Companies of all sizes and in all industries have ERP systems, but there are some applications unique to the food industry-such as traceability from one end of the supply chain
As understanding and control of mixing and blending kinetics expands, technology firms are devising systems that deliver new benefits to food and beverage processors.
Maybe it was the memory of last night's 20th anniversary celebration; maybe it was the E2OH still metabolizing in his system. Either way, the technology provider kept returning to the marriage analogy to characterize the manufacturer-systems integrator relationship.
Have you ever ordered a meal or purchased a food product and not been satisfied with it? Did you make your feelings known? As a member of the food industry, I certainly hope you did. Food processors establish customer service departments for just that reason.
Microbreweries and specialty beers have come a long way in the last quarter century, riding the small-is-good wave to account for more than 7 percent of the 6.4 billion gallon American beer market, according to some estimates. To transition from brew-pub favorite to mainstream retail sales, San Clemente-CA-based Left Coast Brewing Company Inc. is relying on an amber-colored PET bottle.
With entrepreneurial beginnings as a Swiss cheese maker dating back 60 years, Berner Foods now employs 200 workers and has sales of more than $75 million through a business that provides the US with a variety of processed cheeses and snack dips, manufactured at its state-of-the-art facilities in Dakota, IL.
Style and substance converge in a cracker box created for Kraft Foods Inc., with each element contributed by a different division of Graphic Packaging International Inc. (GPI), Marietta, GA.
Garelick Farms, a division of Dean-Suiza, is the largest dairy operation east of the Mississippi, processing more than a half-million gallons of milk each day. Located in Franklin, MA, and in operation since 1931, Garelick Farms also produces cream, ice cream, sour cream, cottage cheese and juice.
The most nutritious portion of a kernel of rice is discarded during milling. A California processor is trying to make a business case for the byproduct by partnering with humanitarian aid groups.
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of my colleagues in the food and beverage industry for finally bringing to market a group of products I have been requesting for more than a decade: single-serve packs of food & beverage, the latest of which are the popular 100-calorie packs.
In today's world of food and beverage manufacturing, more product variations, more packaging changes equal more profit-or at least that's what manufacturers and processors hope. The market is moving rapidly from a supply driven to an increasingly regulated demand- and service-driven market.
Control System Integrators Association (CSIA) is a worldwide organization whose members provide more than $1 billion annually in integrated control and information systems service, translating the promise of technology into performance on the plant floor for companies in all the major manufacturing sectors.
The HS300 hand-operated tray sealer from Haug is designed for new product development and low-volume production runs. The unit features an easy-load film system and quick-change tooling.
Mettler Toledo's Q.i. Lite material transfer control solution was developed for group feeds and two-speed feed management batching, blending and filling systems.
With the correct sample fixture in place, the TAPlus precision texture analyzer from Ametek allows a range of food samples from baked items to confectionary to gels and dairy products to be tested to high degrees of sensitivity.
For extreme humidity applications, the Watchdog EX Series Breathers incorporate two check valves, one to control airflow into the protected reservoir and one to control airflow out.
Urschel offers more than 30 types of julienne knives that are intended for use on the large slicing wheels of its TranSlicer cutters. A variety of knife styles are available to create straight slices, crinkle slices, chip cuts, shreds or julienne shreds.
Hi-Flux mixing technology is a robust fluid processing system developed by Mixing & Mass Transfer Technologies to improve mass transfer in high viscosity, shear thinning, fermentation gas-liquid systems.
Gainco's 20-in. by 20-in. model of the Duraweigh heavy-duty floor scale is suitable for meat, poultry and other harsh food processing applications. The unit can be used for stationary weighing or can be equipped with heavy-duty, easy-glide casters plus a push handlebar frame for portability.
Valve Concepts offers a full line of tanks vents, gauge hatches and flame arrestors. The components allow users to select the technology needed to provide the tight shutoff required by their application.
The VPL-400 from Rovema is a continuous motion machine that incorporates modern linear servo drive technology. Made of stainless steel, the unit's functions such as sealing time, sealing pressure, cooling time, speed, vertical and horizontal jaw movements, flexibility and top-seal quality can be set.
Fluid Metering has combined is CeramPump No-Valve fluid control principle with a phase-canceling technology to eliminate pulsation for continuous fluid metering down to extremely low flows of 5 ul/min.
Stop-Slip HDV from Garon is an anti-slip coating that provides traction and prevents hydroplaning even when wet. The low-odor coating has virtually no VOCs making it suitable for indoor applications.
The Polaris air compressor series from FS-Elliott provides 100% oil-free, reliable engineered air that is tailored to meet the needs of food processors. The units include a horizontally split gearbox, pinion bearings and bull-gear bearings.
