Innovation

Detecting foreign matter to avoid contamination

Rose Shilling

March 2, 2020

A wide variety of machines can help ensure that foreign matter doesn't slip into your product.

Engineering R&D

Could the next big step in HPP be bulk processing?

Wayne Labs

February 20, 2020

Hiperbaric recently released a new machine concept for processing liquid in bulk.

Tech Update

Technologies help processors find best temperature for quality, efficiency

Rose Shilling

February 17, 2020

Three companies are using interesting methods to keep refrigerated and frozen foods at just the right temperature.

Food Safety

How to keep traceability on track

Technology developers and program operators must make a compelling case for traceability if systems are to become omnipresent.

Richard Mitchell

February 14, 2020

Widespread traceability in the meat and poultry sector appears to be a concept whose time has come.

Improving OEE

Finding new AI-based methods to boost productivity requires digital data

Large gains in productivity have been made over the years using lean manufacturing and Six Sigma, but today new technologies can further efficiency improvements

Wayne Labs

February 13, 2020

AI-based tools are the next step beyond Six Sigma and lean manufacturing to improve production

Packaging

Keeping up with the e-commerce expansion

Tom Egan , PMMI

January 24, 2020

As consumers demand greater convenience, e-commerce sales continue to rise. According to the 2019 Internet Retailer Top 1000 Report, consumers spent $517.36 billion online with U.S. merchants in 2018, up from $449.88 billion spent the year prior. Even when the final sales takes place in a store rather than online, the first step to most purchase decisions starts at the search bar.

Engineering R&D

Novel compressed air drying system leaves out the desiccant

Wayne Labs

January 22, 2020

Typically, in food applications where compressed air may come in direct contact with food, regenerative desiccant dryers are able to dry the air to ISO 8573 Class 1-2 requirements.

Viking Masek saves energy with solar array

Energy savings

Packaging machine company turns toward the sun

Solar power helps Viking Masek save some big bucks

Wayne Labs

January 9, 2020

Solar arrays aren't just for sunny southern climes; they can reduce energy bills up north, too.

Pet Food Series

Tomorrow’s pet food plant: What it takes to stay competitive

Plants of the future will rely on automation to produce consistent safe quality pet foods

Wayne Labs

December 13, 2019

What does the modern, competitive pet food plant of the future look like? What are its key design considerations to make it fast, efficient and safe (e.g., product flow, building, internal and external environmental considerations, waste streams, automation, equipment, etc.)?

Editor's Note

Identifying and documenting workarounds for process challenges can help prevent failures

Casey Laughman

December 13, 2019

Whether it’s water efficiency, packaging, food safety, material flow or anything else you can think of, there is always a point in the process that creates challenges, and that point is usually a headache for processors of any size.