In 2016, Olymel, the largest pork producer in Canada, decided to once again expand its Saint Esprit plant.  Like all meat processing facilities, it needs daily washing of all interior surfaces which can potentially pose quite a corrosion challenge.

Rust concerns go beyond the normal worries of structural weakening and higher maintenance costs in these type of facilities, as the porous surface of corroded steel, and especially corrosion hidden under failing paint, creates a home for dangerous bacteria to hide, rendering standard cleaning procedures ineffective.

Sometimes the best salesman for hot-dip galvanizing is galvanizing itself. The previous expansion some years ago was galvanized and Olymel has witnessed firsthand the striking short and long-term benefits of galvanizing as compared to other coatings.

Therefore, there was no question what to use as a corrosion solution for this latest $25M expansion.  Hot-dip galvanizer was specified from the beginning and the galvanizer delivered high quality galvanized steel components from two modern, high capacity plants, assuring no delays whatsoever in erection.

Now in operation, this expansion has created 200 new jobs and thanks in part to hot-dip galvanized steel, Olymel can sell their pork products worldwide from an expanded facility. Superior corrosion protection keeps maintenance costs low and even more importantly, increases food safety.