No question about it, sugar plants consume vast amounts of electricity, and with a lot of aging equipment, there’s no doubt that several motors and the mechanical systems they drive are probably consuming more power than they should—due to worn bearings and a general lack of maintenance. In many instances, motors are probably not using variable speed drives, and large inrush currents place a big demand on electrical utilities.

Today, consumers expect to choose from a wide choice of brands and products—not just from the “center” of the store, but fresh and organic products from the periphery of the store. Sometimes new products are short lived and are designed to be that way—because consumers’ choices turn on a dime. Automation can help processors turn products around faster by increasing production.

Diageo will try to make its new Bulleit whiskey distillery in Kentucky carbon neutral, electrifying the boilers with renewable power as a step toward the company’s climate change goals.

Two peanut butter brands are adding squeeze pouches to their product lineups, using flexible packaging to appeal to people who don't like getting the spread on their hand when they scrape the last bits out of the jar.

A federal lab helping scale up production of COVID-19 test tubes found a solution in the beverage industry: the plastic used for Coca-Cola bottles.