It’s the $100m high-tech facility in Auckland that helps feed the North Island. Inside the 15,700 square feet multi-protein food park, meat and seafood from over 120 local suppliers is processed, packaged and then distributed to the 142 Countdown stores, supplying food to 76% of Kiwis. Critical to everything that happens inside the massive building is hygiene.

Good air quality in meat processing plants is essential to their successful operation. Airborne viruses and microbes are an ever-present danger, with the temperature and humidity requiring precise control and constant monitoring. Ventilation becomes important not just for occupant comfort but for the food to keep, with the number of air changes impacting the potential growth and spread of bacteria, mould and pollen. Increasing the number of changes dilutes the impact of any nasties that might successfully make it through the filters. This shouldn’t happen with proper filter maintenance but is necessary as part of an overall risk mitigation strategy and best practice.

Connected to the mechanical plant and air handling units, Ventuer VL100S Twin Weather Stop louvres are used for natural ventilation. The twin weather stop louvres offer medium protection from rain ingress and a very low pressure drop, making it an ideal solution when used in intake and exhaust systems. Rated to Class B under BS/EN:13030 for exhaust situations, the Ventuer VL100S louvres are known to work precisely as demanded. This is important because the consequences associated with failure at somewhere like the Hilton Food Group plant are dire. Contaminated food on the supermarket shelves comes with significant reputational costs and potential physical harm if consumed. The ventilation system has to be reliable, which is exactly why Ventuer was chosen.

Such a facility obviously has some sizable plant to keep everything working. Screening the plant are a series of Ventuer VL70 ventilation louvres. A single bank louvre with a particularly strong blade profile, they make for an ideal visual screen, keeping out unsightly glimpses of the plant machinery. They also keep out rain, providing a medium level of weather protection.

Fully operational, the food processing facility has now been operating successfully for over 4 years. It remains not only a vital cog in the supply of protein to the north island supermarkets, but also an excellent example of how natural ventilation, along with the control of temperature and humidity, can be reliably and precisely managed.