ADM Cocoa Singapore has installed a new, fully-automated silo storage facility for cocoa beans making Singapore one of the most advanced cocoa processing plants in the world, producing top quality DeZaan powders, liquors and butter for ADM Cocoa's global customers. The beans are called off automatically for processing without the need for human handling, making quality control more effective and production more efficient. Compared with the common practice of storage in jute bags within humid, poorly-ventilated warehouses, ADM Cocoa's temperature-controlled storage and automated handling system represents a significant advantage over other cocoa processors in the region. ADM Cocoa is the leading supplier of cocoa products, representing around 20 percent of the world crop.

Galaxy Foods Co. (Orlando, Fla.), changed its name to Galaxy Nutritional Foods, Inc. and announced plans to bolster production capacity while reducing manual labor through the installation of new equipment. The company expects plant efficiencies due to automation upgrades to increase the current production time by decreasing downtime related to cleanups and changeovers. These upgrades should also bolster annual manufacturing capability, which yielded $42 million in sales in fiscal 2000. The company anticipates the new equipment will also result in a 23 percent reduction in labor costs.