With over 50 years of experience in ventilation, air handling, and process engineering, we specialise in delivering bespoke heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) solutions for highly regulated environments. Our recent project with McCormick Foods in Peterborough – a major producer of sauces for household-name fast-food brands like McDonald’s, Burger King, Pizza Hut and KFC – showcases our capability to deliver high-performance systems under challenging conditions, all undertaken with no disruption to the production line.

The Challenge

McCormick Foods tasked us with assessing, maintaining, and installing new ductwork and diffusers into their air handling unit (AHU) system. Their facility operates around the clock and must stay compliant with strict food hygiene standards, requiring our team to work with exceptional care, speed, and precision.

The core objective was to improve air quality within the production environment by ensuring the AHU system effectively delivered clean, filtered air and extracted contaminated air — without disrupting ongoing production.

Why Air Filtration Matters in Food Production

Regularly cleaned and maintained air filtration systems are critical in food manufacturing. They prevent contamination, maintain hygiene standards, and support compliance with food safety regulations. These systems remove airborne particles, bacteria, and other contaminants, protecting products and processes from potential hazards.

Our Approach

Understanding the Setup

The AHU at McCormick is located on the plant deck, directly above continuously operating production lines below.

The system required installation of both supply and extract diffusers. Supply diffusers deliver fresh, filtered air from outside through the AHU and ductwork into the production areas while extract diffusers remove stale, particle-laden air, returning it to the AHU for filtration and recirculation.

Innovative Solutions for a Clean Environment

Given the location of the plant deck directly above sensitive and expensive machinery, we had to prevent any risk of debris contamination. To overcome this, we designed and built sealed cleanroom enclosures on scissor lifts, raised by cherry pickers and sealed to the ceiling during work. This allowed our engineers to work safely and hygienically directly above the production lines, without impacting operations below.

Working Around a 24/7 Production Schedule

A significant challenge was scheduling installation around McCormick’s non-stop production cycle. Planned maintenance windows were limited, and there were no traditional ‘out-of-hours’ opportunities. Our team adapted by:

• Working during planned shutdowns
• Flexing shifts into evenings and weekends
• Maintaining close collaboration with McCormick to find operational windows

Despite these constraints, we maintained an uninterrupted production process throughout the entire project.

Kieran Howell, Arcade’s Project Manager said, “We’ve worked seamlessly together. The end result is going to be a real advantage to them.”

Delivering for the future

Our skilled team’s ability to work innovatively under pressure delivered quality results for McCormick by:

• Enhancing air quality through optimised AHU and diffuser installations, resulting in continuous compliance with UK food safety and air quality standards
• Ensured no disruption to ongoing food production
• Creating cleanroom construction tailored to site-specific constraints
• Improving relationship with the client

Looking Ahead

The high standard of the completed work ensures that we continue to position ourselves as a trusted service provider and we will be partnering with McCormick on further projects in the future.

Kieran added: “Some of the methods we’ve used here have been really impressive… It’s not about reinventing the wheel – it’s about how we work, how we think, and the results we deliver.”

Can We Help You Too?

Half a century of experience coupled with a trusted industry reputation, and ability to navigate complex environments, make us the go-to partner for ventilation and process engineering, including in the food production sector. If your organisation requires support with its ventilation systems, we’re ready to help.