Grant Gerke

Automation World Contributing Writer

Mid-Atlantic market continues to sign on for PACK EXPO East 2020

Record-breaking Show Opens Next Week

Mid-Atlantic market continues to sign on for PACK EXPO East 2020

Jensen Meat Co. Expanding

U.S.-based ground-beef processor to add production lines to increase capacity and meet growing customer demand for high-quality beef products

Acesur to Build First U. S. Production Facility

Dos Hermanas, Seville Spain-based international olive oil manufacturer will build new site in the City of Suffolk, Virginia

Healthy, portable kids snack company GoGo squeeZ has announced that in 2022, it will unveil 100% recyclable pouch packaging.

Early 2020 Announcements Foreshadow a Busy Year for Sustainable Packaging

Major news from the start of 2020 includes new sustainability pledges from Starbucks, Conagra, Nestle, and Taco Bell, the formation of a new, industry-led recycling council, the use of new packaging materials, and more.

Since using the Flottweg AC 2000 centrifuge, Rhinegeist has been able to shave at least a week off of its brewing process, producing 3,400 barrels of beer a week.

The Need for Speed: Brewery Boosts Throughput with Centrifuge Technology

Rhinegeist upgrades to a vertical disk stack centrifuge that speeds up its brewing process while enhancing product quality and consistency.

ProFood Live Helps F&B Manufacturers Succeed

ProFood Live Helps F&B Manufacturers Succeed

Join us in Chicago in June for this one-day conference devoted to delivering real-world solutions for processors in the food and beverage manufacturing industry.

Compostable wrapping for vegan chocolate product.

Compostable film for vegan chocolates

Sustainable vegan chocolate producer, the nu company, has chosen Futamura’s renewable and compostable NatureFlex™ packaging films for two of its latest vegan chocolate ranges of the brand “nucao.'

Kevin Jackson, Tree House Foods Svp And President, Snacking & Beverages

TreeHouse Foods Adds to Executive Leadership Team

Company announces appointment of Kevin G. Jackson as SVP and president, snacking & beverages

Freshpet Ennis, Texas Pet Food Manufacturing Plant

Freshpet Building Pet Food Manufacturing Plant

New facility to be located in Ennis, Texas will receive up to $2.1 million grant funds from state to aid in project

Brian Stepowany, CPP, Packaging R&D, Senior Manager for B&G Foods, Inc. (l.) and Robby Martin, Sr. Commercialization Manager for Bush Brothers & Co.

Live from CPA Annual Meeting: CPGs Look for Flexibility, Transparency, and Innovation from Contract Packaging Partners

Co-pack/co-man customers B&G Foods and Bush Brothers share their reasons for employing CPCMs, what is important in a CPCM relationship, and some of their pet peeves.

Vega’s Greg Kline demonstrates how the presence of foam can cause a color shift on the company’s 360-degree color display, making it easy to see when the status has changed.

Opening Up Measurement Capabilities in Dairies, Breweries and More

Traditionally playing in oil and gas and chemical industries, Vega is making a move to a wide range of food and beverage applications with its new pressure and level sensors.

ProFood Live Helps F&B Manufacturers Succeed

ProFood Live Helps F&B Manufacturers Succeed

Join us in Chicago in June for this one-day conference devoted to delivering real-world solutions for processors in the food and beverage manufacturing industry.

Jim Prunesti, Vice President of Engineering, ConAgra

Top Challenges Facing Food Manufacturers Today

Addressing aging assets and data collection best practices are two requirements for manufacturing excellence in today’s rapidly changing landscape.

