SHEPHERD, the York-based engineering and construction business, has formed a Food and Drink Group "in response to client demand."

The group, headed by Tony Lally, Shepherd's business development director, brings together the skills of about 80 people with food and drink expertise.

Their skills are in fields as wide-ranging as feasibility studies, funding, design, construction, clean technology, process engineering, private finance initiatives and facilities management.

Mr Lally said: "We have worked at the cutting edge of food and drink for more than 30 years with most of the food and drinks companies in the UK.

"In research commissioned by us among existing and potentially new clients our strengths were cited as quality, an unmatchable skills base, a track record of innovation and the ability to solve technical and complex problems - such as with our clean technology and process engineering skills."

But because Shepherd's skills base had grown so rapidly, few clients realised the breadth of in-house services it had acquired, and with it, the potential for reducing risk and saving time and money, he said.

"And yet, this is what businesses are now looking for. They want one point of contact to work with them from feasibility and conceptual design through to final operation of their process equipment."

Examples of Shepherd's projects in the food sector include:

Designing and building Europe's largest soft drinks manufacturing plant from concept to manufacturing systems

Designing environmentally-friendly and cheaper chilling systems without electric drives

Building the clean rooms that helped British beef get back into Europe

Shoe-horning a major process line into existing facilities without disrupting production

Designing an innovative milk production and processing plant in Egypt on a reclaimed desert.