CHALLENGE:

Hilton Foods wanted to expand their operations in NZ, with a new food park in Auckland that would meet high hygiene standards and enable them to service Countdown stores with a wide range of protein products.

SOLUTION:

Ulti Group provided Hilton Foods with various door and loading dock solutions that ensured environmental control, pest prevention, and easy wash-down. The solutions included stainless steel bi-parting doors, rapid doors, and dock loading systems.

RESULT:

Hilton Foods achieved a world-class facility, meeting the strict hygiene requirements, and leveraging the latest automation solutions to ultimately help them deliver high quality protein for Countdown’s customers.

Hilton Foods are a global meat packaging company, with a growing presence throughout Europe and Oceania. In July 2021, they expanded their operations into New Zealand, establishing their first multi-protein food park in Wiri, Auckland.

This showcase of their new food park concept harnesses their expertise across a wide range of protein categories, including seafood, poultry and red meat. The facility services Countdown stores in New Zealand leveraging the latest automation solutions to deliver a multi-category solution and the highest quality protein for Countdown’s customers and families to enjoy.

As part of this new build, Hilton Foods had a strong focus on ensuring the facility was built to a high hygiene standard. We are proud to have been able to provide them with a range of Door and Loading Dock solutions to meet these strict hygiene requirements and the standards of a world-class facility.

This included multiple Glazed Stainless-Steel Bi-Parting Doors for pedestrian access, over 20 rapid doors, including full Stainless Steel Ulti Roll Rapid Doors, and smaller conveyor Ulti Roll rapid doors, as well as 8 complete Dock Loading Systems.

Built right next door to the new Primary Connect Distribution Facility for Progressive Enterprises (Countdown), the two buildings are joined via an airbridge, allowing meat products to be transported directly from one building to the other via conveyors. An autonomous process involving a series of rapid doors with motion sensors to detect the pallets moving along the conveyors and automatically open and close the doors to let them pass through. This is a key efficiency benefit for both Hilton Foods and Primary Connect.

Moreover, the requirements for hygiene was the primary driver to use predominantly stainless steel doors throughout the facility. Particularly in the case of the Ulti Roll doors, this allows the doors to be washed down from top to bottom, eliminating any transfer of bacteria. The FDA-grade curtains are completely smooth on both sides, also preventing bacteria from building up on the curtain. In addition, this hygiene requirement also meant that there was a need for a large amount of interlocking between doors and other systems to maintain environmental control.

Similarly, the loading dock systems are also fully interlocked from when a truck docks, till when it leaves. This means that for the duration of the loading procedure, the building is fully contained and sealed, preventing the transfer of air, and/or the ingress of pests or debris, whilst enabling a smooth transition from building to the truck.

All in all, this project is certainly a study in hygiene. So, if you’re looking for hygiene solutions for your facility, get in touch with our friendly team – we’d love to help!