Alyse Thompson-Richards, associate editor-in-chief, recaps some recent plant openings, expansions and closures in the food and beverage industry.

Located in Southern Idaho's "Magic Valley," the 100,000-sq.-ft. plant produces and packages frozen, fully baked Idaho potatoes known as OH!Tatoes.

The system includes cameras, AI software, a conveyor and automatic ejection mechanisms with dual drops (one for foreign material, one for culls) to ensure only ideal potatoes reach later process stages.

Missouri-based Backer's Potato Chip Company turned to Vanmark to replace its deteriorating bulk bin system.

Christensen will remain part of Idaho Steel Products and Reyco Systems as a member of the board of directors.

New grooved rollers on the SSR facilitate the same throughput as traditional SSRs but with more precise product grading.

The machine is designed to be a compact, versatile solution for experimenting with new concepts.

Rick Garrett brings a track record of more than 30 years in the industry, having gained experience at Key Technology, where he served in engineering and sales, culminating in his recent role.

The company’s new in-plant vine remover machine preps potatoes by separating and removing vines from product flow.