Major international and local equipment suppliers were behind the successful plant fitout for Beak & Johnston's new $110 million pastry and ready meals production facility. The company has installed technology from the likes of BVT, G Mondini, HMPS, JBT Corporation, Schubert, and Ulma.
The new production facility in Arndell Park, in Sydney’s western suburbs, features the latest in pastry and ready meal production technology, and has the capacity and capability to produce up to one million meal solutions per week. It has also created 180 new jobs.
Beak & Johnston (B&J) CEO Ray Hanly announced the build in February 2022, with the greenfield site earmarked for a state-of-the-art technology equipped plant to meet growing demand for fresh and convenient meals and pastry snacking options.
“We are extending our business capacity and capability to create new, exciting, high quality food products for Australians to enjoy, all while contributing to the growth of job opportunities in the local Western Sydney area,” Hanly said.
The build was completed with Lend Lease and Total Construction. The 10,000 square metre factory sits adjacent to B&J’s existing facility of the same size.
It includes a pastry line equipped with the latest baking, cooling, and handling solutions, using vacuum cooling technology that ensures consistently crisp and flaky pastries while also reducing the amount of plastic used.
It also features high-speed, ready-meal lines equipped with baking and inline freezing capabilities, with a 300-pallet warehousing facility.
“We take great pride in investing in cutting edge global technology for the Australian food industry. Our commitment to unique technology sets us apart, enabling us to offer our customers high quality food products that are sustainably produced, driving efficiency and consistency,” Hanly said.
In its quest to identify suppliers capable of meeting its project's requirements, Beak & Johnston conducted a global search. The company says it is proud to be collaborating with some industry leaders, including Dutch-based BVT, renowned for its technological innovation and ability to design and build world-leading manufacturing lines.
It also worked with global manufacturers like JBT Corporation for baking and cooling equipment, Schubert for robotic end-of-line automation, Australian-based HMPS for pallet handling, and Mondini and Ulma for primary packaging.
The company says the new facility has enabled it to consolidate warehousing operations across the group. To support this, it has implemented an HMPS link bridge between its two ready meal facilities, enhancing efficiency and optimising its supply chain. Beak & Johnston's technical operator training program complements all these investments, ensuring that its workforce possesses the necessary skills and expertise to optimise each value stream within its operations.
The facility has a solar panel installation that will generate up to 30 per cent of the site’s energy requirements. In addition to its solar initiatives, the company says it uses leading-edge energy-efficient technology across all its services, reducing its comparable energy demand by 21 per cent.
The BVT pastry line has been designed with zero-waste capabilities, again emphasising the company's stated commitment to sustainable manufacturing.
The company’s brands are Strength Meals Co, Simmone Logue, Pitango, and Beak & Sons. It also contract manufactures for other companies including Woolworths and 7-Eleven.
