One of a Kind Plant-Based Food Pilot Plant Opens its Doors
Nov 12, 2019
CRB leverages ONEsolutionTM to bring NC Food Innovation Lab to life
The David H. Murdock Core Laboratory Building at the North Carolina Research Campus, Kannapolis, North Carolina
The NC Food Innovation Lab (NCFIL) officially launches on Thursday, November 14, 2019 with a ribbon cutting, facility tour and open house celebration. NCFIL is a 16,000 sq. ft. plant-based food processing and product development facility located on the 350-acre NC Research Campus in Kannapolis, NC. CRB designed and constructed the pilot-scale facility using a ONEsolution approach.
This facility, complete with state-of-the-art equipment, will serve as a catalyst for plant-based food research and food manufacturing. NCFIL is ready to serve its local, regional and global community—including growth-phase entrepreneurs, established food companies, venture capitalists and accelerators.
“This facility will succeed with a wide variety of customers with unique needs and objectives,” explains Dr. Bill Aimutis, executive director, NCFIL. “We’ll be able to support start-up companies working to get new products to market; established companies seeking to expand product lines; and equipment manufacturers looking to demonstrate new equipment capability.”
CRB leveraged a ONEsolution approach to design and construct an adaptable space to meet current and future needs. “Our biggest challenge was designing a space flexible enough to support processes and innovations that could be developed in the next ten years, based on the processes that were planned for in the present,” explains Pablo Coronel, PhD, director of food processing, CRB. “We had to focus on flexibility throughout the entire design and construction process.”
From its inception, partnership has been a cornerstone of NCFIL.
“By using a ONEsolution approach, we were able to complete schematic and detailed design with real-time input on constructability from our trade partners,” explains Coronel. “This approach streamlined the transition from design through fabrication and into construction.”