Wayne Labs has more than 20 years of editorial experience in industrial automation. He served as senior technical editor for I&CS/Control Solutions magazine for 18 years where he covered software, control system hardware and sensors/transmitters. Labs ran his own consulting business and contributed feature articles to Electronic Design, Control, Control Design, Industrial Networking and Food Engineering magazines. Before joining Food Engineering, he served as a senior technical editor for Omega Engineering Inc. Labs also worked in wireless systems and served as a field engineer for GE’s Mobile Communications Division and as a systems engineer for Bucks County Emergency Services. In addition to writing technical feature articles, Wayne covers FE’s Engineering R&D section.

Tech Update

PLCs and controllers are being used as intelligent gateways to IIoT

Wayne Labs

October 16, 2019

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PLCs/PACs are the unseen workhorses in our processes and material handling/packaging equipment today.

Manufacturing News

EPA's stance on glyphosate may affect legal, regulatory outcomes

Wayne Labs

October 16, 2019

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The glyphosate (aka Roundup) carcinogen controversy isn’t over yet, but the EPA’s stance on direct exposure may affect regulatory and legal outcomes on residual exposure in foods.

Engineering R&D

DNA-based solution tracks fruit, produce, oils, grains

Wayne Labs

October 16, 2019

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SafeTraces Inc. was recently granted a U.S. patent which discloses a ground-breaking method for encoding and decoding digital information to and from DNA strands drawn from seaweed.

Maintenance

Mangled, cryptic English creates maintenance headaches

While some companies would like to throw smart sensors at maintenance problems, making maintenance more efficient relies on humans to communicate effectively

Wayne Labs

October 10, 2019

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While not all processors have machine shops with CNCs in their plants, most food and beverage plants do have process and packaging equipment that would benefit from smarter maintenance.

Cybersecurity

How PepsiCo upgraded its access control software

FSMA requires food processors control access to those who come into contact with food, so PepsiCo took immediate action to locate a reliable access control provider

Wayne Labs

October 3, 2019

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PepsiCo faced a dilemma about three years ago when its access control software provider announced “end of life” for its legacy security software, potentially leaving more than 300 PepsiCo locations in the lurch for an access control system. What to do?

Engineering R&D

Vacuum/microwave drying technology supports food, cannabis

Wayne Labs

September 17, 2019

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EnWave's drying process, which combines vacuum and microwave technologies to dry foods such as blueberries or cheese, has found application in cannabis flowers and hemp.

Complying with FSMA for pet food manufacturing

Wayne Labs

September 17, 2019

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Bad news first: If you make pet food, have an older facility and have been putting off examining your operation in light of FSMA, rushing to comply with the new food safety rules for animal foods is probably proving to be a challenge.

Manufacturing News

Another look at food loss and waste in the supply chain

Wayne Labs

September 13, 2019

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According to a recent Government Accountability Office report, 40% of America’s food supply goes uneaten.

Industry News

Hershey to acquire ONE Brands

The acquisition extends the company's position as a snacking leader with the line of low-sugar, high-protein bars

Wayne Labs

August 29, 2019

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The Hershey Company has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire ONE Brands, LLC, the maker of low-sugar, high-protein nutrition bars. The acquisition is expected to enable Hershey to provide a competitive offering in the nutrition bar category.

Production optimization

Optimize scheduling systems based on real-world inputs

You plan your next production run for a holiday favorite, and then a huge, need-it-yesterday order comes in. Is there any solution to this problem?

Wayne Labs

August 21, 2019

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You may have a scheduling module within your ERP system, and it’s good at what it does. But it’s not clairvoyant.

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Poll

Severe Weather and the Supply Chain

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Products

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Wayne Labs

ARTICLES

PLCs and controllers are being used as intelligent gateways to IIoT

EPA's stance on glyphosate may affect legal, regulatory outcomes

DNA-based solution tracks fruit, produce, oils, grains

Mangled, cryptic English creates maintenance headaches

How PepsiCo upgraded its access control software

Vacuum/microwave drying technology supports food, cannabis

Complying with FSMA for pet food manufacturing

Another look at food loss and waste in the supply chain

Hershey to acquire ONE Brands

Optimize scheduling systems based on real-world inputs

Food Engineering

2019 October