American Italian Pasta Company (AIPC), winner ofFood Engineering

FE’s Joyce Fassl presented the 2003 Food Plant of the Year Award to American Italian Pasta Company. Left to right: AIPC Operations Director Tim Lethcoe, AIPC Engineering Manager Doug Delamore, Fassl, AIPC VP Engineering Eric Johnson and construction partner Bill Bradbury, VP of Younglove Construction.
Food Engineering’s 2003 Food Plant of the Year award, was honored at a luncheon ceremony held last month in Clearwater Beach, Fla., during the Food Automation & Manufacturing Conference & Expo. Over 160 food plant engineering and operations executives attended the event, which featured a presentation by AIPC Vice President of Engineering Eric Johnson.

“AIPC’s plant in suburban Phoenix raises the bar on what constitutes fast-track construction of a highly automated food plant,” said Joyce Fassl, FE's editor in chief.

The plant’s engineering staff served as general contractors for the $47 million project. In a bold move to speed completion, mechanics assembled one of the 35-ton lines in the warehouse space while the production area was being built, then rolled that line into place with the aid of eight forklifts. A full report on the plant can be found in FE’s April issue or at www.foodengineeringmag.com.