Facilities Management Solutions (FMS) was approached by
Brioche Pasquier UK to deliver critical infrastructure for a major production line expansion. The complex project forms the founda- tion of a wider £20m investment in the prestigious French bakery brand’s UK operations, headquartered in Milton Keynes.
The scope included the design and build of cold rooms, flammable and chemical storage, washrooms, and a pre-mix room, all within a live food production site – a highly sensitive and high- specification setting.
Client vision
Brioche Pasquier is renowned for its exceptionally high standards in cleanliness, precision and production efficiency. The goal was to install a new production line, which required the construction of several critical support facilities. Although the project took place within an active bakery site, it was carefully designed and executed in a fully segregated area, ensuring that live production activities remained completely unaffected. The separation allowed operations to continue uninterrupted, while still maintaining stringent hygiene and audit standards throughout.
The project demanded the highest levels of diligence and coordination. FMS was tasked not only with overseeing the physical construction but also with managing a large and varied team of over 70 contractors from 12 specialist organisations, spanning drainage, steelwork, flooring, industrial door installation, pipe work, structural design, tiling and specialist cold storage.
From the outset, Brioche Pasquier’s meticulous approach shaped the design process. Numerous meetings, Teams calls, and design iterations were required for approvals, with stakeholders in both the UK and France contributing. This was a significant and collaborative undertaking, and FMS ensured each request – however technical – was swiftly translated into updated drawings and specifications.
One notable design revision included the introduction of a one- tonne insulated panel, which required the re-engineering of the gantry support system to safely accommodate the load. Structural engineers, design consultants, and contractors were brought together to devise an appropriate solution.
The delivery
FMS began groundwork just before Christmas 2024, pushing on through challenging circumstances with an ambitious target to complete by the end of May. The works involved:
- Installation of high-spec cold rooms with food-safe
- Quadcore panels
- Construction of flammable and chemical storage zones
- Delivery of a new washroom, upgraded with bespoke linear drainage systems sourced from Denmark
- Steel gantries, walkways, cat ladders and link bridges to support workflow and safe access
- Implementation of specialist polymer composite kerbs and impact-resistant stainless steel bollards
- Groundwork and reinstatement of flooring, with drainage depths requiring advanced concrete cutting and excavation
- Integration of high-performance doors, including Hörmann sectional and rapid roll Negeco doors
This was no off-the-shelf build. Each system and feature had to meet bespoke functional, hygiene and operational standards – from the anti-slip hexagonal tiles in the pre-mix room to the ceiling- mounted handrails and fire-rated wall and ceiling panels.
FMS orchestrated an exceptional group of specialist contractors including cold store specialists, its sister company PGS for cold water feed and waste AHU installation, a preferred tiler that had been previously contracted by Brioche Pasquier for specialist tiling, groundworks and concrete cutting specialists for excavation for drainage, structural engineers and steel fabricators, design consultants and electrical teams, health and safety auditors, and compliance officers.
The challenge was compounded by simultaneous projects on site – including a solar panel installation (also managed by FMS) and Brioche Pasquier’s direct management of the production line install. The deliverables had to be precisely timed to enable French installation teams to arrive on schedule – with their travel, accommodation and visas already arranged.
Failure to meet this schedule would risk a domino effect, jeopardising the entire multi-million-pound expansion. Thanks to the team’s adaptability and drive, all elements are on track. Brioche Pasquier is regularly audited by its clients, and any deviation from safety standards could result in temporary plant closure – a risk FMS had to help the client avoid at all costs.
Fully enclosed work zones were established and a robust H&S programme carried out to ensure compliance across every trade on site. By proactively managing risks and rapidly responding to evolving site conditions, FMS helped ensure production continued without interruption.
Project outcome
This ambitious infrastructure project stands as a testament to FMS’s expertise in managing complex, high-spec builds in regulated environments. While the road has had its challenges, it has delivered a solution that meets every objective with precision.
Ryan Peters, Managing Director of Brioche Pasquier UK, said: “FMS have helped us with many projects on site, ranging from relatively small office and factory building works to a fully kitted out R&D lab, and now this latest, very important project linked to our second phase extension, which, when completed will house two high-capacity production lines moving us from a throughput of 1.4 million to more than three million products per day at our 250,000 square foot site.
“Their diligence, dedication, contract management and general ability to get the job done, whilst navigating our very bespoke requests, specifically linked to our high standard of quality, cleanliness and intricate design, all of which is done internally, show the full range of FMS’s project management capabilities.”
With the cold storage, washroom and utility infrastructure in place, FMS will support the next stage of the expansion – a new production line from France, installed directly onto the infrastructure.
Dan Cole, FMS Operations Director, said: “Where other facility management companies might falter under the pressure of conflicting demands and moving targets, FMS thrives. Our hands-on project management, specialist contractor network and unrelenting focus on client needs allow us to deliver high- impact, zero-disruption solutions, even in the most sensitive working environments.”
