Case Study

Industrial Equipment decommissioning project

CLIENT OVERVIEW

This high-volume bakery produces packaged snacks in a continuous manufacturing environment. Sanitary conditions and uninterrupted production are essential to meeting food safety standards and production targets.

Commerical line of baking ovens in a food manufacturing facility, decommissioned before removal.

THE CHALLENGE

The bakery had idle equipment occupying valuable floor space needed for future capacity expansion. Decommissioning a complete dough processing line (including mixer, oven, conveyors, and controls) required removal of equipment with known asbestos-containing materials while adjacent lines maintained full production.

Key Constraints:

  • 60-day timeline from initial scoping to production handover, driven by year-end budget cycle
  • Asbestos abatement requiring 24/7 third-party monitoring and regulatory permitting
  • How to safely utilize forklift and crane-based equipment removal in production areas with potential for pedestrian traffic
  • Zero tolerance for contamination or disruption to operating process lines

Commerical line of baking ovens in a food manufacturing facility, decommissioned before removal.

THE SOLUTION

T&M Design provided integrated engineering and construction management services to safely execute the decommissioning and removal of equipment while maintaining facility operations.

  1. Structural Load Analysis – Evaluated floor capacity, demolition equipment, and load limits to determine safe demolition sequencing and maximum section sizes for removal
  2. Phased Containment Strategy – Built negative-pressure containment during scheduled downtime, staged asbestos-containing materials in designated parking lot areas for inspection and sealing prior to disposal
  3. Coordinated Demolition Scheduling – Stopping overhead crane use during shift changes, cordoning off the worksite, and conducting daily containment audits to protect adjacent quality-sensitive production zones
  4. Regulatory Compliance Management – Secured City of Portland asbestos removal permits and coordinated continuous third-party air monitoring throughout construction

Demolition project mostly finished, with a clean floor and concrete laid down for new foundation
Demolition project mostly finished, with a clean floor and concrete laid down for new foundation
Finished view of the production floor after ovens were removed and new flooring was laid.

THE RESULTS

  • Zero safety incidents across 60-day demolition and removal operation
  • On-time project completion meeting year-end budget and space planning requirements
  • Full regulatory compliance with all asbestos-containing materials properly sealed, inspected, and disposed through licensed waste handlers
  • Uninterrupted adjacent operations with no contamination events or quality impacts to active production lines
  • Verified structural integrity through engineering analysis preventing floor overloading
  • Enhanced future capacity by clearing production floor space for planned process line expansion

THE RESULTS

  • Zero safety incidents across 60-day demolition and removal operation
  • On-time project completion meeting year-end budget and space planning requirements
  • Full regulatory compliance with all asbestos-containing materials properly sealed, inspected, and disposed through licensed waste handlers
  • Uninterrupted adjacent operations with no contamination events or quality impacts to active production lines
  • Verified structural integrity through engineering analysis preventing floor overloading
  • Enhanced future capacity by clearing production floor space for planned process line expansion
Finished view of the production floor after ovens were removed and new flooring was laid.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

This project demonstrates T&M’s capability to execute complex industrial decommissioning work within operating food manufacturing environments where contamination risk, regulatory compliance, and production continuity are non-negotiable. Our embedded service model and prior facility knowledge enabled proactive identification of asbestos risks, while integrated engineering and construction management delivered a safe, compliant outcome under aggressive timeline constraints.

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