GMOL Project Dory Re-Tool Of General Mills’ Food Processing Plant

STRUCTURAL STRENGTHENING, TYFO® SYSTEM
OVERVIEW

General Mills closed their Vineland, New Jersey plant in 2017 and moved a soup line to their Hannibal, Missouri plant. To accommodate the new soup line, numerous modifications, additions and relocations were required in the Hannibal plant. Work included removal of the salsa production line, a new freezer, parts storage and warehouse expansions and an office area to replace the existing displaced areas. The work included civil, structural and architectural modifications as well as the addition of new packaging equipment, process piping, mechanical, utilities and electrical modifications to support the new line.

Mechanical modifications included the addition of numerous air handling units on the roof structure. The existing roof structure required retrofitting in order to support the weight of the new air handling units. As the retrofit contractor, Fibrwrap Construction was charged with the responsibility of evaluating the existing structure and determining the current structural deficiencies for each member. This was accomplished by utilizing the original building drawings, knowledge of local precast concrete manufacturing methods and engineering analysis of each member.

Double tee strengthening at line 1/2
Double tee strengthening at line 1/2

The existing precast concrete double tees, girders and columns were reinforced with the Tyfo® system, a fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP), to accommodate the new unit loads, live loads, snow and seismic loads to bring the structure to current code standards. All final coatings on the FRP installations were required to conform with FDA/USDA standards.

The structural retrofit was delivered within the prime contractor’s schedule, allowing for the new air handling units to be set in place by the specified date. The FRP installation was completed amongst congested work spaces with little need for relocation of existing electrical and mechanical obstructions—saving both time and money for the contractors and customer. All work was accomplished with zero safety incidents. The Tyfo® advanced composite system can be used to increase the strength of existing beams, slabs, walls, columns and connections while maintaining a very low profile.

PROJECT DETAILS

Project GMOL Project Dory
Location Hannibal, Missouri
Owner General Mills
Contractor PCL Construction Services, Inc. – Burnsville, Minnesota

Double tee, girder and column strengthening at retort line
Double tee, girder and column strengthening at retort line

“The FRP strengthening scope on this project is critical to its fiscal success.”
Mike Osowski, Project Manager
PCL Construction Services, Inc.