New Business Venture.

Scoular selected Gray to develop a greenfield project for its first U.S. manufacturing operation—a pet food processing plant spanning 106,000 s.f. on a 16-acre site in Seward, Nebraska. The construction of the facility helped establish Petsource, a new business operated by an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Scoular.

The Seward operation specializes as a complete freeze-drying supply chain solution for pet food manufacturers. The project includes a warehouse, cold processing, and storage rooms for raw meat, clean rooms, freeze dryers, and packaging lines. Custom equipment and innovative process design ensure high standards for food safety and quality assurance.

Gray provided fully integrated design-build services for the state-of-the-art facility, including site analysis, architecture, engineering services, construction management, and site management. Additionally, Gray procured and installed the largest capacity freeze-dry chambers in North America, as well as custom-designed wash racks, slicing table, and UV sanitation tunnel to ensure clean processes and reduce risk for equipment operators. On the digital side, Gray Solutions, a Gray company, provided technical consulting, process engineering, and process automation & controls services.

This collaborative effort from Gray delivered end-to-end support for Scoular’s first manufacturing venture in the pet food sector. Despite delays and site shutdowns due to supply chain issues, inclement weather, and the outbreak of COVID-19, Gray was able to adapt to changing schedules and demands, completing the project in 17 months and meeting the customer’s commissioning date.

Read more about how the Petsource facility’s unique design exceeds industry standards and promotes safe, efficient processes in Food Engineering’s Fab Plant feature.