2020 Agenda

Casey Laughman, Editor-in-Chief, Food Engineering

Food Engineering Editor-in-Chief Casey Laughman shares a first look at food and beverage industry insights from the annual State of Food Manufacturing survey.

Speaker: Joe Zembas, Senior Manager, Reliability Engineering, The J.M. Smucker Company

Joe Zembas, Senior Manager, Reliability Engineering, The J.M. Smucker Company, explores how engineers can build the support infrastructure they need for projects. By working with all stakeholders to ensure that the pieces are in place before a project begins and keeping stakeholders involved as projects are ongoing, engineers can avoid unexpected challenges while delivering on time and under budget.

Sponsored by

Speaker: Duane Grassmann, Hygienist, Nestlé USA & Canada

Hygienic design is an important piece of an overall food safety strategy to effectively control allergens and prevent contamination or adulteration of ingredients and finished product. Duane Grassmann, Corporate Hygienist, Nestlé USA & Canada, explores what processors need to know about hygienic design in their facilities.

Sponsored by

Speaker: Todd Wilson, Senior Vice President of IT, Clif Bar & Company

As processors turn to automation and enhanced data reporting to help inform their decisions, managing and using analytics in multiple locations adds challenges. Todd Wilson, Senior Vice President, Information Technology, Clif Bar, explores how processors can ensure they are getting the most out of their analytics investments by managing multiple plants through a comprehensive strategy.

Sponsored by

Take time to visit exhibitors and sponsors on the interactive floor plan. See the latest food industry products and services.

Digital transformation can unlock new levels of production, reliability, quality, and sustainability for your operation. With proven technologies, you can gain new insights, leverage virtual collaboration, and prevent failures before they happen.

Presented by Emerson Automation Solutions, Marcus Parsons, Global Industry Director - Food and Beverage

Speakers: Daniel Stauft, Director, Operational Technology, and Craig Langhals, Senior Director, Manufacturing Optimization at SugarCreek

Dan Stauft and Craig Langhals of SugarCreek share insights into the challenges and opportunities of creating a sustainable performance system, including how to collect and manage data, make key decisions based on reliable information and ensure that you are meeting production goals through improved operations.

Data is the most valuable asset make maximum use of it by leveraging the PI System to improve productivity, asset performance management and quality. The PI System is your application store for data driven solutions, analytics and reporting.

Presented by Ted Combs, Industry Principal, Food & Beverage at OSIsoft

Digital Threads are integrated, value-driven processes anchored in the comprehensive Digital Twin across Product, Production, and Performance. Automation plays a key role in enabling the seamless transition from the virtual world to the real world by virtually commissioning modular equipment and lines and allowing for the required flexibility in manufacturing. Master the interaction between the digital and physical worlds and deliver speed to market by combining automation engineering with simulation, optimization and virtual validation.

Presented by Nina Verstandig, Digital Enterprise Industry Manager for CP&R, Siemens Digital Industry Software

Food recalls due to pathogen contaminates are a food processors worst nightmare. Recalls are costly in many ways: damaging your brand, profitability, and above all they risk your customers health and wellbeing. The importance of having equipment that is designed and manufactured to the utmost hygienic standards is absolutely paramount in today’s modern processing facilities. Join Rick Milner, an expert in hygienic conveyor design at Wire Belt Company, presenting a deep dive discussion of what to look for when outfitting your processing facility with today’s conveyor systems focusing on hygiene and sanitation.

Presented by Rick Milner, Wire Belt Company of America

Speakers: Brad Borkowski, Senior Project Manager and Jeff Nagle, Plant Manager at The J.M. Smucker Company

Food Engineering’s 2020 Plant of the Year award goes to J.M. Smucker, for its Longmont, Colo. facility. The plant turns out hundreds of millions of Uncrustables sandwiches every year, and it is being honored for its excellence in design, operation and efficiency. The plant was designed by Dennis Group.

Sponsored by

Speaker: Hugh Roddy, Vice President of Global Manufacturing and Project Management, Chobani

Integrating operational technology and information technology allows for greater information sharing and better decision making for those on the plant floor and those in the corner offices. A platform that combines both allows processors to ensure they are making decisions with the best information possible.

Sponsored by

Speakers: Rick Becker, Chief Operations Officer and Jason Ivanic, Manager, Engineering at MycoTechnology

MycoTechnology, an Aurora, Colo.-based producer of mushroom proteins, has been awarded Food Engineering’s 2020 Sustainable Plant of the Year. The award is for MycoTechnology’s sustainable operations, as well as its use of a sustainable ingredient, showing the company’s commitment to sustainability in all aspects of its operation. The plant was designed and constructed by CRB.

Sponsored by

Speaker: Joseph Basile, President, Catania Oils

While blockchain technology offers processors a number of potential benefits in maintaining supply chain integrity, it’s not enough to install a single piece of technology to ensure ingredients are fresh and of high quality. A look at how processors can develop a comprehensive, effective strategy for maintaining supply chain integrity by filling in the gaps that blockchain solutions leave behind.

Speaker: Gail Becker, Founder and CEO, CAULIPOWER

As the mom of two boys with celiac disease, Gail Becker searched constantly for healthier versions of their favorite comfort foods. After attempting to make a cauliflower crust from scratch she thought, “there has to be an easier solution available in the freezer aisle.” Gail realized there wasn’t one, and decided to leave her job in corporate America and start CAULIPOWER. Today, CAULIPOWER is the #1 better-for-you pizza, #1 gluten-free pizza, and fastest growing pizza brand in the US. The craziest part? Gail admits that she knew absolutely nothing about the food industry when she decided to bet everything on a vegetable. Join Gail to learn more about the challenges of running a female-founded company in a male-dominated field, what to know when it comes to funding, and how to trust your gut, listen to that voice in your head, and jump.

Leaders in the food and beverage industry discuss the challenges they have faced as women in a traditionally male-dominated field.

Moderator: Gail Becker, Founder and CEO, CAULIPOWER

Panelists:
Christie Lagally, Founder and CEO, Rebellyous Foods
Jasmine Sutherland, President, Texas Food Solutions
Kate Rome, President, Rome Grinding Solutions
Suzanne Kopcha, Vice President Consumer Products & Retail Industry, Siemens Digital Industries Software

Speaker: Christie Lagally, Founder and CEO

Consumer demand for plant-based meat has processors exploring ways to capture part of the emerging market. But what engineering challenges are presented by plant-based meat production and how can processors manage them?

As brands move from startups to operating at scale, they face challenges from supply chain to food safety, as well as everything in between. A panel discussion of how brands have navigated those challenges.

Panelists:
Jasmine Sutherland, President, Texas Food Solutions
Walter Nimocks, CEO, Just Made Juice