September/October 2021 - 23

GAB OPERATIONS
Miguel: We needed to increase cold
storage capacity for fresh produce and
develop a hub for our company's U.S.
and Canadian customers. A M King
worked with us to ensure that the layout
and flow of the space met current as
well as future needs.
JD: How do you preserve product
integrity as it's arriving from
Mexico?
Jaime Usabiaga: When the dock doors
are open and the trucks are outside,
there's going to be a temperature or
heat exchange right there when you
are moving product.
JD: So that's why the drive-through
application works?
Jaime: Exactly. There are two big
advantages to that. One, it is the fact
that you don't lose the temperature and
the other one is that you can actually
seal the truck inside of the facility
instead of having your people come
out of the cold room to do that. That
wastes time and might not be as safe
as it could. Little things like that. Then,
we move the produce straight into the
forced air cooler.
Miguel: There will be capacity in the
forced air cooler to house an entire
truckload of pallets. Using dedicated
fans, air is pulled through the pallets
to help safely drop the temperature of
the produce to prevent the development
of condensation and keep the produce
from prematurely ripening.
Putting employees first
JD: What about employee welfare?
It seems like you all invest in that.
Look at those dorm spaces you've
created in the new facility. Those are
unique. What is your perspective
on employee amenities?
Miguel: It's difficult to find employees
right now. We're concerned about
at t ract ing employees, but also
retaining our workforce. To do that
we must focus on not only where they
work but how they work. Are they
safe? Comfortable?
PRODUCE PROCESS ING
21
PROFILES
 Jaime Usabiaga and Miguel Usabiaga, president and vice president, respectively, of GAB Operations, LLC
stand in front of their company's new facility that was designed and is currently being built by A M King.
Jaime: We can't build a nice facility
and have poor amenities. We need
to have amenities that are safe, easy
to maintain, clean and that meet the
standards of the rest of the facility.
Miguel: The space configuration
developed with A M King supports
social distancing and access control for
the different users of our new facility.
For example, as you mentioned, we've
got a unique 16-bed trucker dormitory
where our fleet drivers may rest before
continuing their route. It will feature
a lounge, shower and toilet area and
two exterior doors to help create a
single flow through the space. It will
only be accessed by fleet drivers.
Dock employees will have their own
breakroom and training room, lockers
and toilets.
Jaime: Even the office area is set
up for employee safety and comfort.
The workspace design, which consists
of a large open area with manager

September/October 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September/October 2021

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