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.

Two workers in a food production facility working to get a decommissioned oven removed

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

Two workers in a food production facility working to get a decommissioned oven removed

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

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
Demolition project mostly finished, with a clean floor and concrete laid down for new foundation

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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