2024 Agenda

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Essential Belt Drive Design Considerations for Food Processing Conveyors

The conveyor belt drive is an integral component of the conveyor system that directly impacts safety, productivity, reliability, and efficiency. Food processors must also maintain hygienic practices to avoid expensive shutdowns due to contamination. The critical factors affecting conveyor cleanliness are the exposed drive components, gaps, and crevices that facilitate bacterial harborage and lead to contamination. This presentation will compare a traditional external motor and gearbox drive to the VDG Drum Motor drive design and analyze the differences in hygiene level, efficiency, safety, and cost of ownership. Learn about the essential design elements of a conveyor belt drive for increasing hygiene, optimizing efficiency, and ensuring safety while decreasing operational costs.

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Through the Fire: How Taylor Farms Rebuilt its California Foodservice Facility in Under a Year

During the early morning hours of April 13, 2022, what had started as a small fire in the wall of Taylor Farms’ Salinas Foodservice facility in California quickly became a four-alarm fire, triggering mandatory evacuations within a mile of the plant and shutting down the company’s highest capacity processing site. Nearly 60,000 square feet of production space went up in flames but luckily, no employees were on site and no one was injured.
Every year, Taylor Farms breaks down and transports their production lines between California and Arizona to be near where the produce is grown. From April to November, they process and package leafy greens in their California facilities, and then shift to Arizona for December through March. As the team assessed options for how to continue to fulfill customer orders while rebuilding, it was decided to keep Yuma operational, rely on their strategic distribution network across North America, while also adding production capabilities to a neighboring Taylor Farms’ owned storage warehouse in California. Within two weeks, an additional warehouse space was outfitted with temporary refrigeration skids as well as equipment.
The blank slate allowed Taylor Farms to completely redesign its production space and improve the equipment layout, personnel flow and sanitary design. The ceiling is refrigerated at the same temperature as the production area (34 degrees Fahrenheit) to avoid condensation. Other changes to improve personnel flow and food safety included the addition of a viewing corridor that sits above the employee locker rooms. Visitors can view the washing, drying, weighing, and packaging operations without ever stepping foot in the production space.
The entire refrigeration system was replaced and an ammonia alarm system and additional site fire hydrants were added. A staggering 9.2 miles of piping was installed within a four-month period to accommodate the 26 production lines. Other highlights include upgraded power sources, a heat exchanger for more sustainable water processing and line layout modifications to improve worker ergonomics and accessibility for cleaning.
In less than 12 months, Taylor Farms’ Salinas facility went from a smoldering burned-out shell to once again being the flagship facility for their high-volume foodservice market. FA&M is honored and excited to welcome Taylor Farms to the 25th annual symposium to tell their story and share lessons learned through the fire.
Important elements affecting the hygiene of a conveyor belt drive are the exposed drive components, gaps, and crevices that encourage bacterial harborage that can lead to contamination. This presentation will examine the sanitary level of a traditional motor and gearbox drive and the VDG all-stainless steel SSV Drum Motor conveyor belt drive design.

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Digital-First Manufacturing: Navigating the Sustainable Future with AI

Join Tom Kelly, Executive Director and CEO of Automation Alley, as he takes the stage at the Food Automation and Manufacturing Symposium. In this keynote presentation, Tom will delve into the profound impact of a digital-first mindset on manufacturing, emphasizing sustainability as the cornerstone. Drawing on his extensive Industry 4.0 expertise, he will explore how the integration of artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the landscape of food and beverage production and beyond. Through insightful examples and forward-thinking strategies, Tom will guide attendees on a journey through the transformative power of AI, paving the way for a more sustainable and efficient future in manufacturing. Don't miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights into the intersection of technology, sustainability, and the future of food automation.

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AI, ChatGPT and the Digital Transformation of Manufacturing

Technology is rapidly changing the way food and beverages are produced, processed, and distributed, requiring agility and adaptability. From the Artificial Intelligence (AI) to ChatGPT and beyond, companies are increasingly relying on technological tools to improve employee training and productivity and increase value through less downtime. Learn more about how technology is transforming the food manufacturing process, with real-life examples from major CPG brands.
During their keynote address, Microsoft’s Billy Gillespie and Andrew Daly will synthesize complex, technology-driven business initiatives, providing insight into the best practices employed by some of today’s biggest names in manufacturing.
This thought-provoking presentation will delve into the technology affecting F&B manufacturing and how companies have made it work for them. More importantly, this session will share how to implement it and make it work for you.

