Planning from the Inside Out

Our Planning - Your Success

We support you in aligning your operations with a dynamically changing food market.

We accompany and advise you in the development, planning, and implementation of your project.

We plan for the food industry with all its raw material diversity, technological requirements, and productive characteristics.

Since our first projects in the meat industry, we have gained extensive expertise in all areas of food processing over more than 70 years of planning history with well over 500 successful projects.

Of course, we also plan for food by-products - whether in classic disposal or in the production of new foods from existing by-product streams.

"Concept development, planning, and implementation of all core and peripheral areas of food production" for Meat and NoMeat, from craft to industry - from the first idea to commissioning."

Excerpt from our planning portfolio:

• Meat / NewMeat
• Meat production / Meat processing
• Convenience
• Dairy
• Fish
• Fruits / Vegetables
• ...

Production

• Logistics
• IT-supported processes / ERP
• Cleanroom technology
• Personnel and social areas
• Administration
• ...

German and European food law

• Codex Alimentarius - HACCP
• IFS
• BRC
• USDA
• ASR
• ...

Whether new construction, expansion, or renovation in existing structures - craft or industry - we master all disciplines.

Of course, we plan manufacturer-neutral and are happy to cooperate with your preferred technology providers.

Whether of animal or plant origin, every raw material has its place in food production and is treated by us with the same passion for good and safe food.

Careful determination of the basics is essential for successful project planning and implementation.

For this, we take sufficient time to develop a financially viable, future-proof concept in personal discussions with you and by analyzing the status quo.

Of course, economic efficiency is always at the forefront.

Therefore, we plan from the inside out!

From the process to the periphery.

First, we plan the production processes to make the actual value creation lean and rational. The material flows are designed, and cross-contamination is avoided.

The necessary periphery, such as goods receipt, storage, cooling, shipping, etc., is attached, and administration and social areas are integrated.

Of course, the employee, as your most valuable resource, is always the focus of every planning section.

Therefore, the social area with a canteen or company restaurant, the recreation and break rooms receive as much attention as the changing rooms, the sanitary areas in particular, and the personnel routes in general.

The aspects relevant to product safety, such as personnel, production, and operational hygiene, are conceptually and planning-wise adequately taken into account.

Our Planning - Your Success

An Important Pillar in the Planning of Successful and Economical Food Businesses:

Technical Building Equipment (TBE)

This term encompasses all permanently installed technical facilities in and around a building that ensure it can be used functionally.

This essentially includes heating, ventilation, sanitation, cooling, and process-relevant media such as compressed air, vacuum, and packaging gases.

A well-founded TBE specialist planning is necessary to ideally coordinate technical systems and achieve maximum resource conservation and energy recovery.

Thus, a comprehensive concept of plant technology, optimally adapted to the needs, ensures both short- and long-term cost savings and is ultimately also margin-effective.

Our decades of in-house experience in the technical building services planning of food processing plants shows, that, with regard to the construction project, enormous cost savings of up to 20 percent can already be realized in the short term without compromising quality.

There is a great variety of different systems and manufacturers.

However, the ultimate "standard solution" only exists with rudimentary, superficial planning without industry expertise.

We plan the optimal technical building equipment for you, which harmonizes with your production processes and is economical to operate.

Are you planning the renovation or conversion of your existing operation?

Then you are in the right place with us!

Our TBE engineers are qualified as energy auditors, analyze and evaluate the status quo of your building technology, and develop concepts according to the state of the art.

Do you have an innovative basic orientation and want to improve your footprint, especially in energy-intensive and thus cost-intensive areas? Then we support you in economically implementing the latest available technology.

Our Planning Competence:

• Heating and heat generation systems (steam, thermal oil, etc.)
• Heat recovery systems
• Energy storage as ice/heat storage or phase change materials
• Drinking water treatment
• Wastewater disposal
• Compressed air systems
• Vacuum systems
• Technical gases
  • Protective atmosphere
  • Stunning systems
  • Cooling
• Cleaning systems
  • Surface cleaning
  • Chemical supply
• Fire extinguishing systems
  • Sprinklers
  • CO2 systems
  • Wall hydrants
  • Oxygen reduction
• Ventilation systems
  • Air renewal
  • Air conditioning systems
  • Process air technology systems
  • Exhaust air cleaning systems
  • Air washers
  • Thermal afterburning
  • UV-C ultraviolet radiation
• Cleanroom technology
• Refrigeration systems
  • Deep freezing
  • Normal cooling
  • Room cooling
  • Future-proof natural refrigerants
• Electrical installations
  • High voltage systems
  • Telecommunications and information technology systems
• Own power generation
  • Biogas plants
  • Combined heat and power (CHP)
  • Combined heat, power, and cooling (CHPC)
  • Photovoltaic systems
• Renewable energies
• Building automation
• Logistics

The great expertise from the inside out

You don't need a consultant who takes an academic view of your business from a large distance and makes well-paid but impractical recommendations?

Are you looking for real support in the further development of your company?

Then you've come to the right place.

We won't explain your own core competencies to you, but will help you to focus on them and still develop your company.

As the Falkenstein general planning office, we have been planning for over 70 years for the food industry and not only have the obligatory knowledge and experience in the areas of technology, processes, technical building equipment and architecture.

We also have - perhaps exclusively - decades of experience in the management and strategic development of craft and industrial businesses with operational responsibility.

From this wealth of experience, we know that the ideal solution is not always appropriate to the requirements of the company and the available budget, but that the optimal solution will lead to sustainable business success.

The optimal direction and development of your company is determined and planned in a personal exchange at an equal footing and constructive discussions.

