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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

2018 Food Automation & Manufacturing Conference and Expo

Speakers shared insights on automation and the state of the food manufacturing industry

Wayne Labs

Crystal Lindell Debra Schug

July 9, 2018

One of the main purposes of FA&M is to explore the future of food processing and what food and beverage companies are doing now to position themselves well for the next few years.

Sustainability

Groups accuse US Roundtable for Sustainable Beef of 'greenwashing'

A group of NGOs say the US Roundtable for Sustainable Beef sustainability plan is unsustainable

Wayne Labs

July 6, 2018

A "Sustainability Framework" produced by the US Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (USRSB) has been criticized as "greenwashing" by a number of environmental groups.

Manufacturing News

Solving the tech skills problem

Programs aim to provide more technical training for needed skills

Wayne Labs

July 5, 2018

There is a real shortage of engineers and technicians. But there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Plant Safety

Virginia plant cited for repeat safety violations

Training lapses, lack of inspections lead to repeat violations

Wayne Labs

July 3, 2018

The state of Virginia’s Occupational Safety and Health Program has issued seven citations and $187,000 in penalties to a food and beverage company after a worker’s arm was caught in a conveyor near the metal detector.

Mergers and Acquisitions

ConAgra Brands will acquire Pinnacle Foods for $10.9 billion

The acquisition creates a major player in frozen foods and an expanded presence in snack foods

Wayne Labs

June 27, 2018

Conagra Brands is buying Pinnacle Foods in a cash and stock deal worth almost $11 billion.

Sustainability

Major water savings has California grape packaging supplier ahead of sustainability goals

Company reduced water usage by 40 percent and increased profits in eight weeks

Wayne Labs

June 25, 2018

Styrotek, a manufacturer of expanded polystyrene foam packaging for grapes, recently undertook a major water efficiency program. In eight weeks, the company reduced its water usage from 20 million gallons per year to 12 million.

Engineering R&D

Wireless sensors help maintain the ideal environment

Wireless sensors can help processors manage temperature, humidity levels in plants

Wayne Labs

June 18, 2018

When a bakery’s cake frosting started slumping, operations employed a wireless mesh sensor network to tackle the icing problems.

Supply Chain

Adents, Microsoft collaborate on blockchain fraud detection system

Originally designed for the pharmaceutical industry where fraudulent copies of drugs are common, software developers are aiming at other high-value industries.

Wayne Labs

June 14, 2018

Adents, a serialization and track-and-trace solutions provider, has developed a new unit-level product track-and-trace platform using Blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.

Industrial Internet of Things

SAP, Endress+Hauser pursue joint process solutions through IIoT

An open platform for the process industry ties data seamlessly to business operations

Wayne Labs

June 12, 2018

ERP solutions provider SAP and process industry solutions provider Endress+Hauser are intensifying their joint efforts in integrating field instruments and ERP analytics through IIoT-based applications for the process industry.