As manufacturing construction activity continues to create opportunities across Pennsylvania and New Jersey, today’s facilities are becoming increasingly specialized. Manufacturing and food production environments often require complex utility infrastructure, process systems, refrigeration equipment, and operational considerations that extend far beyond the building itself. The way people, equipment, utilities, and materials interact within those environments can influence everything from day-to-day operations to future expansion opportunities.
Successfully planning and constructing these facilities requires careful coordination and a clear understanding of how they will function once operations begin. At Penntex, that understanding starts long before construction is underway.
Creating Value Through Early Collaboration
Many of the most important project decisions happen before construction starts. Early collaboration helps identify coordination challenges, evaluate constructability, and align project teams around operational goals before work begins in the field. Whether supporting a comprehensive design-build approach or another project delivery method, Penntex works to bring construction experience into planning conversations early, where a single decision can reduce shutdowns, simplify coordination, or prevent disruptions later in the field.
Cold Storage Requires a Specialized Approach
Cold storage facilities introduce another layer of complexity in industrial construction. Refrigeration systems, insulated building envelopes, vapor barriers, specialized mechanical spaces, and strict temperature-control requirements all demand careful planning and coordination.
How these systems work together directly affects facility operations, maintenance requirements, and long-term performance, which is why understanding them before construction begins is critical to supporting reliable operations once the facility is in service.
Project Spotlight: Jaindl Turkey Farms
Penntex is currently partnering with Jaindl Turkey Farms to expand their existing cold storage facility in Orefield, PA. The project includes a substantial freezer addition and a new mechanical room to support refrigeration and electrical infrastructure.
During the preconstruction process, Penntex worked alongside the project team to identify an alternative approach to the facility’s mechanical room layout that reduced the need for lengthy freezer shutdowns during construction. The revised approach helped minimize operational disruptions while keeping the project moving forward.
The site also carries a biosecurity consideration tied to an active turkey hatching facility on the adjacent property – an operation central to Jaindl’s business. Penntex coordinates contractor access and routes construction traffic to protect those operations throughout the build, recognizing that disruption to a hatching facility carries consequences well beyond the construction schedule.
Penntex’s relationship with the Jaindl family extends well beyond this project. Over the years, we have successfully partnered on multiple projects across several Jaindl-affiliated businesses, earning their confidence through dependable execution, transparent communication, and a commitment to understanding their operational priorities. As a trusted construction partner, Penntex continues to help Jaindl family businesses invest in the long-term growth of their operations while minimizing disruption to their day-to-day operations.
Key Project Highlights:
- 9,300+ SF freezer expansion
- 1,700+ SF mechanical room addition
- Specialized refrigeration and utility coordination
Coordinating Complex Manufacturing Environments
Manufacturing projects bring their own coordination challenges, often requiring close collaboration among contractors, equipment vendors, facility operators, and design professionals.
Project Spotlight: Lassonde Pappas & Co., Inc.
At Lassonde’s Seabrook, New Jersey facility, Penntex was engaged early in the design phase, before construction documents were fully complete. Working alongside Lassonde, Hixson, and subcontractor partners, the team participated in regular design meetings to provide budgeting, constructability reviews, and value engineering recommendations.
Those conversations helped identify opportunities to reduce installation costs, improve constructability, and refine system layouts, such as piping routes, while maintaining operational requirements. Bringing construction input into the design process early helped create a more efficient path forward before work began in the field.
Today, Penntex is supporting a major manufacturing expansion that includes new production space, office areas, refrigerated and freezer storage, utility infrastructure, and specialized systems designed to support cranberry beverage and sauce production. Construction continues alongside active facility operations, requiring ongoing coordination between construction teams, equipment vendors, and facility stakeholders to keep work moving while preparing the facility for future production.
Key Project Highlights:
- 202,000 SF manufacturing facility expansion
- New production and processing areas
- Refrigerated and freezer storage
- Office and employee support spaces
- Extensive mechanical, refrigeration, and utility infrastructure
- Coordination with active facility operations and equipment vendors