In my recent conversations about new plant technology with industry suppliers and food manufacturing leaders, phrases like “the best partnerships ever” and “we couldn’t have done it without our partners” keep popping up.
Close cooperation between food and beverage processors and their suppliers and engineering consultants has always been a crucial component of manufacturing excellence. In fact, PMMI founded the Alliance for Innovation and Operational Excellence (AIOE) back in 2011.
Over the past decade, the importance of partnership has accelerated. Today, the OpX Leadership Network, formerly known as AIOE, provides a forum where the brightest meet to identify and solve common operational challenges and apply best practices and innovative solutions to real-world manufacturing challenges via open dialogues between consumer packaged goods companies and OEMs.
In the last 10 years, OpX groups, made up of a community of manufacturing, engineering, and operations professionals, have released free work documents and guidelines to help enterprises function at top performance levels. The topics include workforce engagement, total cost of ownership, overall equipment effectiveness, hygienic equipment design, virtual factory acceptance tests, and more. For the past year and a half, ProFood World has shared many examples of successful partnerships through its series of articles called OpX Intel.
 | Bridging the Gap for Whey Permeate |
This issue of ProFood World details the partnership between MWC and its engineering and construction firm, as well as MWC’s partnership with an adjacent Proliant Dairy Ingredients facility where by-products are repurposed, and sustainability savings benefit both plants.
During the pandemic, processors leaned on their partners more than ever and overcame challenges together. What was learned and implemented during that time will only strengthen the industry’s response to the next challenge.
PACK EXPO Las Vegas and Healthcare Packaging EXPO (Sept. 27-29, Las Vegas Convention Center) will reunite the packaging and processing community, offering new products, technologies and solutions, while implementing up-to-date protocols for a safe and successful in-person event. Attendee registration is now open.
