Everyone wants to look their best for company. With its growing popularity, Cape Cod Potato Chips has seen its annual number of visitors grow to more than 250,000 at its manufacturing plant in Barnstable, MA. The nearly 40-year-old facility was in need of a fresh look and ribbed metal wall panels from McElroy Metal were prescribed for the exterior renovation.

“The facelift was simply to improve visitor experience,” says Michael Pellegrino, AIA, at J.J. White Inc., in Boston. “They’ve got a huge international following now and the original building had a tired look and really needed a cosmetic upgrade.

“We took it from a 1970s beige and white building to a modern-looking bright blue and gray building with a bold white trim.”

The original plan was to install McElroy Metal’s Wave panel vertically, but ultimately, the client decided on the bolder Mega-Rib, installed horizontally. Mega-Rib is a 7.2 exposed fastener panel that provides strength and spanning capabilities. The distance from rib to rib is 7.2 inches.

“The use of metal panels was cost-driven and they speed up construction,” Pellegrino says. “To install the panels horizontally, we required an engineered substructure. McElroy’s engineering group provided that assistance and the installation was completed without issue.”

More than 8,500 square feet of 26-gauge Mega-Rib was installed by Robert Ganter Contractors Inc. of Quakertown, Penn. The panels were a combination of Roman Blue and Ash Gray.

“It was a pretty simple project, straight-forward installation,” says John Gannon, estimator and project manager for Robert Ganter Contractors. “We were in a bit of a hurry to get everything done before the busy tourist season in summer. We got in and out in about two months.

“It was really one of those rare flawless projects. Deliveries were on time, in the right order and to the right place. We’ve heard nothing but good things.”

The Cape Cod Potato Chip facility, which is owned by the Campbell Soup Company, now has a look as unique as the taste of its kettle cooked chips. Visitors can enjoy a 30-minute self-guided tour, a behind-the-scenes look at the process, from peeling and cutting the potatoes to bagging the finished product. New signage and televisions explain the kettle chip making process. The tour concludes at the redesigned gift shop for a complimentary bag of chips on the new outdoor patio.

“We’ve even gotten some positive feedback from visitors,” Pellegrino says. “That’s unusual, so it’s safe to say everyone is pleased with how the renovation turned out.”