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.

Michael Taylor at the Food Safety Summit

Manufacturing News

Crises still drive food safety in U.S.

Wayne Labs

July 12, 2019

Michael Taylor, former deputy commissioner for food for FDA and present co-chair of the Stop Foodborne Illness Board, suggested that in spite of all the technology, collaboration and education to improve food safety, crisis management still drives changes.

Automation

IIoT facilitates flexibility and customization in food processing

IIoT is often associated with improving OEE scores or building a predictive maintenance program, but it can also help customize production

Wayne Labs

July 11, 2019

When we think of IIoT, we often consider the roles it plays in fine tuning processes to peak efficiency, minimizing downtime through predictive or prescribed maintenance, or acquiring data and processing it to improve food quality and safety. But, we don’t always think of another role IIoT can play, and that is using its capabilities to produce unique products in a very small quantity and package and ship them to individual customers.

FA&M Recap

FA&M gathers food processors and suppliers together for education and exhibits

Casey Laughman

Wayne Labs

Rose Shilling

July 8, 2019

Welcome to the new FA&M report, our coverage of the 20th annual Food Automation & Manufacturing Conference, Food Engineering’s premier event.

Automation Series

How food processors can use IIOT for maintenance activities

Wayne Labs

July 1, 2019

Food Engineering's recent Food Automation & Manufacturing Conference addressed several high-tech Industry 4.0 topics, including predictive maintenance (PdM). I’d like to show how you can use IIoT tools to improve your maintenance program—and maybe even better your OEE scores in the process.

CANNABIS PRODUCTS | JUNE 2019

Cannabis testing is an exact science - regulations are not

Wayne Labs

June 24, 2019

In the U.S., there are 33 states, plus the District of Columbia, with some form of legal cannabis for medicinal purposes, and 10 states that allow it for recreational use. However, when it comes to specifying the level of THC, CBD, terpenes and the other 80 or so constituent components in cannabis, there's a smorgasbord of rules and regulations.

Engineering R&D

Cryogenic chillers with bottom injectors effective but tough to clean

Wayne Labs

June 21, 2019

The meat industry has been using BI technology for decades to batch chill fresh product sold to wholesalers, restaurants and supermarkets. However, traditional cryogenic injectors have always posed problems.

Manufacturing News

Cannabis: FDA needs your input

Wayne Labs

June 14, 2019

The FDA held a public hearing on May 31 to solicit oral presentations and comments in order to obtain scientific data and information about the safety, manufacturing, product quality, marketing, labeling and sale of products containing cannabis or cannabis-derived products.

Sustainability

Smithfield Foods starts biogas gathering projects in two states

Systems will collect renewable biogas and ship it to natural gas pipeline systems, helping to fuel the energy grid

Wayne Labs

June 11, 2019

Smithfield Foods, Inc. has begun the construction of new biogas gathering systems in Missouri and Utah, which brings the company closer to delivering renewable natural gas (RNG) from hog manure.

Plant Construction Survey

Food Engineering's 2019 Plant Construction Survey shows tax cuts spur investment

Federal tax cuts have encouraged upgrades to existing food plants and construction of new plants, but finding qualified labor remains a sticking point

Wayne Labs

June 1, 2019

Food Engineering's annual construction survey shows that tax cuts have encouraged construction and renovations, but the labor shortage is affecting those projects as well.

Sustainability

Smithfield Foods announces zero waste to landfill initiative

Release of 2018 sustainability report shows a strengthened commitment to environmental sustainability with certification of 35 of its facilities as zero solid waste

Wayne Labs

May 28, 2019

With the release of its 2018 Sustainability Report, Smithfield Foods announced the company’s commitment to reduce overall solid waste sent to landfills 75% by 2025. This includes certifying at least 35 of its U.S. facilities, or three-quarters of its domestic facilities, as zero-waste-to-landfill by 2025.

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.