Finding Effective Floors, Doors & Ceilings for Modern Food Processing

“If there’s one universal answer to how processors can best evaluate and choose floors, doors and ceilings, it is this: There is no universal answer.”

There are many variables that determine what type of materials a food processing facility’s needs. Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all solution on the production floor. For example, wet and dry areas and cold and hot areas both have drastically different demands.

When considering the options, it’s important to ask, “What specific needs does this door/floor/ceiling have to meet, and how do we ensure it meets those needs?”

While the selection process for floors, doors and ceilings is very similar, slip hazards are important to evaluate and avoid when determining floor-type.

“The good news about making these kinds of decisions is that the texture is highly customizable depending on your exact needs. That means processors can be specific in what they want their flooring to be in certain parts of the plant based on potential slip/fall hazards. But it also means that processors need to be sure they’re evaluating the texture properly,” Bharath Singh, project director at Gray Construction recently explained to Food Engineering.

While there is no multipurpose, comprehensive design for all sanitary food processing facilities, there are some basic guidelines that promote informed, educated decisions throughout the early stages of the design process. According the Food Engineering, the most important step in the process is the initial objective analysis, which determines what needs to be done, how it needs to be done and who is going to do it. Once this step is completed, the facility can be built specifically for its purpose and to accommodate its exact needs.

For more on floors, doors and ceilings for food processing, visit Food Engineering magazine for an in-depth report.