Shoffner's electrical division was awarded phase one of the Bush project in 2003 with Lockwood Greene. This was the largest electrical project ever undertaken by the electrical division, $1,364,000.

Shoffner had an electrical department previous to this contract but had preformed smaller projects, service work and work for the mechanical division. We had to hire skilled workers familiar with industrial work and we had to tool up for larger projects. The electrical work was completed on time and within our estimate.

At the beginning of 2007 phase two was awarded to our department and this time we were better prepared for the task ahead. Our people were familiar with Lockwood Greene projects and also what was expected from Bush Brothers. This contract was $1,011,000 and had to be complete in nine months.

However this project was more difficult than the phase one because unlike the first project we were now working inside an operating food processing plant. Our workers could not bring food, drink or tobacco inside the building. We constructed a shelter away from the main building and all employees came to this area for breaks and lunch which added man-hours to the project. Clean-up was another factor as food scraps attract varmints and bugs which cannot be tolerated around food processing.

Safety as with all projects was top priority for Shoffner and Lockwood Greene. Each day started with a 15 minute safety meeting, and daily pre-task planning sheets were filled out and placed in each work area. An expanded safety meeting was held each Wednesday with the previous week reviewed for possible safety problems and solutions.

This project presented a challenge from a scheduling standpoint as the majority of electrical work had to be complete by mid July in order for Allpax to start testing their equipment. The schedule was made tighter by change orders ($383,000) and work of another contractor on the project. Our crew worked eight weeks straight without a day off in order to stay on schedule and get the other contractor back on schedule. As with phase 1 we completed our work on time and within the estimate with a satisfied customer. It doesn’t get any better than that.

Bush Brothers canned bean food production building is a 272,000 square feet facility located in Chestnut Hill, Tennessee. This facility is a state of the art food processing plant and is a completely automated process. The beans are brought from the field unloaded then moved to washing, cooking, canning and shipping without being touched by human hand.

Features of the Project:

•    The building is constructed entirely of precast concrete with premium wall and floor coatings.  

•    A utility service area on the second floor conveniently located above the process area houses piping, electrical and HVAC equipment.

•   Automated canning lines controlled by PLC’s.

Phase one Electrical:

• Two 4000 amp 277/480 volt services.

• Transformers, power and lighting panels as well as owner furnished motor control centers.

• Power distribution using cable tray with tray cable conductors.

• Food grade lighting fixtures with PVC coated rigid conduit and boxes in areas of production.

• Fire alarm and security raceway systems.

• Wire for and connect HVAC equipment including control wiring.

Phase two Electrical:

•       Provide one 1200 amp normal power circuit from phase one switchgear to new Retort building via cable tray with tray conductors.

•       Install one 450 KW owner furnished generator and transfer switch with one 1200 amp 277/480 volt emergency feeder to Retort building.

•       Provide new power panels, transformers and lighting panels to serve Retort building.

•       Install owner furnished control panels and wire and connect Allpax equipment installed in Retort area.

•       Install owner furnished PLC equipment and furnish I/O wiring as well as data wiring to network.

•       Wire for and connect conveyor system including control stations and scales.

•       Wire and connect cooling towers, pumps and control system for food production.

•       Install PVC coated rigid conduit for power and lighting circuits in Retort area of building. We also furnished and installed wash-down fixtures in food prep areas.

•       Wire for and connect HVAC equipment including control wiring.

•       Provide lighting, power and grounding for cooker building addition.