American Food Groups - Beef Processing Facility Wright City, MO

icon Mechanical and sister company iENG Design served as the design-assist mechanical partner for America's Heartland Packing, American Foods Group's new 800,000 SF beef harvest facility in Wright City, Missouri. The USDA-regulated facility processes up to 2,400 cattle per day and features high-tech automation.

Multiple engineering disciplines and trades had to progress simultaneously across 800,000 square feet while meeting USDA sanitary requirements. There was no margin for miscommunication or sequencing gaps.

icon assigned dedicated discipline leads to each scope area and held weekly coordination meetings to resolve conflicts before they reached the field. When congested work areas threatened to delay branch piping installation, the team established a dedicated staging area and revised the sequence to keep work moving.

The project's most complex single-day milestone—setting 70 rooftop units by helicopter—was completed without incident through precise advance staging and equipment orientation.

HVAC Scope

• 70 packaged rooftop units
• VAV air terminals
• Makeup air units
• Exhaust systems
• Large gas distribution system
• Ventilation and gas piping to process utility equipment

Plumbing Scope

• Domestic water piping and water heaters
• Sanitary and roof drainage piping
• Emergency eyewash and safety shower systems with tempered water
• Prefabricated tempered-water heater skids

Project Insights

• 800,000 SF
• 2,400 cattle processed per day
• 70 rooftop units set by helicopter in a single day
• Facility expected to create approximately 1,300 jobs in the region