TreeHouse Foods, Inc. has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its snacks division to Atlas Holdings LLC of Greenwich, Conn. Atlas owns and operates 19 manufacturing and distribution businesses, which together employ more than 17,000 associates at more than 150 facilities worldwide. Atlas agreed to pay $90 million for the division, subject to closing adjustments.

With meat production on the rise—in fact tripling over the last four decades, according to the Worldwatch Institute—HPP (high-pressure processing) has proven itself not only to kill dangerous microbes, but also to extend shelf life by a factor of two to four times. Trouble is, with these merits, HPP meats tend to lose their color, which is a turnoff to some consumers.

When we think of IIoT, we often consider the roles it plays in fine tuning processes to peak efficiency, minimizing downtime through predictive or prescribed maintenance, or acquiring data and processing it to improve food quality and safety. But, we don’t always think of another role IIoT can play, and that is using its capabilities to produce unique products in a very small quantity and package and ship them to individual customers.