25 custom stainless steel platforms to house the plant’s process equipment. The greenfield project in Tonganoxie, KS, required seamless integration as the Gray family of companies delivered comprehensive, turnkey services from design concept to project startup and beyond.
AD Process Equipment fabricated and assembled the platforms in-house for easier integration into the facility’s process and packaging lines. Each platform is custom-built for the Hill’s facility and follows AISC and OSHA guidelines. To meet stringent sanitary requirements, the platforms feature a sloped design that enables complete drainage following washdown cycles.
AD Process Equipment precisely modeled each platform in 3D – incorporating the height and placement of crossovers, handrails, and panel mounts – and based its design on detailed plant models to ensure seamless integration into the customer’s unique equipment layout.
Many of the platforms house equipment on multiple tiers, including the plant’s Clean-in-Place (CIP) system platforms, which feature a double-deck design. Other key factors include safety gates constructed from stainless steel tubing and expanded sheet for shielding.
Incorporating cutting-edge technology in a demanding manufacturing environment required a deep level of understanding and close coordination between service providers. AD Process Equipment collaborated with Gray Solutions to implement the customer’s automated equipment in a configuration that would best facilitate safe, effective, and efficient operations. The custom stainless steel platforms elevate and house critical systems and controls in accordance with the facility’s sanitary protocols. AD Process Equipment continued to work closely with Gray Solutions throughout the project, providing validation assistance and ongoing startup support for the I/O systems and control interfaces.
AD Process Equipment is a Gray company.
AD Process Equipment is your single source for system design and process equipment integration. Our experienced team works with customers to meet demands in bulk processing and material handling by providing practical design solutions that cater to their unique needs. Our personalized solutions in equipment and technology give customers a competitive edge in the ever-changing global marketplace.