Hy-Vee Commissary
To date, all 250+ Hy-Vee stores have prepared and packaged food products such as pizzas, salads and sandwiches. To create product consistency and reduce labor demands, Hy-Vee is building a centralized food production facility in Ankeny, Iowa, which will serve all stores in eight states. Baker Group is responsible for providing new construction, design-assist services including BIM/preconstruction, prefabrication, HVAC, sheet metal, plumbing and compressed air.
As a food production facility, the Hy-Vee Commissary has many different types of environments – areas for Home Meal Replacement (HMR) production, automated HMR production and an HMR kitchen; research and development kitchen; freezer, refrigeration and dry storage areas; office area; loading dock; and more.
“These diverse areas require a variety of mechanical and plumbing systems. Baker Group is installing hot water tanks, steam boilers, hot water pumps, water softener, air compressors, tanks and dryers,” says Brad Matt, Baker Group’s Project Manager for Hy-Vee Commissary.
Since this is a food grade facility, Baker Group’s Compressed Air services were used to provide two 100 Hp oil-free rotary screw compressors plus two desiccant dryers with pre and post filtration and two 1,550-gallon air receiver tanks. The compressed air distribution system involved over 2,000 ft. of Parker Transair 3” and under aluminum piping.
Preconstruction capabilities, flexibility accommodate schedule
Hy-Vee has built its staffing, food production and distribution plans around its Commissary opening in November 2018. Meeting this deadline requires construction to begin even before designs are complete.
“The reason Baker Group was brought on board was our preconstruction capabilities – we were able to come alongside the design team. We understand their challenges, are able to help them identify the right solutions and systems and can begin installing some of the systems before the design is done,” says Brandon Hummel, Baker Group Project Manager. “A traditional approach to construction would not get the project done on time.”
Matt says, “Additionally, mid-construction alterations are common on this type of project. But Baker Group has always been adept at efficiently accommodating changes, which helps us stay on schedule.”
Prefabrication expedites underground work
The construction schedule necessitated construction and installation of underground waste-processing piping during December 2017, which was extremely cold. “Our solution was to fabricate and assemble most of the piping indoors, in our Advanced Manufacturing facility. Excavators then dug the ditches and we simply delivered and dropped the assemblies into the ground – a huge time-saver,” Matt says.
Without factoring in the weather, Baker Group completed this work approximately 25 percent faster than if it had not used Advanced Manufacturing.
Lean production minimizes waste, maximizes value
Hy-Vee emphasizes lean production, which involves systematic methods for minimizing waste and increasing customer value. “Baker Group is inherently lean, so it’s a good fit with Hy-Vee,” Matt says.
Among Baker Group’s lean initiatives on this project are value engineering, circumventing potential problems through BIM detailing and Advanced Manufacturing capabilities. “Our streamlined manufacturing processes allow us to prefabricate construction components and assemblies in a controlled environment, which increases speed and quality while reducing field labor,” Matt adds.