We not only advise and plan the obligatory sectors for you:

• Technology
• Processes
• Intralogistics
• Technical building equipment
• Energy efficiency
• Architecture

• German and European food law
• Animal welfare
• Food defense

• International food standards such as IFS or BRC
• Occupational health and safety
• Environmental law

but also competently on operational topics such as

• Use of resources
• Value creation
• Cost calculation at item level
• Calculation models
• Amortization calculations
  
• IT / industry software
• MES and ERP systems

• Personnel deployment
  • Manpower vs. automation vs. robotics
  • Shift planning
  • Working time shift models

Appreciation of industry-specific trends and developments

INTERNATIONAL GENERAL PLANNING
FALKENSTEIN is an internationally active architecture and engineering firm that has been providing general planning services for complex construction projects for over 40 years.
With over 50 employees at its locations in Aulendorf/Germany and Blumenau/Brazil, Falkenstein can look back on several hundred successfully completed projects worldwide as a high-performance general planning office.

The requirements for the buildings to be constructed are demanding and, in addition to the architectural, fit-out and open space planning, also include the project planning of the technical equipment and technology. Project teams made up of architects, engineers and technologists are formed for each requirement, which develop coordinated and comprehensive planning documents under the coordination of a project manager.

A construction project is accompanied through all service phases - starting with advice on the optimal choice of site, formulation of the project objectives, planning of architecture, statics, heating, ventilation, plumbing, cooling and electrical systems, preparation of tenders, construction supervision by experienced site managers to ensure quality, right through to the turnkey handover of the project.

Planning from the inside out - with us, building planning follows the requirements of production!

Our specialist architects create buildings that are optimally aligned to the respective production processes.
We know the challenges that projects for food production entail, because very high and very low temperatures, suspended and dynamic loads, moisture and dust, mechanical and chemical loads, component penetrations due to conveyor technology and a disproportionate amount of technical equipment are all influences that need to be responded to with suitable solutions. We know about the necessary details that guarantee maximum operational and process hygiene in the long term.

Depending on the use, we develop the optimum room configuration, with a variety of construction details that we have developed in our more than 70 years of planning activity specifically for the special requirements of food production and which have proven themselves in our realized projects.
A structure that is as flexible as possible and the consideration of growth potentials are naturally part of the basis of every planning.
Our building planning is based on national legal requirements, as well as on the Workplace Directive (ASR), the recommendations of the relevant trade associations, and the requirements of food law and certification requirements such as IFS or BRC.

In addition to the obligatory planning, our architectural services include the increasingly complex coordination of all those involved in planning, quality and cost control as well as coordination with authorities and funding agencies.

The planning process for a building comprises a total of nine service phases, which build on each other chronologically as follows:

SERVICE PHASE 1: DETERMINATION OF BASIC PRINCIPLES
We clarify the task with the client with regard to the usage requirements, the objectives, the desired building quality, the cost budget, the basic property requirements or, in the case of an existing business, the existing conditions in personal discussions at your premises or alternatively in online meetings.

SERVICE PHASE 2: PRELIMINARY PLANNING (PROJECT AND PLANNING PREPARATION)
We analyze and evaluate the determined basics and develop an optimal building concept including the investigation of variants. In the early planning phase, we integrate the essential technological facilities as well as the technical building equipment (TGA). Once the preliminary planning has been approved, we conduct initial preliminary negotiations with the authorities regarding the suitability for approval and prepare a cost estimate in accordance with DIN 276.

SERVICE PHASE 3: DESIGN PLANNING (INTEGRATION PLANNING)
In this important planning phase, we develop the final solution for the planning task, coordinating and integrating the technical building services, technology, structural design and fire protection issues. The planning documents are submitted to the approval authorities as a building and BImSchG application together with an object description and serve as the basis for the cost calculation in accordance with DIN 276.
Integration planning and, subsequently, implementation planning are carried out using the BIM method. This involves developing a digital twin of the building in collaboration with all planners involved in the construction process. BIM enables joint and simultaneous work on the planning task (as a 3D model) and thus promotes an early exchange of information to avoid errors (e.g. route collision).

SERVICE PHASE 4: APPROVAL PLANNING
The plans drawn up in phase 3 are submitted for approval together with the necessary forms, calculations and descriptions. After review by the authorities, any necessary additions or adjustments are made to the planning documents.

SERVICE PHASE 5: IMPLEMENTATION PLANNING
The results of service phases 3 and 4 are updated and developed into a planning solution ready for implementation. The drawings contain all the individual details required for the construction work, for example construction drawings or industry-specific construction management details from the food industry, and serve as the basis for the tenders and for the structural implementation.

SERVICE PHASE 6: PREPARATION OF THE CONTRACT AWARD
In this service phase, all necessary documents and information for the award process are compiled and prepared for the tender. Preparation of service descriptions and service specifications, also for TGA and technology.

SERVICE PHASE 7: PARTICIPATION IN THE AWARD OF CONTRACT
Based on the tender documents prepared, offers are obtained from potential contractors, checked and evaluated. Using a price comparison list, the client can then compare the offers received and decide who should be awarded the contract.

SERVICE PHASE 8: CONSTRUCTION SUPERVISION
Phase 8 is an essential part of the architectural service, as it ensures that the construction project is implemented in accordance with the building permit, the implementation plans, the performance specifications, the generally recognized rules of technology and the relevant regulations. The tasks of construction supervision include coordinating all companies involved in the construction, drawing up and monitoring a construction schedule, organizing acceptance tests and monitoring the rectification of any defects identified.

SERVICE PHASE 9: PROPERTY MANAGEMENT AND DOCUMENTATION
If phase 9 is commissioned, the rectification of defects that occur within the limitation periods for warranty claims, but no later than five years after acceptance of the construction work, is monitored.