Columns

RSS

A decade after a Canadian firm developed a process to recover high-quality protein from a byproduct of vegetable-oil extraction, regulatory obstacles to commercialization have been overcome.

Perhaps our industry’s time and money would be better spent on lean manufacturing, food safety and nutritional enhancements and less on line changeovers, special in-store displays and rainbow pallets.

Machinery technology, food safety protocols and capital budget optimization can only be improved with changed outlooks and recharged brain power.

Biotechnology meets process innovation to convert toxic byproducts of the olive press into a therapeutic ingredient.

Today, savvy processors employ remote equipment and machine conditioning diagnostics, special supplier partnerships, heat measurement, vibration analysis, predictive maintenance tools, placement of parts in kits for routine maintenance and vendor-managed inventories to boost spare parts efficiency and management.

The law’s intent may have been good, but enforcement has created problems for food processors.

For some engineers, a former employer’s downsizing can be liberating, allowing specialized skills to combine with entrepreneurial spirit for new technology development.

Uncovering it, grabbing it and implementing changes will lead to the game-changing innovation and manufacturing efficiencies our industry so desires.

Researchers at Georgia Tech hope their intelligent deboning system will boost yields for poultry processors and reduce ergonomic stress on workers.

Manufacturers must stay ahead of market demands, economic uncertainty and even environmental matters on a global basis.