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Home » Authors » Wayne Labs
Wayne Labs

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
Articles

ARTICLES

Vow-Forged Gras with Poached Pears

Cultured Meat Faces Old and New Obstacles

As if the cost to produce cultured meat products isn’t a severe enough hurdle, some state governments have made it almost impossible to enter the market.
Wayne Labs, Senior Contributing Technical Editor
Wayne Labs
June 8, 2026

For cultured meats to succeed in the market, they will have to prove themselves cost-effective to produce, be as food-safe as their conventional counterparts and gain acceptance from consumers — though some states have already banned FDA-approved cultured meats.


Read More
Data Breach, Cyber security concept, digital data security with open padlock on chip of motherboard. Digitally generated image. 3d render.
Cybersecurity

Control AI Access in the OT Environment

Artificial intelligence is being applied in industrial controls, but manufacturers need to know where their data is processed and who has access to it.
Wayne Labs, Senior Contributing Technical Editor
Wayne Labs
May 26, 2026

Ever notice how ChatGPT or CoPilot saves all your AI chats? While this can help solve future problems more quickly, private data accumulated from an OT system saved on the public internet is a disaster waiting to happen. Fortunately, in most cases AI is embedded in the process and data stays private and protected.


Read More
Ecolab CIP IQ

Looking Toward Water-Smart Cleaning and Sanitation

Food and beverage plants are notoriously wasteful of water, and while the overarching call is to reduce water usage, cleaning/sanitation operations is a good place to start.
Wayne Labs, Senior Contributing Technical Editor
Wayne Labs
May 18, 2026

As the call is on to conserve water and lower usage, modern cleaning and sanitation systems employ digital tools and AI to curb wasteful water usage.


Read More
Austria-based Revo Foods’ 3D printed salmon fillet made from alternative proteins on a bed of rice on a white plate.

Additive Manufacturing: Roles for 3D Printing and Robotics in Food Production

3D printing, while serving roles in package design, tools and spare parts, is finding applications for creating unique foods that aren’t practical for conventional methods.
Wayne Labs, Senior Contributing Technical Editor
Wayne Labs
April 28, 2026

Additive manufacturing can describe two technologies in food production — the more commonly known is 3D printing, which has been borrowed from 3D tool and parts making, but robotic work cells can also fit the definition of additive manufacturing.


Read More
A man is working food safety monitoring on a desktop with three monitors. An open laptop is on the left side of the desk.

Number of Food Recalls Up: Bad or Good?

While the increasing number of recalls seems like food safety is not improving, in most cases, improved food safety tools catch problems earlier.
Wayne Labs, Senior Contributing Technical Editor
Wayne Labs
April 20, 2026

While at times the number of food safety recalls seems to be rising, in most cases, the recalls are smaller in lot size and don’t progress very far through the supply chain because the tools stop most major potential outbreaks.


Read More
Siemens IO-Link
Automation

Simplifying the Alphabet Soup of Industrial Networks

Today’s open-standard industrial networking has come a long way from all the proprietary systems of the past, reducing costs and setup time.
Wayne Labs, Senior Contributing Technical Editor
Wayne Labs
March 12, 2026

It used to be that if you used one particular vendor’s automation products or sensors, you were locked in forever. With today’s open standards-based networks, users are no longer locked in and can shop around for sensors, industrial PCs, PLCs and industrial network devices.


Read More
Emerson Pro.Lean Dashboard

Put Contextualized OEE Data to Use Managing Plantwide Processes

OEE, along with MES and IIoT data analytics platforms, gives plant operators and staff a true picture of overall production, waste and energy usage.
Wayne Labs, Senior Contributing Technical Editor
Wayne Labs
March 10, 2026

While OEE is a must-have for troubleshooting line problems, contextualized OEE data with its time signatures is a key input in analyzing when and what went wrong with a plant’s total production process, including wasted product and utilities. And it can even aid in the track-and-trace process.


Read More
batch control systems

AI: In Quest of and Fulfilling the Perfect Batch

Over the years, seeking the perfect batch may have seemed like the quest for the Holy Grail, but today, let AI/ML-based batch serve as your experienced guide.
Wayne Labs, Senior Contributing Technical Editor
Wayne Labs
February 13, 2026

You don’t have to go it alone when searching for and maintaining the perfect batch. Through machine learning and AI-based batch control, the arduous search becomes easier to realize.


Read More
ABB IE6 Motor

Motor and Drive Sustainability: Don’t Forget to Look at the Bigger Picture

With current IE5-rated motors rated at 96% to 98% efficient and drives up to 99% efficient, operators also need to consider overall systems in energy and sustainability surveys.
Wayne Labs, Senior Contributing Technical Editor
Wayne Labs
February 10, 2026

As the march continues to make motor efficiency nearly 99%, the way motors are used and applied can make a big difference in the overall sustainability picture of any plant.


Read More
Deli sandwiches

Is Listeria Monocytogenes Slipping Through Your Door?

It’s one thing to keep a 175-lb. hell-bent individual out of your plant, but blocking this invisible microbial enemy from sneaking in can be a real challenge
Wayne Labs, Senior Contributing Technical Editor
Wayne Labs
January 15, 2026

Listeria Monocytogenes (Lm) is difficult enough to keep out of a food plant, but once it gets in, the real challenge begins — as it can take up residence in “secret” places that welcome and protect it. Fortunately, processors don’t have to go it alone.


Read More
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