MachinePoint Engineering was commissioned by Exotic Food to equip a new state-of-the-art facility in Thailand.
Exotic Food Public Company Limited is a Thailand-based company engaged in manufacturing and distribution of seasoning products and food ingredients. Exotic Food products include dipping sauces, chili sauces, and other food ingredient products such as coconut milk and curry paste.
MachinePoint Engineering provides engineering design, project management and specialized technical advice and consulting services for companies in the food and beverage industries. It belongs to MachinePoint Group, which brings over 20 years’ experience serving the industry in over 80 countries.
Exotic Food began as a vision of two siblings, both passionate about Thai food, who dreamed of seeing their beloved cuisine cooked and enjoyed in restaurants and homes around the world. Founded in 1999, Exotic Food began by selling a few dozen-core items. Today, the brand encompasses more than 200 Thai food and beverage products, available at stores around the world in more than 62 countries and counting.
To maintain this growth and achieve even higher quality standards, supply excellency and competitiveness, Exotic Food decided to build a complete new plant, with higher a production capacity, higher overall efficiency, less human intervention and higher automatization, complying with European and American standards.
The biggest challenge for Exotic Food was to choose the right partner that could help and support them taking the right decisions throughout the project of the new plant. Just to mention a few for example:
1 Dimensioning the plant correctly, but not as per actual production capacity, but as per future expected needs, but at the same time not overinvesting. This meant finding the right balance between actual needs, future needs, available budget and possible further expansion capacity
2 Auditing their actual production process and be capable of replicating the same products by using newer technology and different equipment, maintaining the same products aspect (viscosity, color, etc..) and taste; was also a big challenge.
3 Choosing the best options for glass and pet filling and down-stream equipment, as well as so many different format changes needed, for different products with so many different viscosities and properties.
4 Negotiating the best prices and services with different suppliers; controlling all schedules so as not to miss the established deadlines; integrating the different suppliers and ensuring overall efficiency; start-up and training; implementing a whole SCADA System for complete control of the plant and product traceability, etc…
After researching for a suitable partner Exotic Food finally chose MachinePoint Engineering for consulting and engineering services. MachinePoint Engineering developed a “Program” that adapts to each customer’s needs, reducing the initial financial costs, and giving customers the possibility to step out at any time, meaning budgets and supply scope are clearly defined before being closed in on a project. MachinePoint Engineering is specialized in the Food & Beverage Industry and it´s proven independency, as well as it´s long expertise and know-how delivering turn-key & open-book projects; made it the best choice partner for Exotic-Food.
MachinePoint Engineering adapted the 3 different Phases, “scopes of supply”, of its “Program” to Exotic-Food´s needs.
Phase I, established the product definition and formulation to the final production, considering the process design and production recipes. Including process definition, simple lay-out drawings, timeline, with suggested equipment and needed investment. At the end of this phase we received a detailed RFQ (Request for quotation) so the OEMs could offer exactly what was needed for this project.
Phase II, included general engineering, calculations of materials and equipment, and final budget approval, timeline. Selection of equipment, materials list, specifications for purchase of materials and equipment, final layouts. Important in this phase was MachinePoint Engineering expertise in negotiating final contracts with all suppliers; due to its machinery knowledge and services costs, MachinePoint Engineering was capable of bringing significant price reductions to the different suppliers offers, way above Exotic-Foods expectations and more then justifying MachinePoint Engineering consultancy and engineering fees.
Phase III, with equipment installation, commissioning, start-up, initial production support and personnel training for operation and future maintenance. The correct “Project Management” here guaranteed a smooth initiation of production in schedule with the appropriate personnel in charge of every part of the factory.
Exotic Food has successfully opened a new plant filling process that happens in a “clean room” which guarantees product safety for final consumers and increases shelf life, its production flow goes smooth and customers have experienced a perfect timing between placing an order and receiving the product, as well as a significant reduction of time-delivery, overall products are more consistent with equal fill heights, perfect labelling, packaging and appearance.
With the plant complying with European and American standards, sales are increasing and new customers are knocking on Exotic-Foods door, as it is now well known that Exotic-Food is the most reliable Thai-Food supplier worldwide, based on quality, safety, supply capability and trust, product traceability and taste.
Exotic Food is a brand that stands for the quality of the raw materials it uses, and its fresh and modern approach to Thai cuisine. It has successfully positioned itself as a premium brand of Thai products, and is a leading example on how to export Thai cuisine worldwide. Its new plant is just another example its ambition to guarantee that products are manufactured preserving their best natural qualities and achieving the highest-quality final product possible. The new plant has been designed so that suppliers can check in real time the entire manufacturing process, pleasing the most demanding customer with the highest International Quality Standards.
