Manufacturing Day 2022

Epstein was founded over 100 years ago to support the growth of Chicago’s Central Manufacturing District, and has since grown into one of the premiere design, engineering and construction firms, delivering industrial facilities across the world. In recognition of Manufacturing Day, which celebrates modern manufacturing and positively influences the common misconceptions around the manufacturing industry, we’re sharing select projects from Epstein’s Manufacturing portfolio to showcase

Wholestone Farms

Wholestone Farms, LLC and Hormel Foods Corporation publically announced Wholestone’s purchase of Hormel’s Fremont, Nebraska pork processing facility in 2018. Prior to the public announcement, Epstein worked with Wholestone to develop a multiyear program to improve the plant and its operations with the goal of making the plant competitive with large, modern plants of recent construction.

To achieve this goal, Epstein identified a number of projects to complete over the next few years. Those projects included:

• A New CO2 Stunner
• Office and Employee Area Improvements
• Carcass Cooling Expansion
• Waste Water Pretreatment System
• New Snap Chill & Trim Blend Operations

Epstein provided overall project management, full design and engineering and construction management services for each project.

Magid Glove & Safety Manufacturing Company

Epstein provided DesignBuild services for the retrofit of an existing industrial building in Romeoville, Illinois into the new headquarters, manufacturing and warehouse facility for Magid Glove & Safety Manufacturing Company. Magid required 330,000 square feet of the existing warehouse/manufacturing space for its operations. The new 6000,000 facility, originally designed in the 1970's, was subsequently expanded/renovated in the 1990's.

Magid asked Epstein to wherever feasible to utilize existing furniture, carpet tiles, ceiling tiles, etc. However, they also wanted Epstein to make the right choices, not necessarily solely based on saving capital costs. Magid management expressed a desire for natural light, improved acoustics, upgraded furniture, ventilation, noise control in open office areas, and warehouse areas as well as adjacent space. They also stressed proper energy efficient lighting as a major requirement.

Cedar Concepts Corporation

Epstein provided full-service design and engineering services for this $12.3M, 60,000 square foot chemical manufacturing facility for Cedar Concepts Corporation located at 41st and Packers in Chicago, Illinois.

Cedar Concepts relocated all manufacturing operations from their original facility to this 41st and Packers facility, including most process equipment and process support equipment (i.e. chiller, cooling towers, compressors and hot box, which is used to liquefy raw materials stored in drums or totes). They also relocated other existing leased equipment such as the nitrogen generator and water treatment.

The new facility is divided into the following two main functions: business and industrial. The business portion of the program consists of a two-story office building of approximately 12,000 square feet with the following program elements: lobby, board room, server room, owner's office, private offices, open office, training room, break room, storage and toilet rooms. The industrial portion of the program is divided into a process, packaging and storage component over approximately 48,000 square feet. The process program consists of a reacting area, blending area, laboratories/R&D, and a process support space and packaging area consisting of flaking and bagging.

These are just a sample of manufacturing facilities that have been modernized to not only benefit the company, but the welfare of employees as well.