Tyson Foods Chooses PHP for Stable, Sustainable Rooftop Supports

SITUATION
Tyson Foods couldn’t take any chances with rooftop refrigeration pipelines that chilled a 28,000 square foot high-volume chicken processing facility in Noel, Missouri. For this job any support system required durable stability for three reasons: 1) sections of the building had to remain between 40 degrees to 50 degrees for processing; 2) pipelines carried ammonia, a key element in refrigeration, but one that can be hazardous if a line ruptures; and 3) the roof had a 2-on-12 slope. Adding complexity to the job were existing gas pipelines, electrical lines, vacuum lines, glycol refrigeration lines and multiple mechanical ductwork systems, all incorporated into the support system design.

SOLUTION
As with all PHP jobs, engineers designed a no-cost, detailed rooftop support plan using CAD drawings to pinpoint the location of each support. The plan illustrated each support, spaced at 10-foot or less intervals throughout the 4,800 linear foot job, enabling Tyson engineers to see the entire system before the bid process began. PHP’s proprietary supports with adjustable legs and swivel attachments were specified, allowing the bases of these structures to match the roof slope and the support legs to remain straight. Tyson specified “PHP-designed Crossovers,” with the same swivel attachments, for crossing over rooftop piping at designated areas.

It was important to Tyson that the system would provide a sustainable solution – engineered with the industry’s highest performance standards. Additionally, since the system is designed to adjust as needs change, Tyson was confident that PHP’s solution would serve them for the life of each roof area they designed and implemented.

RESULTS:
During the 10+ year relationship with Tyson Foods, PHP has designed and installed approximately 25% of all rooftop support systems on Tyson facilities. Tyson likes the added benefit that PHP supports are reusable in a variety of configurations, which over time, means less cost and less waste in landfills – inherent in PHP’s sustainable rooftop support systems.

WHY TYSON CHOSE THE PHP SYSTEMS DESIGN:
Protection - “Our biggest financial consideration in using portable pipe hangers is that the old way of permanent, non-adjustable pipe support systems can normally not be re-used when a new roof is installed. Also permanent, non-adjustable pipe support systems inevitably cause damage to the roofing system.”
- Bill Schultz, Project Engineer
Tyson Foods.

Utility - “By the time we finish designing for the re-roofing of an area, due to insulation and drainage considerations, the old roof height versus the new roof height can vary as much as six to twenty four inches in areas. With the PHP System in place we can re-adjust those supports and re-use them. We haven’t done any return-on-investment analysis on it, but in a case where pipe supports can be re-used, we don’t have to buy new pipe support systems, so that’s quite a value.”
- Bill Schultz, Project Engineer
Tyson Foods.

Performance - “PHP goes above and beyond to build it right. They also back their product. Over time, if we have any problems they correct those problems.”
- Bill Schultz, Project Engineer
Tyson Foods.

Design - “I deal with rooftop system issues every day, so when they design the support system up front, it takes some of the estimating guesswork out of it for me. The result is an extremely accurate estimate.”
- Bill Schultz, Project Engineer
Tyson Foods.