
Plumpton Park is Betty & Taylors primary tea and coffee processing facility – and Lodestone was approached by Taylors to clean the coffee roasting house.
This area of the factory is rarely out of use, processing all coffee beans produced by Taylors. As part of the project, all walls, ducting, gantries and machinery needed to be cleaned and washed down, prior to the walls being cladded with AMClad wall cladding sheets.
The areas we would be working from were in occupation and use by Taylor’s Staff, and the coffee processing and roasting sections were to remain live for the duration of the works.
Our team’s main challenge was to overcome any logistics and access issues relating to this project. Areas of the wall and machinery were easily accessed from mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs) and podiums; areas were to be accessed from independent scaffoldings built around machinery and ducting. The scaffolding had to be built around coffee roasting and sorting times, which often meant that only small sections could be completed at a time. Only when completed could these areas be cleaned and clad.
We also had to overcome high temperatures within the coffee roasting house during operating times, which increased the risk of heat exhaustion, heat stroke and dehydration. To alleviate this risk, site operatives were encouraged to take regular breaks outside the roasting house and ensure they drank plenty. High level works where undertaken when roasting equipment was switched off, to avoid the highest temperatures. We also scheduled this work for days when equipment was switched off for inspection and routine maintenance.
To prevent contamination within the food production area, we ensured we cut cladding material in a dust-controlled environment. To do so, we erected a temporary dust enclosure. Meanwhile, cutting tools were connected to M-Class dust extraction units and cut materials were cut to size before being removed from the cutting area.
The project was delivered in 12 weeks – and snag-free. We encountered no issues during the works and the team at Bettys was thrilled with the freshly cleaned and clad area.