Modernizing a Century-Old Manufacturing Facility Without Interrupting Production

The Client

The client is a global manufacturer in the pet nutrition and animal-care industry, known for producing a wide range of food products for dogs and cats.

The Challenge

To keep pace with rising demand, the client initiated a major capital expansion originally scoped at $180M for two new production lines. As demand projections climbed, the project quickly doubled in scale – expanding to four production lines at a total investment of $500M and adding 35,000 square feet to an operational facility more than 100 years old.

Executing this expansion without disrupting live production introduced significant complexity:

• Continuous operations: All existing lines needed to remain fully functional throughout construction.
• Aging infrastructure: Hidden structural issues, outdated utilities and unforeseen conditions surfaced as walls and floors were opened.
• Regulatory pressure: Any delay or misstep risked FDA compliance, threatening production at the facility.
• Escalating scope and risk: The rapid increase in project size demanded new timelines, budgets and resource planning – while keeping the schedule on track.

This expansion wasn’t optional – it was essential for increasing output of a key product and strengthening long-term operational capacity.

The Actalent Solution

Actalent delivered a fully integrated owner’s representative and construction management support solution designed to bring structure, clarity and technical rigor to a rapidly evolving capital project. From the start, Actalent provided oversight of scope, schedule and budget, giving the client ongoing visibility into emerging risks, required decisions and potential impacts as the project expanded from two to four production lines. This level of governance ensured alignment across stakeholders and kept the project ahead of issues that could have jeopardized compliance, cost or timeline.

To support the rapidly increasing complexity, Actalent deployed a project site leadership model that became essential to navigating installation within a century old facility while maintaining daily oversight of the general contractor and subcontractors, coordinated trades, validated installation approaches, reviewed drawings and specifications, and resolved field issues in real time. This hands-on decision-making prevented delays and eliminated the bottlenecks that would have occurred without dedicated, technically seasoned stewardship. Leveraging decades of construction and manufacturing experience, Actalent provided the guidance and technical assurance required to keep the project moving despite unforeseen conditions and shifting priorities.

Through proactive communication, disciplined project controls and hands-on engagement, Actalent enabled the client to stay focused on strategic objectives while we managed the day-to-day complexities of construction execution. Our partnership ensured the project maintained momentum, mitigated risk, and stayed on track – delivering a critical expansion within a challenging operational environment.

The Results

Despite the expanded scope, rising complexity and an aging facility, the project remained ahead of schedule and delivered significant operational and economic value:

• Four new production lines installed – double the original plan
• 35,000 sq. ft. added to the manufacturing footprint
• Over 100 new jobs created to support increased output
• $4.2-6.8M in projected annual product sales expected from the additional capacity
• Reduced engineering travel and costs due to empowered on-site decision-making

By avoiding delays, maintaining FDA compliance and ensuring uninterrupted production, Actalent helped the client achieve a critical strategic expansion with long-lasting impact.