Wayne Labs

Wayne Labs has more than 30 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.

Senior Contributing Technical Editor

Engineering R&D

How NovoNutrients upcycles CO2 into alternative proteins for human and animal food

The company mixes CO2, hydrogen and a naturally occurring microbe, then ferments it to create high-grade protein with several potential uses.

Wayne Labs

March 4, 2022

This recently developed alternative protein process is also potentially carbon negative.

Supply Chains

How to reduce food waste when supply chains are unpredictable

Food processors must use the tools that can help tame unruly supply chains to minimize waste and improve the bottom line

Wayne Labs

February 21, 2022

It is important for organizations to have a solid forecasting system in place for budgeting already, but even more so now with rising costs and inflation.

How high can corn and commodity prices go?

Commodities

Processors face higher commodity prices, but climate-smart technologies may help tame cost increases

While some studies point out the downside risks of commodity price increases and scarcities, farmers and their suppliers see the upside

Wayne Labs

February 10, 2022

The USDA says 2022 will be a great year for agriculture, and climate-smart farming practices can help.

Engingeering R&D

Divorcing the plastic from our packaging not so easy without a new suitor

A startup company seems to have found that suitor: A natural coating from cellulose that can be recycled along with the packaging

Wayne Labs

February 8, 2022

A startup company seems to have a suitor: A natural coating from cellulose that can be recycled along with the packaging

Tech tools to help processors make sense of today’s supply chain

Supply chain hurdles created by COVID-19 provide an opportunity to attack deficiencies with the latest technology

Wayne Labs

February 7, 2022

While we hope the COVID-19 pandemic is fading into the background, we still need to be concerned with labor shortages, transportation interruptions, political issues, weather extremes, and other peripheral circumstances that can still break critical links in the supply chain.

Ignition software from Inductive Automation runs on traditional screens operating on Windows or Linux

Industrial Software

Application software: Updates, connections and design considerations

Your process control applications should just work and communicate with your devices—from one update to the next

Wayne Labs

February 2, 2022

With software upgrades, users should not have to relearn what they already know--and user interfaces need to be constructed with the end user in mind.

Food Fraud

How sweet—or potent—is your honey?

While adulterated honey can have unreported sugar added, that’s not the only thing that’s been found in the sweetener

Wayne Labs

January 13, 2022

Honey can be a vehicle of food fraud or contain illegal ingredients

Sustainability is an important part of the B-Corp Certification

Sustainable Companies

Kudos to the food and beverage industry

It ranks the highest in B-Corp Certification worldwide, compared to other industries

Wayne Labs

January 12, 2022

Food & beverage companies rank highest in B-Corp Certification

Engingeering R&D

Novel “raslysation” technique works with non-clear/opaque liquids

UV sterilization technology works successfully in water treatment plants and HVAC systems, but milk and juices too?

Wayne Labs

January 11, 2022

UV sterilization technology works successfully in water treatment plants and HVAC systems, but milk and juices too?

Blockchain technology: Is it ready for prime time?

While there have been many success stories, blockchain technologies are still developing, so producers and processors will need to examine their needs carefully

Wayne Labs

January 4, 2022

Blockchain providers are working hard to gain the acceptance of food and beverage processors—no matter their size, and standard datasets like GS1 are helping to define the rules for consistent information handling.