Pilot Plants: Worth the Investment

It may seem hard to justify the capital and operating costs of a proper pilot plant, and, in fact, many food companies have closed the ones they had. But this may be a very short-sighted decision, driven by an inadequate understanding of costs and benefits, as I’ll try to demonstrate.

Types of Pilot Plants
As I discussed in my previous article on pilot plants (May 2004, pp. 72–75), academic institutions, food companies, and equipment suppliers might have different types of pilot plants.

The emphas…