How to combat the workforce crisis

ProFood World has rounded up some creative recruitment and retention strategies to help manufacturers find the skilled talent they need to operate their advanced plants.

Dec 9th, 2019

As the skilled labor pool shrinks and more positions go unfilled, manufacturers are using out-of-the-box recruiting and retention strategies.

As the skilled labor pool shrinks and more positions go unfilled, manufacturers are using out-of-the-box recruiting and retention strategies.

The good news: Food and beverage manufacturing is booming. The bad news: A lack of skilled workers is threatening the industry. According to the 2018 skills gap and workforce study from Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute, about 2.4 million manufacturing jobs will go unfilled between 2018 and 2028. The workforce crisis is putting pressure on manufacturers as they struggle to find the talent needed to operate their plants and meet increased production demands from consumers. What’s a manufacturer to do? From implementing digital technologies that narrows the skills gap to overcoming the negative perception of manufacturing with younger workers to dealing with the wave of baby boomers heading for retirement, ProFood World has rounded up some of the best recruitment and retention strategies to stay competitive in a changing workforce landscape.

For consumer packaged goods companies that want to inspect and test final packaging seals during production, the Seal-Sensor can be integrated into a packaging line.

Ultrasound Technology Analyzes Seal Integrity Accurately and Reliably

PTI’s Seal-Scan and Seal-Sensor test packaging seals in a noninvasive, nondestructive manner both on and off the production line, respectively.

Gea Smart Packer Twin Tube High Speed Packaging Machine

Packaging Machine Is Built for Flexibility

Future-proof modular system offers increased functional efficiency

Young Living, headquartered in Utah with farms and operations around the world, makes a wide range of essential oils and other products.

Hitting Essential Filling Speeds for Essential Oils

With expansions in pharmaceutical, medical, and food and beverage applications, the essential oil market is booming. Young Living turned to Syntegon (formerly Bosch Packaging) to triple its filler speed and improve yield.

Vital Proteins Collagen Options

Rotary Filler Helps Keep Pace With Booming Collagen Market

To keep up with skyrocketing demand for its collagen powders, Vital Proteins turned to Spee-Dee Packaging Machinery and its rotary filler. It boosted production from 20 to 100 plastic canisters a minute, also improving safety and ease of operation.

Eagle Product Inspection Tall Pro Xs X Ray Machine

X-ray Machine Provides 100% Inspection

Is designed for tall containers

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.

J&J Snack Foods' X-Ray Inspection Systems from Mettler-Toledo Safeline

J&J Employs Versatile X-Ray for Mixed Snack Foods

To maximize detecting capability, J&J Snack Foods recently installed three x-ray systems from Mettler-Toledo Safeline, including an X33 model in 2017 and another X33 and a two-lane X36 model last year.

Cognex Deep Learning quality inspection software can be trained to identify correct placement and types of items assembled or packaged. In this consumer packaged goods example, it's assorted chocolates in a package. Source: Cognex

Quality Inspections Drive Machine Vision and Deep Learning Connection

Cognex works with end users in multiple industrial verticals to apply deep learning to its vision systems for final and in-line assembly verification.

Flexicon Open Chute High Lift Bin Dumper

Unit Automates Dumping of Mobile Bins

Isolates material from the plant environment

Food and beverage manufacturers are implementing creative recruitment and retention strategies as the sector faces a labor shortage.

Tackling the Labor Shortage

Food and beverage manufacturers need to invest in creative recruitment and retention strategies that will win over the hearts and minds of the next generation of skilled workers.

Shibuya ESL Liquid filling equipment for HDPE and PET bottles provides an ultra-clean filling and sealing environment. Features include programmable weight-controlled filling, data collection of filling and sealing operations, automated cleaning system, and CIP monitoring and trending.

HP Hood Takes the Fast Track to Expansion

An idle cultured dairy products plant is converted into a technologically advanced plant that produces and packages fluid milk for extended shelf life dairy beverages by installing technologies to advance the facility’s food safety and control systems.

Get recognized for sustainability in food and beverage processing

Get recognized for sustainability in food and beverage processing

ProFood World will honor food and beverage manufacturers who display exceptional improved performance through sustainability. Nominations are open; awards will be conferred in Chicago, June 9-10.

Gericke Multiflux Gms Mixers

Mixers Allow Complete Access to Internals for Cleaning

Include stainless-steel construction and continuously welded seams

Horizontal Bucket Rotation Conveyor Multi Conveyor

Horizontal Bucket Conveyor Designed for Bakery Application

Multi-Conveyor recently built a dual strand, roller chain conveyor with bucket-style attachments to transport loaves of bread—ultimately ending up at a robotic pick zone.

