Ardent Mills Mill Modernization

All plant equipment has a lifespan, including network infrastructure. As Ardent Mills anticipated the equipment at many of its flour mills was nearing the end of their lifecycle, it proactively developed a strategy for allocating and installing new network equipment at 27 sites from coast to coast across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Interstates partnered with Ardent Mills’ IT team to plan the modernization effort and execute on-site installations. Having new network equipment installed will help keep the plants running optimally and allow for future technology to be added to fresh infrastructure with reliable backup power sources.

Key Scope Components

Interstates was responsible for installing core and access switches, moving and cleaning up patch cables to new switches, and assisting with the new server installation. Once the upgrade was complete, the remote programmers confirmed communications and connectivity to the plant floor.

Due to the number of sites and the timeline of the updates needed, Interstates sent team members to the facilities to ‘co-pilot’ the effort to upgrade more plants in less time.

Strong project management was key to the preparation necessary for these efficient installations. This involved planning and scheduling between Interstates and the owner, prepping the crew with the needed information, and shipping necessary equipment and labels to the job sites before installation.