Long-Term Facility Masterplanning for APPC

Long-Term Facility Masterplanning for APPC

Australian Pioneer Pistachio Company (APPC) is one of Australia’s leading pistachio producers. With strong and sustained growth in domestic and export demand, production volumes are forecast to increase significantly over the coming decades. This anticipated crop growth is placing increasing pressure on existing processing, storage, and logistics infrastructure, highlighting the need for long-term infrastructure planning.

To support continued expansion while maintaining operational efficiency, APPC required a structured masterplan to guide capital investment, infrastructure sequencing, and staged facility upgrades through to 2050. The masterplan provides a strategic framework to accommodate future throughput growth, optimise site layout and services, and ensure scalable, resilient infrastructure aligned with projected production capacity.

The brief

The project’s primary objective was to develop a comprehensive, evidence-based masterplan that would translate projected crop growth into practical processing, storage and site infrastructure requirements. This required detailed validation of existing plant capacity, assessment of system performance across peak harvest conditions, and identification of operational bottlenecks and site constraints limiting future throughput. 

The brief further called for the development of practical, staged upgrade pathways aligned with forecast production growth, critically managing capital expenditure effectively — prioritising investments, sequencing works to avoid stranded or redundant assets, and ensuring infrastructure expansions were scalable and timed to match demand.

The project

The project involved long-range crop modelling and assessment of the site’s current and future processing requirements. Ammjohn undertook detailed analysis of throughput performance, bottlenecks, water usage and overall plant capacity to determine when expansion would be required. 

Importantly, the masterplan was grounded in real operating conditions. On-site testing, operational reviews and engagement with site personnel were undertaken to confirm actual harvest performance and validate modelling assumptions. 

Future layouts were developed to accommodate staged plant upgrades, additional storage and improved material handling, ensuring expansion could occur while maintaining continuity of operations.

Our scope

Ammjohn’s scope comprised of: 

• Long-range crop modelling and production forecasting through to 2050 
• Assessment of existing processing capacity and identification of constraints
• On-site testing and operational validation
• Development of staged site layouts supported by 3D modelling 
• Definition of upgrade pathways aligned with forecast growth 
• Capital cost estimates and programme-level scheduling for each stage 
• Structured stakeholder engagement and reporting 

Outcome

Ammjohn delivered a clear, data-driven masterplan providing APPC with confidence in its long-term investment strategy. 

The masterplan enabled: 

• Initiation of Stage 1 works, including the 2026 pistachio silo upgrade 
• Defined scope and timing for the 2028 site upgrade 
• Clear decision triggers for future expansion stages 
• Alignment of production growth with practical, staged infrastructure development 

The result is a structured roadmap that links forecast crop growth directly to implementable capital works.

Key attributes demonstrated

• Long-Term Infrastructure Planning 

Integration of crop forecasting with processing, storage and site development. 

• Evidence-Based Validation 

Grounding strategic decisions in verified operating data. 

• Practical Upgrade Pathways 

Development of commercially realistic, staged expansion plans. 

• Clear Communication 

Provision of structured outputs enabling informed decision-making. 

• Delivery Alignment 

Masterplanning structured to transition seamlessly into detailed design and construction phases.