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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

Good Foods fresh guacamole, Applegate’s oven roasted turkey

Food Safety

Getting Pressure to Remove the Heat?

High-pressure processing—or cold pasteurization—can be a significant investment, but if your product is perceived as organic, high-end, minimally processed and nutritional, it may well be worth the investment.

Wayne Labs

December 26, 2023

If you’re touting the natural, delicate flavors of your product, take the heat off the sterilization step and apply cold pressure instead.

Track and Trace

Tracking Distribution Through Data: Who Should See What?

Today’s tracking tools can produce a lot of data, but the challenge is to provide the right data to users and to regulatory bodies.

Wayne Labs

December 21, 2023

“One-up, one-down” should be good enough for supply chain members, but regulatory bodies need to see the big picture.

Have a Strategy in Place…Or Put Out Fires, Maybe Literally

Even with the best strategy and sensors in place, the final result comes down to humans making the right decision.

Wayne Labs

November 30, 2023

A well-defined maintenance strategy for industrial equipment and machinery is essential for preventing potentially catastrophic incidents, ensuring safety, and improving efficiency.

Emerson’s Movicon.NExT software platform provides personalized visualization solutions

Deploy Mobile Devices on the Plant Floor to Maximize Operator Efficiency

Mobile devices give operators freedom to move about, but user interface design needs careful thought before implementation.

Wayne Labs

November 28, 2023

Mobile devices keep operators informed wherever they happen to be, improving their response time to upsets and changes.

SUSTAINABILITY

Develop a Plan of Attack to Save Energy

As energy becomes more expensive, formulate a plan to look at and meter all plant utilities—then take action to curb energy usage.

Wayne Labs

October 18, 2023

With climbing utility prices, even a little energy savings improves the bottom line.

Recording the chain of custody of olive oil

Automation Technology

Blockchain Technology: Slow on the Uptake?

Blockchain technology could solve a lot of food safety and supply chain problems, but acceptance has been relatively slow in the U.S.

Wayne Labs

October 11, 2023

Implementing blockchain technology needs some more time to gestate.

Getting a Handle on Software Compatibility Issues

Easier said than done, but compared to ten years ago, today’s tools in knowledgeable hands make connecting software a lot easier.

Wayne Labs

September 28, 2023

Minimizing software incompatibilities will take some organization and planning.

Processing Technology

Analytical Instrumentation: When Exacting Information is Needed

Whether it’s maintaining quality or proving authenticity, precise measurements provide the data to make informed decisions.

Wayne Labs

September 15, 2023

Beyond the normal process measurements needed to check that production is on track, analytical instrumentation can track important variables that can keep difficult-to-control processes on track.