When Walkers Snack Foods began the major refit of a new facility in Skelmersdale, Lancashire, they faced a significant challenge—how to maintain food production in a safe and hygienic environment while construction work was still ongoing.

With construction consultants Summers-Inman overseeing the project, the facility required a temporary barrier to prevent dust and contamination from the ongoing work. Walkers also needed to comply with strict food hygiene and fire safety regulations, ensuring that production could begin six months ahead of the facility’s scheduled completion.

Additionally, a permanent partition was required to separate the food manufacturing area from the pallet store and despatch zones, providing long-term environmental and hygiene control.

The Solution

To meet Walkers’ needs, Galebreaker supplied and installed flexible, flame-retardant partitioning screens that provided a full seal, creating a dust-free and hygienic production zone.

Key features of the solution included:

• A 1500 sq.m temporary partition wall to shield food production from construction dust and debris.
• Compliance with Class ‘0’ fire regulations, ensuring the barrier was safe for use near industrial ovens.
• Custom-designed aluminium and stainless-steel frames and clamps to suspend and fix the screens, preventing any loose components from entering the food production area.
• Sealed cut-outs for pipes and wires passing between the construction and manufacturing zones.
• Integrated access doors for maintenance vehicles.

For the permanent partition, Galebreaker installed a high-performance screening system that separated the food production line from the pallet storage and dispatch area. This screen provided a 2.5m low-level opening, allowing efficient workflow and easy access to the loading bays.

The Benefits

• Enhanced Hygiene & Food Safety – The sealed partition completely stopped contamination, ensuring food production remained unaffected by construction work.
• Improved Environmental Control – The barrier helped regulate ventilation and temperature, contributing to better production conditions.
• Fire Safety Compliance – The fabric used in the screens achieved 113 minutes of fire protection in accordance with British Standard tests.
• Quick Installation & Minimal Disruption – Galebreaker’s ability to install quickly, including working weekends, prevented any delays to food production.
• Cost-Effective Solution – Compared to alternative methods, Galebreaker’s system was efficient, affordable, and adaptable.

Client Feedback

Steve Turner, Summers-Inman Project Manager, praised the effectiveness of the installation:

“The temporary partition works extremely well. It’s hygienic and gives greater environmental control so that we can more accurately regulate the ventilation and temperature. We chose Galebreaker for several reasons. They were good on price, quick to respond, and had the ability to install quickly. They were also happy to work weekends, which was essential as we did not want to stop the manufacturing process.”

Despite encountering some on-site challenges, Galebreaker completed the installation on time, ensuring the hygiene team could begin work as scheduled.

“It was crucial that Galebreaker completed the installation on time. They were scheduled to complete on Sunday, and the hygiene team was booked to start on Monday. Any problems they encountered, they solved. I have worked with Galebreaker before and, as ever, I am very happy with them and the product.”

Conclusion

By implementing Galebreaker’s flame-retardant and dust-resistant partitioning screens, Walkers Snack Foods successfully began production six months ahead of schedule while construction continued. The solution provided a safe, hygienic, and efficient workspace, proving Galebreaker’s expertise in delivering high-performance industrial screening systems.

To find out more about our internal partitioning systems – just get in touch.