As the COVID-19 pandemic has processors scrambling to ensure they can meet a sustained surge in demand while keeping their employees safe, crisis communication plans are a critical component of an effective response strategy.

Fonterra, a New Zealand-based dairy co-op, has instituted a new way for employees to spend time outside their day jobs on internal company projects which would normally be outside their scope of work as defined by their job description. This match-making system is designed to enable employees with talent and skills they don’t normally use to get involved in projects that are exciting, but normally not open to them.

At first, it might seem odd that many of the presentations during this year’s Food Automation & Manufacturing Conference focused on people.