Chip Wann, Royal Cup President And Ceo

Royal Cup Names New Leader

Chip Wann first non-family president and chief executive officer for premium and specialty coffees and teas importer, roaster, and distributor

GFSI Releases New Benchmarking Requirements

Global Food Safety Initiative raises the bar for food safety with Version 2020, marking the beginning of a new generation of benchmarking, recognition, and transparency

Mondelēz Joins Science Based Targets Initiative

Establishes 2025 goals to reduce emissions company-wide and beyond to create a sustainable future for snacking

Paul Kiecker, Fsis Administator

New FSIS Leadership Announced

Paul Kiecker to serve as administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)

Dot Foods Opens New Distribution Center

Site will help nation’s largest food industry redistributor deliver products in less-than-truckload quantities to customers in eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut

Contract Packaging Potential in the Cannabis Industry

Contract Packaging Potential in the Cannabis Industry

While contract packaging in the cannabis industry has been slow to develop, there is room for packaging specialists who can guide and manage the vast and ever-changing landscape of cannabis packaging.

PepsiCo Set to Buy Snacks Company

Plans to purchase Chinese online company Hangzhou Haomusi Food Co., known as Be & Cheery

More from Grant Gerke

The reader, with its integrated antenna, reads the RFID tag information and forwards it via the ASM 456 communication module to the controllers that manage the subsequent processes. Photo courtesy of Siemens.

RFID-enabled pallets track lucrative whey powder products

A German dairy and whey producer continues its modernization drive with a plastic pallet RFID solution that connects to the company’s SCADA platform.

A primary sensor is located as close as possible to the pipe surface and a secondary sensor is at a distance from the pipe surface and serves as a reference sensor. Source: ABB.

Sensing technology measures liquid temperatures inside the pipe from the outside

One of the most elemental pieces in the changing digital landscape for food and beverage manufacturers is the need for robust sensing.

A mobile transport system, called Angus, moves produce to robotic production area for seeding, monitoring or harvesting.

Indoor farming benefits from robotics

Automation reduces traditional labor at indoor farms where produce grows in large warehouses near retail chains.

With the craft beer industry becoming more mature, Deschutes’ process optimization efforts should help create better margins. Image courtesy of Deschutes Brewery.

Deschutes Brewery’s new ERP creates one source of truth

Besides the manufacturing/production software options, Deschutes currently uses the food safety compliance, warehouse/inventory, purchasing and reporting analytics within the ERP platform.

System integrator ECS Solutions created a procedural and equipment view for JTM Food Group’s operators, based on ISA-88 standards. Image courtesy of ESC Solutions.

New plant cooks up manufacturing flexibility with automation

JTM Food Group’s greenfield plant in Ohio features advanced automation to optimize its batch processing applications and meet changing consumer demands.

With the integration of PI Vision, Illovo Sugar was able to provide real-time information for operators, promoting a healthy competition between operators. Photo courtesy of OSIsoft.

How a sugar producer found more capacity utilization

Striving to find more operational flexibility and utilization, South Africa-based Illovo Sugar implemented advanced analytics for its form/fill/seal packaging machines across five plants.

Hennig-Olsen has a 48 percent market share with consumers, but the company also has 55 percent of the foodservice segment in Norway and exports to Russia.

Ice cream producer finds sweet solution for increased operational efficiencies

Norwegian manufacturer modernizes its plant with an ISA-95 manufacturing execution system to increase production volume and capacity utilization.

The dough production line employs four robots and relies on 3-D vision sensing at the start of the conveyor system to aid the robotic pick- and placing- of various pizza dough sizes.

2 automation trends for 2019

Life-like gripper robotic technology and artificial intelligence/machine modeling solutions are becoming a reality in food processing applications.

Nestle Wagner now uses Getac's A140 Rugged Tablet to standardize data processes for production management at its pizza plant in Germany.

Rugged tablet helps digitize pizza production

In line with its continuous improvement initiatives and drive for digital workflows, Nestlé Wagner enlisted a rugged tablet to standardize data processes for production management at its pizza plant in Germany.

The distributed control system provides visibility into the tank farm for Caloy. The nut-oil producer has eight tanks, with four to offload finished product to trucks and the other for final mixing.

Nut oil producer unveils automation platform in its greenfield facility

Caloy Inc. creates a new business model for the refining of tree nuts to lucrative oils at its California plant, achieving tighter monitoring of its products in the supply chain.