Fps Spiral Immersion System

System Shortens Time Food Products Are in the 'Danger Zone'

Occupies less space and consumes less energy

Vaquería Tres Monjitas is the first company to commercially use Millisecond Technology, a new pasteurization technique that extends the shelf life of fresh milk using low temperature and low pressure.

Puerto Rican dairy processor uses cutting-edge pasteurization to redefine fresh milk category

A new low-temperature, low-pressure pasteurization technology helps Vaquería Tres Monjitas extend the shelf life of its fresh milk while still maintaining the product’s nutrients and flavor.

Ross Mega Shear Ultra High Shear Rotor Stator

Mixer Has Unique Mixing Head

Produces level of shear typically unseen among rotor/stator mixers

Imi Rare Earth Magnetic Circuit

Circuits provide repeatable magnet performance

Optimize values identified as critical measurements

As the skilled labor pool shrinks and more positions go unfilled, manufacturers are using out-of-the-box recruiting and retention strategies.

How to combat the workforce crisis

ProFood World has rounded up some creative recruitment and retention strategies to help manufacturers find the skilled talent they need to operate their advanced plants.

San Juan Salsa Co. uses the SP-64 Single Piston Filler from Hinds-Bock to package about 2,750 containers of salsa a week.

Salsa manufacturer takes the slow-and-steady approach to automation

A semi-automated piston filler paves the way for San Juan Salsa Co. to fully automate its packaging processes for the future.

More in Processing Equipment

To meet increased demand for its Drumstick Squashies candy, Swizzels Matlow installed the TOMRA Nimbus optical sorter, which inspects the candies in free fall, allowing the entire surface area of the product to be inspected.

Make the most out of your inspection equipment

From metal detectors to x-rays to leak detection technology, inspection equipment can not only prevent foreign material contamination — thus preventing the dreaded recall — but improve production efficiency, enhance product quality and reduce food waste.

Kemutec Gardner L Series 50 L Horizontal Ribbon Mixer

Mixer rapidly, efficiently blends powders and granular materials

Interrupted spiral ribbon agitator is removable for cleaning

The OpX Leadership Network has several products to help manufacturers begin or accelerate their journeys to sustainability excellence.

Journey to sustainability excellence

The OpX Leadership Network has tools to help processors generate long-term profits while improving the sustainability of their businesses.

Source: PMMI Business Intelligence: Trends and Advances in Food Processing and Packaging 2019

Food processors focus on health, shelf life, plant-based alternatives

The global food packaging market will reach $400 billion by 2025, growing at a CAGR of between 4 percent and 5 percent, according to a new report from PMMI Business Intelligence.

Ppm Snack Foods Fryer

Snack frying system has a compact design

Accommodates smallest footprints

The OpX Leadership Network's Asset Reliability Solutions Group developed a roadmap that can enable CPGs to improve manufacturing performance with the four points shown in the graphic above.

Assessing your company’s operational readiness

A successful asset reliability process requires strong relationships between internal and external stakeholders and an implementation plan that clarifies their roles.

Multi Conveyor Horizontal Bucket Conveyor

Horizontal bucket conveyor meets sanitary requirements

Offers simplified bucket cleaning

Bruce Main, president of design safety engineering, inc. and machine safety consultant to PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies

Potential OSHA updates are poised to increase productivity

Keeping plant workers safe while maintaining production efficiency is paramount in food and beverage operations. But there’s a huge opportunity in the offing as OSHA prepares to revamp its lockout standards.

Heat and Control’s Fastback System gently conveys the freshly baked peanut butter-filled pretzel nuggets, allowing them to sufficiently cool before weighing in Ishida combination scales.

A silver lining to starting from scratch

After a fire, Pretzels Inc. turned lemons into lemonade by seizing the opportunity to rebuild with flexibility and capacity that the previous facility couldn’t have accommodated.

Nilfisk R155 Vacuum

Vacuum is reliable in continuous duty applications

Runs virtually maintenance-free for long periods of time

The Functional Film Complex PET Bottle from Dai Nippon Printing Co. won the Diamond Award in the 2019 Packaging Innovation Awards by Dow for delivering the functionality of glass without the drawbacks.

The best in packaging

The winners of the 2019 Packaging Innovation Awards from Dow feature innovative technology that emphasizes sustainability and improving the user experience.

Honest Dairy in China collaborated with Noluma to create packaging that protects the nutrients and taste of its yogurt while extending the product’s shelf from 18 to 21 days.

Keeping light out of dairy packaging

Noluma’s light protection technology illuminates how manufacturers can create packaging that keeps light from damaging their milk products.