Articles by Wayne Labs

Food Loss & Waste

CEC launches food loss and waste pilot program

The Commission for Environmental Cooperation is asking for comments to help improve the program

Wayne Labs, Senior Contributing Technical Editor

February 18, 2020

The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) is spearheading a North America-wide pilot program aimed at implementing Why and How to Measure Food Loss and Waste: A Practical Guide, a program launched in March 2019.

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

Manufacturing News

Bill would allow the FDA access to CAFOs

Wayne Labs

February 11, 2020

In an effort to allow FDA to sample water, soil and environmental conditions on USDA-regulated concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), New York Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand introduced a bill that would provide the FDA authority to conduct microbial sampling on CAFOs as necessary for a foodborne illness outbreak investigation, determine the outbreak’s root cause or address other public health needs.

Automation

How to ensure your automation system can be recovered

Take backups seriously to avoid disaster

Wayne Labs

February 11, 2020

If you haven’t become serious about backups, it’s time to do so now—before a key system goes down and puts you out of business while you try to recover.

Cimcorp MultiPick robotic material handling

Field Report

Bakery improves fulfillment time by automating headquarters warehouse

The bakery also reduced space utilization by 50 percent and decreased labor by 30 percent

Wayne Labs

January 30, 2020

Martin’s Famous Pastry Shoppe Inc. finds the summer season really good for business—except mostly manual practices in the warehouse put a real crimp on the way the company would really like to handle the distribution side of its supply chain.

Legal Issues

Butter and cheese class action lawsuit settled

$220 million settlement stems from lawsuit alleging a conspiracy to reduce milk output and raise prices on dairy products

Wayne Labs

January 29, 2020

A $220 million settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit brought against National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), Agri-Mark, Inc., Dairy Farmers of America, Inc., and Land O’Lakes, Inc. The lawsuit claimed that an effort known as Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) operated a Herd Retirement Program to reduce milk output in violation of the law.

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.

Tech Update

Employing wireless sensors without a clear goal could prove inefficient

Wayne Labs

January 22, 2020

How do you implement a sensor-based IIoT system that can fulfill your needs now and into the future?

IIOT Communications

IIOT sensor communications issues still need work

NIST’s Nenad Ivezic provides a more detailed view of the progress made in standardizing data communications in the food supply chain—including sensors and IIoT at the farm and industrial levels

Wayne Labs

January 17, 2020

While much of the work involving the standardization of communication in the overall food supply chain is finished, there is still work needing to be done regarding the standardization of IIoT sensor data. I asked Nenad Ivezic, leader of the Process Engineering Group in the Systems Integration Division of the NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) Engineering Laboratory, to fill us in on the particulars.

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.

On Demand Kelley Rodriguez, Editor in Chief of Refrigerated & Frozen Foods, will be joined in this 60-minute webinar by industry experts to help unpack the latest research.

On Demand Driven by climate goals, business risk, client interest, and resilience considerations, food and beverage companies are increasingly turning their attention to decarbonizing their production processes.