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.

Automation

Cost containment: Using automation to help stop leaks

Everywhere you look, your cash flow is hemorrhaging. Integrated automation systems can show you where to start applying tourniquets.

Wayne Labs

March 8, 2014

You may be able to use a spreadsheet or home accounting program to get your household finances in order. But, there are so many places for cash to evaporate in a food or beverage plant, that unless you are using an integrated software system to track and focus every process, you may never know if leaks exist.

Cover Story

Global Manufacturing Management: Extending your worldwide reach

If you’re thinking about setting up a plant in a foreign country, take it a step at a time and look for a partner that shares your goals.

Wayne Labs

February 7, 2014

Whether you’re a small, medium or large food and beverage manufacturer, taking the plunge and opening a new plant in a foreign country is a huge decision, often fraught with risks you may have never envisioned. But there are alternatives, and finding the one that makes sense for your operation can help propel your products into the global marketplace.

Manufacturing News

Out for comment: FSMA on food defense

The Proposed Rule on Focused Mitigation Strategies to Protect Food Against Intentional Adulteration is out for comment until the end of March.

Wayne Labs

February 7, 2014

While FSMA sections on the Produce Safety Rule and Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Human Food Rule have garnered the lion’s share of the news in the last few months, the Proposed Rule on Focused Mitigation Strategies to Protect Food Against Intentional Adulteration is out for comment until the end of March. Though no large-scale events have occurred, a few small ones have affected small groups of people for various, unrelated reasons.

Food Safety

Automated cleaning and sanitation saves time, produces better results

CIP and COP systems benefit from automated washing systems that make use of spraying equipment matched to the right chemical media.

Wayne Labs

February 7, 2014

With FSMA in place and many processors seeking GFSI certifications, effective cleaning and sanitation are more important than ever.

Manufacturing Intelligence

Manufacturing Intelligence: Using the right tools to make the right decisions

You may have an ERP system and industrial controls in place, but are you getting the key performance indicators needed to stay ahead of the competition?

Wayne Labs

January 10, 2014

Enterprise Manufacturing Intelligence software is a crucial tool.

Field Reports

Faster doors for safer food

Roll-up doors prevent contamination and control air pressure

Wayne Labs

January 10, 2014

“Don’t hold that door open” isn’t a command heard in this food ingredient operation with automatic, high-speed, roll-up doors.

Field Reports

Putting the lid on emissions

While the aroma of a cooked steak may be an enticing lure to dinner, residents around a cooked-meat facility are not as likely to appreciate the odors.

Wayne Labs

January 10, 2014

Polarized Meat Company of Dunmore, PA produces high-quality meat products designed to reduce preparation time at restaurants. Certain products are pre-formed and pre-cooked, often with grill marks added to enhance the products’ visual appeal and flavor. Both the incoming meat and the final products are quality controlled throughout the process.

Field Reports

Updated line alleviates processor’s growing pains

A new weigh-blending system and multi-spectrum metal detector increase meal kit productivity and reduce giveaways.

Wayne Labs

January 10, 2014

The humble shrimp has been the mainstay of the Choice Canning Company for more than 50 years. Already a leading supplier of shrimp in North America, the processor expanded into the ready-to-cook meal market in 2006. It now produces 12 IQF skillet meals under the Tastee Choice brand and distributes them to retail grocery stores throughout the Eastern, Midwestern and Southwestern states and Canada.

Field Reports

From clipboards to CMMS, maintenance is now a snap

Fish producer uses computerized maintenance management to handle production equipment, farm equipment and operator certifications.

Wayne Labs

January 10, 2014

Snow Island is a Nova Scotia-based salmon producer distinguished by its commitment to the environment and sustainable farming practices for raising salmon from egg to plate. The company gives its salmon extra room to grow, maintaining a 98.5 percent volume of water to 1.5 percent of fish in its pens and nets. And while many other operations house one million-plus fish per farm, Snow Island farms contain only 500,000.

Field Reports

Dock doors get some needed attention

Updated shipping and receiving doors prevent ongoing impact damage from forklifts and pallets.

Wayne Labs

January 10, 2014

Shipping and receiving doors at this ice cream maker needed specialized treatment to prevent ongoing impact damage from forklifts and pallets.

Join Lynn Dornblaser, Client Advisor at Mintel, and Alyse Thompson-Richards, Editor-in-Chief of FOOD ENGINEERING, as they break down the 2026 Top 100 Food and Beverage Companies and discuss the factors affecting this year’s rankings.