The Paraliq series of food-grade lubricants from Kluber is authorized in accordance with NSF/USDA-H1. Paraliq GA 343 is resistant to water, hot water and many disinfectants and cleaning agents.
Material Transfer's Master Powerfill FIBC filling system features a horizontal pivoting and rotating bag-fill carriage. The bag support carriage and fill head lower to a programmed operator height, extend toward the operator, then rotate for "reach-free" bag strap and bag spout connection.
Made from FDA-approved ingredients, MonoSol engineered its F-100 edible-ingredient films for unit-dose packaging of dry ingredients used in mixing and batching operations.
BioControl Systems offers an Assurance GDS (Genetic Detection System) for Salmonella. The company says Assurance GDS is the first Salmonella method to provide accurate results in as few as 20 hours.
Hinds-Bock's model 4P-64 container filling system is suitable for ridged glass or plastic containers. It is capable of filling products ranging from thin dressings to viscous products such as peanut butter or creams.
Three new mixers for producing and mixing instant coffee and cappuccino with chocolate chips provide unique mixing action and very high accuracy in mixing, says Forberg, the manufacturer.
Cyclonaire's bulk bag fillers are available with custom features including bag inflation, electronic scales, adjustable height loop support arms, integral dust collection and bag compaction.
Dole Food Co. promoted Peter Gilmore to vice president, Eastern Seaboard sourcing. Gilmore joined Dole in 1979 as a management analyst. His most current role with the company was vice president, business development for Dole Fresh Fruit.
Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream's Bakersfield, CA, plant was honored as Food Engineering's (FE) 2006 Plant of the Year in a special awards presentation at the Food Automation & Manufacturing Conference last month.
CAT2's QA vision grading application continuously samples multiple targets for length, width and thickness. The system eliminates the human factor of subjective visual inspection procedures.
The bottom-line depositor from Bottom Line Process Technologies produces presentation-quality product concepts such as filled chocolates, hard candies and caramels.
Evergreen Packaging Equipment says its linear indexing bottle filling systems operate at speeds up to 54,000 bottles per hour. Clean (sterile air cover), ultra clean (full extended, long life), and aseptic applications with multiple dosing stations for liquids and particulates allow for maximum flexibility.
The E-Z Edge Precision blade sharpener from Bettcher Industries can sharpen blades while the trimmer is online. Using a Borazon surface, the sharpener restores blade edges to factory specifications, says the company.
Automated Packaging Systems' Autobag AB 145 bagging system is suitable for high-productivity applications where counters, scales and other infeeds are not required.
Model BDC dust collection system from United Air Specialists is a self cleaning, continuous duty system available in eight series sizes to fit a variety of requirements.
Kistler-Morse's Load Disc 3 uses semiconductor strain gage technology to continuously measure the weight of material for in-process and bulk storage vessels with an accuracy of 0.08%.
RISCO USA offers a range of continuous vacuum fillers that include the RISCO Long Life pump, a rotary-vane transport system that features stainless steel components and resin parts.
USDA has set up a toll-free number for poultry producers to report any suspicious deaths or illnesses in their flocks that could be the deadly H5N1 virus, or "bird flu." US officials say they expect the virus to first arrive in North America via migratory wild birds, but that commercial flocks could also be vulnerable.
Wayne Farms LLC opened its Decatur, AL, further processing facility in January. The new plant is Wayne Farms' sixth poultry facility in the state and is bringing an additional 165 new jobs to the area.
Flavorseal post pasteurization shrink bags from Carroll Manufacturing & Sales provide a skin-tight package that withstands the rigors and extreme temperatures of the pasteurization process to help kill surface bacteria.
NuTEC's 725 portioning depositor is a completely hydraulic C-frame system that fits into existing production lines to deposit fillings for stuffed sandwiches, calzones, sandwich wraps, empanadas, cordon bleu, burritos, egg rolls, meat pies, chicken kiev and stuffed seafood shells.
The Dynamo 500 portioner/twist linker from Marlen is designed to be used in conjunction with the Marlen OPTI-Series of vacuumizer stuffers to deliver small portions to clipping machines or to twist-link products.
The double planetary mixer with Teflon- coated and patented HV blades enables the mixing of ultra-high viscosity formulations, says Charles Ross & Son, the manufacturer.
Airguard's X-Treme pleated panel filters offer a self-supported media that provides high strength, moisture resistance and eliminates the need for an expanded metal backing.
National Adhesive says its package sealing solution reduces downtime and maintenance costs and improves packaging productivity and safety for case and carton sealing operations.
