Epstein provided DesignBuild services for a new 925,000 square foot, $335M pork processing plant for Seaboard Triumph Foods (STF) located on a 245-acre site in Bridgeport West Industrial Park within Sioux City, Iowa. Epstein was entrusted by STF to design, engineer and build a modern fresh pork plant focused on food safety and efficiency to meet the growing demands of domestic and international customers. STF and Epstein were able to build off the learning opportunities of Triumphs existing plant in St. Joseph, Missouri. Epstein also designed and built Seaboards existing facility in Guymon, Oklahoma two decades ago.
The STF plant produces fresh pork for the PrairieFresh® Premium Pork and Seaboard Farms® brands. These brands are part of a uniquely connected food system that is produced through a strategic partnership between Seaboard Foods and Triumph Foods, and marketed and sold by Seaboard Foods. Together, the companies own Seaboard Triumph Foods and relentlessly seek a better way to produce wholesome pork by purposely connecting every step between its farms and family tables around the world ensuring the well-being of its animals, the environment, employees and the communities they call home. The strategic partners also own Dailys Premium Meats, and the STF Sioux City plant will process raw materials for Dailys premium pork products, including raw and precooked bacon.
This STF pork processing facility uses robotics and innovative technologies to produce the most sought-after pork for diverse global consumers in several market segments, including retail, international, food service, and further processing markets.
The design of the STF facility reflects a modern food processing plant incorporating many state-of-the-art technologies. These measures are visible as soon as livestock is received, using a barn designed to reduce animal stress and improve comfort in conjunction with automated carbon dioxide (CO2) stunning to deliver a comprehensive animal welfare framework. Multiple vision systems are monitored to maintain traceability throughout the process as well as improve product yield via robotic harvesting technologies at critical production steps. Sanitation principles are implemented throughout the facility, including automated equipment and conveyor wash systems capable of delivering more than 3,000 gallons per minute of wash-down flow cumulatively. Finally, robust rendering and wastewater treatment systems work to maximize profitable waste recovery while meeting or exceeding all required environmental standards for the plant.
The STF plant also features a wide variety of refrigerated spaces including a -22° snap chill room, multiple 26° equilibration bays, 24° fresh product storage space and a 40° dock.
This STF plant includes several outbuildings including a rendering facility, a steam boiler/powerhouse building, an ammonia refrigeration engine room, a guardhouse security building and a waste water pre-treatment facility. The design, construction and operations teams work hand in hand with the City, fire department and utility agencies to integrate this new facility seamlessly into the Sioux City area.
