Construction of Minute Maid Company’s new $113-million, 620,000-sq.-ft. beverage production plant in Auburndale, FL, will be a major step towards nationwide distribution of its new (introduced in early 2002) not-from-concentrate orange juice, Simply Orange.
The Minute Maid Company, an operating division of The Coca-Cola Company, is the flagship of its worldwide fruit beverage business. This construction will create an even stronger presence in Florida, well known for its high-quality citrus, while providing additional capacity for noncarbonated beverages sold through its parent company’s bottler system.
“This plant will be the largest facility owned by our Houston headquarters, with eventual expansion to 1 million sq. ft.,” reported Stelio Vafiadis, principle engineer of Minute Maid. “Currently available only in the eastern United States, Simply Orange has already demonstrated strong public acceptance and significant promise.”
General contractor The Facility Group, based in Smyrna, GA, provides program management, engineering, construction management, architecture and design services. The Facility Group offers comprehensive specialized services to niche markets. The company’s Program Management expertise enables it to deliver projects at a Guaranteed Maximum Price. Facility Construction Management Inc., the construction division of The Facility Group, has constructed more than 250 projects with more currently scheduled for 2003.
The Facility Group began broke ground on July 27, 2002 – even before the 60 acres (24.3 ha) of land on the corner of Main Street and Derby Avenue was officially purchased on August 1.
According to Chuck Greene, senior project manager of The Facility Group, “Our standard is ’A Total Quality Management Approach’ to our service; as evidenced by this work. With a completion date of April 1, 2003, we’re a fast-track project, and slightly ahead of schedule. Our workload is extremely aggressive. Nights, weekends, double shifts; we’ve even got staggered shift with certain trades. Most of the concrete pourers begin somewhere around 2:00–3:00 in the morning and work through the night. The crews are working practically 24 hours.”
Most of the heavy equipment was rented from United Rental of Lakeland, FL.
“The majority of the work is being performed in an area that’s probably 70,000 out of the 620,000 sq. ft. It’s a challenge to get the man-hours expended in that area,” Greene said.
“We have a lot of equipment enabling us to hit our target date,” he noted. A Manitowoc 250-ton (227 t) rubber tired crane was utilized for lifting the tilt wall panels. Large jointed bodied Volvo trucks for moving mass fill and earth work were used. The company had Caterpillar graders and rubber tired loaders on site, as well as John Deere, Case and JCBs, which were used in excavation for underground utility work. It also has Lull forklifts moving masonry, pipe and other materials.
"Being 60-percent complete, we’re currently working on the interior stuff – process equipment installation, building services, utilities,” Greene explained.
The project was welcomed into the community by the City of Auburndale. The decision to build in this location came after Minute Maid received $1.2 million in tax refunds via Florida’s Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund. This incentive encourages companies to relocate to Florida, and create jobs offering above average wages for the selected locality.
The plant is expected to attract more suppliers to Auburndale.
With prospects of greater use, Florida’s DOT pledged to make $2 million in road improvements close to the facility.
Officially named the “Main Street Plant,” the non-carbonated beverage producing plant will boost local economy by creating some 300 new jobs over the next three years. Earnings will be approximately 50 percent higher than Polk County’s average annual wage listed in the high $20s. Management salaries will average more than $42,000, with blue-collar workers starting from $10 to $17 per hour; plus benefits.
As good citizens “giving back,” workers will be highly visible in local charitable activities – a precedent set in related Coca-Cola company sites.
