Evolutions for the manufacturing supply chain

As our industry continues to reinvent itself to meet shifting consumer demands, food and beverage manufacturing leaders are realizing speed to market and flexibility have never been more important. Our annual report on plant construction projects in this issue shows that savvy processors require fast-track speed and vertical startup procedures for all projects. Why?

According to a recent report from Technomic entitled “Food Industry Transformation: The Next Decade,” consumer demand for clean labels on food products is shifting food manufacturing to more organic and sustainable products, a development that will require a supply chain focused on fresh and local goods. In addition, the report states that revamping the supply chain will encompass not only manufacturing operations, but also sourcing processes, packaging, facility site selection and distribution.

According to Technomic, one way to prepare for supply chain changes is to embrace big data. Responding to consumer demand requires extensive research and engagement with end-users on social media to deliver the right products at the right time.

Here at Food Engineering, we are also preparing for the cyber shift. As you probably know, there is a lot more to FE than our printed pages. In addition to magazine articles, we produce various webinars, the Food Automation & Manufacturing Conference, the semimonthly TechFlash e-newsletter and multiple breaking-news social media posts every day.

In the next few weeks, we will be making another cyber update: Food Engineering’s website,www.foodengineeringmag.com, will be redesigned to make it totally responsive and compatible with desktop computers, cell phones and tablets. The same comprehensive Food Engineering content will be available on all your devices, but now you have only one URL to remember. Plus, sharing articles with your colleagues will be easier, and the most popular information tabs will be more prominent.

We look forward to providing you with an enhanced user experience. Providing the right content at the right time in the right format is our mandate.

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Joyce Fassl has spent most of her career in magazine management. As the former editor-in-chief of Food Engineering, Fassl has directed the magazine’s editorial staff since 1986, except for a two-year stretch where she oversaw content direction for the debut of Packexpo.com. Her expertise is creating dynamic print and online content, building top-notch editorial teams and managing innovative custom publishing projects and live events. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Penn State University. In addition to supervising all Food Engineering content, Joyce is Program Director for the Food Automation & Manufacturing Conference.