In 2019, TMS successfully executed a specialized project for Americana Foods, one of the region’s leading food manufacturing companies. The project involved the design, fabrication, and installation of seven large-scale industrial steam extraction hoods for Americana’s cooking line, which operated with high-capacity furnaces. Each hood was engineered to handle the heavy vapor loads generated during cooking operations, ensuring compliance with strict health, safety, and hygiene standards in food production facilities.

The hoods were designed in the familiar pyramid-shaped range hood style, but on an industrial scale. Each unit measured 3.5 m x 3.5 m at the base with a total height of 6 meters. They were fabricated from 1.5 mm thick stainless steel, giving them the strength to withstand continuous high-temperature operation while maintaining corrosion resistance and long service life.

A high-powered exhaust fan—rated at 7.5 horsepower or higher, depending on process needs—was installed on each hood to provide the suction capacity required to pull steam and hot air away from the furnaces and expel it outside the facility. The system was also equipped with automatic sensors mounted at the furnace (oven) doors. When a furnace door is opened, the resulting steam plume interrupts the sensor beam at the door/gate, which immediately triggers the extraction fans. This arrangement ensures rapid response when steam is released while avoiding unnecessary operation when the furnaces are closed, making the system both energy-efficient and user-friendly.

For installation, TMS employed reinforced ceiling supports and steel-wire suspensions to ensure secure, vibration-free operation despite the size and weight of the hoods. To comply with food safety standards, the hoods were insulated with foam and fiberglass, preventing excess heat transfer into the workspace while creating a safer, more comfortable environment for employees.

The project was completed within a strict timeline: two months of fabrication followed by one month of installation in May 2019. Since commissioning, the system has run reliably with only routine quarterly maintenance and cleaning, and to this day, Americana Foods has reported no operational issues or failures.

This project not only delivered a highly effective solution but also marked the beginning of TMS’s long-term collaboration with Americana Foods, showcasing our capability to provide custom-engineered, high-performance extraction systems for the food industry.