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

workers on plant floor

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.

Key Marathon Monobeam Vibratory Conveyor

Vibratory Conveyor Maximizes Sanitation, Improves Operator Access

Minimizes footprint and has fewer parts to clean

Mamata M 200 Packaging Machine

Roll Stock Pouch Machine Offers Comparable Outputs to a Duplex Machine

Decreases manufacturing costs and occupies a smaller footprint

Dorner Ert250 Roller Pallet Conveyor

Conveyors Are Engineered to Handle Zone Functionality

Reduce the number of stacked-up pallets and trays

Coperion K Tron Batch Weighing System

Batch Weighing Systems Ensure Accurate Ingredient Handling

Maximize social distancing and optimize food and operator safety

Gericke Stp 61 Pneumatic Conveying Control System

Pneumatic Conveyor Control System Speeds Commissioning

Eliminates time-intensive, manual PLC programming and reduces maintenance needs

Gea Opti Slicer 6000

Slicer Offers Greater Productivity and Precision

Reduces downtime, maintenance, and total cost of operation

Alfa Dura Circ Circumferental Piston Pump

Piston Pump Is Engineered for Durability, Reliability, and Efficiency

Reduces contamination risks and cuts cleaning time and costs

Wooster Heavyduty 20 Anti Slip Coating

Anti-slip Epoxy System Provides High Traction and Durability

Is compatible with previously installed coatings

Flexicon Bev Con Flexible Screw Conveyor

Flexible Screw Conveyor Eliminates Dumping From Safety Cages

Overcomes the issues of dust, safety, and worker fatigue when moving powders

Orion Rtc Rotary Tower Stretch Wrapper

Stretch Wrapper Ensures Precise Application of Programmed Wraps

Maximizes load containment and film yield

Conagra Brands’ Menomonie, Wis., team displays the ultrasonic imager that helps it identify air leaks.

Conagra Brands Earns Second Place in SEMA's Program Category

Conagra Brands succeeds with compressed air, steam, and vacuum leak reduction project, which ties for a position in ProFood World's Sustainability Excellence in Manufacturing Awards.

Vastex Big Red 4 D 54 Oven

Infrared Conveyor Tunnel Oven With Pre-heat Zone Increases Capacity

Satisfies high-capacity curing, drying, and baking requirements

Mettler Toledo Prod X 2 4 Software

Software Offers Complete Product Inspection Management

Ensures food manufacturers can demonstrate full accountability and transparency

No Tray Product Compare

Ground Meat Wrapper Provides Greener Operations

Reduces operations costs and carbon footprint

Spx Flow Apv Pilot 4 T Homogenizer

Pilot Homogenizer Provides New Level of Versatility

Saves time and money

Unifiller M3 Depositor

Depositor Optimizes Production Systems and Ingredients Handling

Minimizes food waste through accurate deposits

More in Processing Equipment

Layton Systems Turnkey Solution

Turnkey Solution Provides Reliable Processing and Packing Operation

Offers exceptionally low maintenance and sanitary operation

Imi Slim Series Spouting Line Magnets

Magnets Offer Simple Inspection Points in Spouting Lines

Are flanged unit for easy installation

Luxme Sanilux Tubular Chain Conveyor

Tubular Chain Conveyors Retain Product Integrity

Deliver washdowns free of bacteria or allergens over the internal and product contact surfaces

Gorman Rupp Echo Storm Static Venturi Aeration Device

Aeration Device Operates in a Variety of Pump Configurations

Can be combined with a variety of Gorman-Rupp pumps

Ross 42 N 18 Ss With Workstation

Blender With Unloading Station Empties Bags Safely

Custom cover arrangement is available on all ribbon blenders

Getty Images 1287267694

Beverage Manufacturing: Machines Needed for a Smarter Plant Floor

With 67% of beverage manufacturers planning to eventually add additional packaging equipment to their operations, flexibility is the key element that is needed in new machinery.

BIX Produce just outside of St. Paul, Minn., chose a FasTop 12S Urethane Slurry System from Sherwin-Williams for its new 30,000 sq ft operating space. The flooring system provides thermal shock, chemical and slip resistance, cryogenic and high-heat exposure tolerance, and durability.

Flooring It: Suppliers Focus on Fast Return to Service

Food and beverage manufacturers are demanding shorter schedules for flooring installations, while also looking for more sustainable options. Floors and drains must also stand up to high standards of thermal shock, caustic chemicals, and bacteria concerns.

Fortress Stealth Vertex Metal Detector

Metal Detectors Conduct Automatic Quality Control Tests

Save on time, money, and other operational costs

Multivac L 310 Conveyor Belt Labeler

Conveyor Belt Labeler Enables Rapid Change of Label Rolls and Batches

Provides an efficient solution for C and D labeling

Thanks to a new AbilityOne contract, Transylvania Vocational Services needed to increase production of its instant non-fat dry milk to better serve food banks.

Bagger Helps Dry Milk Packager Meet Food Bank Demand

With a new contract to serve increasing food pantry needs amid the pandemic, a maker of ready-to-eat foods and various powdered products chose a VFFS bagger and auger combination to help improve efficiency as well as sanitation.

Sollich Dumoulin Logi C 252 Automatic Coating System 3

Coating System Has Smaller Bed Depth Than Any Similar Unit

Reduces processing times, allowing coating to be distributed very quickly

Stafford Shaft Collars And Mounting Components

Shaft Collars Are Designed for Food Processing Applications

Are available with special features, such as keyways and special mounting modifications