Success Story: Silo Cleaning for ConAgra Foods

The Challenge

When a silo transitions from one product run to another, everything left behind from the previous run has to go. For ConAgra Foods, that meant preparing bean silos for a new product — a job where “mostly clean” isn’t clean enough. Residual debris from the old run risks contaminating the incoming product, so the silo has to be cleared completely and made ready before the changeover.

What Our Team Did

Our crew entered each silo from the top and worked through the structure by hand, removing debris from the old product and preparing the interior for the new one. Working inside the silo — rather than just around it — is what sets this kind of cleaning apart: the team is inches from every wall, seam, and surface.

• Top-entry cleaning of each silo during the product transition
• Complete removal of debris from the previous bean run
• Interior preparation for the incoming product
• Up-close inspection of the silo structure while cleaning

The Bonus: Leaks Found and Fixed

Because the team was working so close to the silo walls, they were able to detect leaks that would have gone unnoticed from the outside — and fix them. Every issue spotted during cleaning was documented and raised directly with ConAgra’s management, so nothing was left as a surprise for the next run.

The Result

Silos that might otherwise have aged into disrepair are still in reliable service. The constant, hands-on care of these silos has become a great example of preventative maintenance in action: cleaning crews who actually touch the equipment catch small problems while they’re still small, and the equipment lasts longer because of it.