Wayne Labs

FE 2020 Annual Plant Construction Survey

2020 Annual Plant Construction Survey: Part 4

Plan a total, plant-wide automation system to improve facility performance and agility

Integrating all the systems on a line is important, but why stop there? Why not include HVAC, refrigeration, boilers, energy management, etc. to get total control?

Wayne Labs

June 3, 2020

While we've looked at the key issues - including COVID-19 - facing food processors and A&E/Cs this year in FE's 2020 Annual Plant Construction Survey, there's a lot more to discuss.

The Allpax automated retort system featuring shuttle car transport and rigid chain loader/unloader, shown here, removes workers from the laborious and injury prone activity of pushing heavy baskets, top right, to and from and into and out of a retort.

Retort design improvements

Retort loading/unloading system removes the push-pull chain drive

A real engineering improvement, Allpax’s new design is simpler, requires fewer periodic adjustments and reduces parts wear

Wayne Labs

May 21, 2020

Real engineering improvements make things simpler to operate and maintain

2020 PLEX State of Manufacturing Technology Report

Manufacturing News

Study reveals manufacturers face new competition as biggest growth obstacle in 2020

But when it comes to adopting new technologies, food and beverage manufacturers are out in front of other industrial categories

Wayne Labs

May 19, 2020

The results are in for PLEX’s State of Manufacturing Report 2020, and they show the food and beverage industry is in many ways out in front of other industries in terms of adopting new technologies to maximize efficiency, competitiveness and profits.

Manufacturing News

Beer choices abound: Great for consumers but tough on large brewers

New technologies like AI and IIoT sensors plus horizontal distribution will give craft and microbreweries an edge over megalithic breweries

Wayne Labs

May 19, 2020

The brewery industry has been in a state of change, and craft and microbreweries are ready to adopt technology to give large, institutional brewers a run for their money, says a new study

Protecting against physical violence

Wayne Labs

May 11, 2020

While we can't pretend to cover in one article what an entire publication devoted to security does, we will look at some key pointers in keeping employees safer in the workplace.

Engineering R&D

Omnichain's predictive analytics inform decisions

Wayne Labs

May 8, 2020

Though relatively new, blockchain distributed ledger technology (DLT) applied in food and beverage can speed up tracebacks from days to seconds. One innovator—Pratik Soni, founder and CEO of Omnichain—is already taking blockchain technologies to the next level.

Manufacturing News

FDA takes measures to promote the microbiological safety of leafy greens

Wayne Labs

May 4, 2020

To combat recurring food safety issues, FDA has come up with a plan for 2020, called the "2020 Leafy Greens STEC Action Plan."

CEO appointments

Eriez appoints Lukas Guenthardt as its new president and CEO

Timothy Shuttleworth retires, having served as Eriez president and CEO since 2004

Wayne Labs

April 16, 2020

Eriez has appointed Lukas Guenthardt as its new president and CEO after Timothy Shuttleworth retired from the position, having served since 2004.

Engineering R&D

IcePoint saves energy via on-demand agile cooling and moisture control

Wayne Labs

April 15, 2020

Colorado-based Rebound Technologies, founded in 2012 by CEO Kevin Davis and CTO Russell Goldfarbmuren, has taken a new approach to refrigeration with its IcePoint technology, focusing its efforts on developing highly agile systems to match perfectly the dynamic thermal needs of a business.

Blockchain is the tracking method preferred by industry right now

Wayne Labs

April 15, 2020

There's been a lot of hype about Blockchain — in fact, it uses networking and distributed database technology with encryption, security and much more. But should you jump on the bandwagon now?