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FOOD ENGINEERING’s 2024 Sustainable Plant of the Year Award Presentation

Called the Mega Ranch, Meati Foods’ new 100,000-square-foot facility in Colorado produces the company’s alternative protein food products based on mycelium, the root-like structure of fungus. It has been named the 2024 Sustainable Plant of the Year by FOOD ENGINEERING.
The need for the facility was borne out of the company’s success with its vegan products. First introduced to local Denver-area restaurants in 2020, customer demand for Meati’s products drove the need to scale production beyond what the company’s pilot ranch, its first with industrial-sized fermenters, could produce.
Moving from 5,000-liter fermentation tanks to 25,000-liter fermentation tanks, Meati aims to produce tens of millions of pounds at Mega Ranch—putting its production on a scale to match, or even exceed, that of the largest animal-based ranches in the U.S. The company says that a teaspoon of spores is capable of growing into the equivalent of hundreds of cows’ worth of protein in just a few days.
Learn about the company’s lower carbon, water and land footprints and Meati’s corporate dedication to sustainability, which informed the facility’s design and led to a partnership with the City of Thornton.
The plant will be featured in the July issue of FOOD ENGINEERING.

Learn more about Meati.

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After the ‘Chicken Wars’: A Conversation with Kerry, 2022 Sustainable Plant of the Year Winner

Global food manufacturer Kerry won the FOOD ENGINEERING Sustainable Plant of the Year award in 2022, for its $125 million breadcrumbs and coatings plant in Rome, Georgia. The plant expansion that added 30% more production capacity to the facility, enough breading produced annually to coat approximately 70 billion chicken nuggets.
The expansion project was spurred by the widely publicized “chicken wars” among fast food and quick-serve restaurant brands—all of which feature their own signature fried chicken sandwich on the menu—which created substantial demand for breadcrumbs and coatings. Also, the rising popularity of breaded and fried foods in general elevated the need for more volume, which can be partially attributed to increased sales of air fryers for home use.
Within Kerry’s plant expansion was an array of sustainable and environmentally focused initiatives for energy and resource conservation. In addition, we’re thrilled to welcome Grant McKinlay, director of Continuous Improvement at Kerry, to the 2024 Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium to discuss where the plant stands today, lessons learned in its first few years of operation and how it has influenced future Kerry projects.

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Cutting Costs, Carbon, and Complexity: The Road to Decentralized Food & Beverage Manufacturing with Autonomous Micro-Factories

Led by the CEO of Relocalize, we'll explore the future of food production through the lens of autonomous microfactories. This session delves into the innovative approach of decentralizing food manufacturing to eliminate middle-mile transportation (and related CO2 emissions). Emphasizing the reduction of costs, carbon footprint, and supply chain complexity, Wayne will explore the synergy between advanced technology and sustainability. He'll differentiate between autonomous and automated production, highlighting the challenges and opportunities in this technological evolution, including key success factors. The presentation envisions a future where local, efficient food supply chains redefine our relationship with manufactured foods. A must-attend for those passionate about the intersection of technology and sustainable food systems.

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The Executable Digital Twin: A Digital Thread Approach to Boosting Machine Productivity

Learn how a digital twin can simulate, predict, and optimize your machines. See how an Executable Digital Twin can expand the usefulness of traditional digital twins to make real-time decisions and optimize running equipment.

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Laser “cold” Oven solutions for the Food Industry

Laser-based heating and drying solutions were introduced to the marketplace just eighteen months ago, but made a remarkable impact over a short time due to several disruptive characteristics. A Laser oven operates by projecting energy over a large surface area with the particular advantage that such an oven is “cold”. All of the energy is deposited onto the target, while none heats the atmosphere or oven walls. Insulating oven walls are no longer required. New forms of process metrology may be introduced due to the cold nature of the oven. Beyond the “cold” oven benefits, we observe experimentally that the direct nature of laser heating results in substantial reduction in process time. Analogous to how a microwave oven speeds cooking, laser energy penetrates the target to create volumetric heat transfer. We will discuss experimental results baking cookies and drying fruit which amply demonstrate both the sustainability and speed advantages of Laser heating and drying solutions. Laser Ovens promise to affect many industries which seek an economically attractive and sustainable alternative to fossil fuel based heating.

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Registraion & Welcome Reception

This opening night Welcome Reception is the perfect opportunity for all event participants to meet and greet one another in the exhibit hall. Pick up your name badge, grab a beverage and enjoy some casual face-to-face conversations.

Dinner

Enjoy a casual dinner outside in the Royal Palm Courtyard at The Hyatt. This is the perfect opportunity to unwind after a long day of education and network with your peers.

FOOD ENGINEERING’s 2024 Plant of the Year Award Presentation

Discover the innovative strides of JBS Prepared Foods' Principe Food Facility, winner of FOOD ENGINEERING magazine’s Plant of the Year, to be honored at the Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo in April. Situated in Columbia, Mo., this state-of-the-art 315,000-sq.-ft. greenfield project embodies authentic Italian heritage, delivering high-quality sliced meats with a blend of automation and traditional craftsmanship. Join us in celebrating this remarkable achievement and explore the cutting-edge processes behind the production of old-world style dried meats.

Learn More About JBS

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