Aaron Hand

Executive Editor, ProFood World

With about 80 cranberry bogs, Canneberges Bécancour processes about a half million pounds of cranberries per day during a typical harvest.

CO2 Refrigeration Helps Cranberry Processor Overcome Logistics Challenges

Developing a freezing facility to support its original processing plant, Canneberges Bécancour needed something that was energy-efficient, environmentally friendly, and easy to operate. The grower found it food retail.

In many food plants, workers are in close proximity, causing concerns for spreading contagions.

Pushing Change to Keep Workers Safe, Plants Running

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted food and beverage manufacturers to implement several new safety measures along with cutting-edge technologies geared toward maintaining production in a booming market. As we move forward, which changes will take root?

At MWC, Fanuc robots are used to place the packaged 40-lb blocks of cheese onto pallets before they go through a stretch wrapper and are taken to the warehouse.

MWC’s Robot Configurations Provide Flexibility

Robotics come into play in the cheesemaker's palletizing operations. But for the most part, that level of complexity isn't needed in a facility producing such consistent product types and sizes. What's needed more is simplified automation.

Advanced Manufacturing Emphasized at Powder Show Digital Flow | COVID-19 Shifts Consumer Trends

Take Five Video: International Powder & Bulk Solids Conference is making an in-person return, but live virtual content remains. Also, Tetra Pak’s research suggests consumers are still expecting manufacturers to meet environmental demands despite COVID-19.

More from Aaron Hand

The Ignition SCADA system provides alarms for MWC operators, and also provides layers of data capabilities for track and trace, OEE, and more.

Cheesemaker Harvests the Data Cream of the Crop

The MWC cheese and whey facility, ProFood World's 2021 Manufacturing Innovation Award winner, continues to layer on SCADA functionality to get more information from the data it gathers.

The out-of-box functionality of the TrakSYS MES platform provides monitoring, measuring, reporting, and analytics to run manufacturing operations more effectively.

MES Provides Insight Needed in Competitive Distillery Sector

The Bourbon Trail is facing tight margins and market erosion, making the insights from Parsec’s TrakSYS software particularly helpful. But the food and beverage industry overall could benefit from capabilities in OEE, track and trace, and more.

Getty Images 453533793 Meat Processing Web

Pandemic Gives Boost to Smaller Meat Processing Plants

Though COVID-19 certainly caused its share of issues as meat processors raced to figure out how to keep their workers safe, one of the biggest challenges the smaller organizations have faced is how to keep up with the rising demand.

Goya Foods packages beans, rice mixes, corn meal, and other dry products at its new facility in Secaucus, N.J. Pictured here, filled and sealed packages of Spanish rice proceed to a cartoning line.

Automated Bulk Bag Dischargers Help Keep Pace With High-Speed Packaging

A new distribution center not only provided four times the space to help relieve previous bottlenecks in rice, bean, and flour lines, but also needed more efficient bulk handling equipment to keep up with other high-speed functions.

Pfw Title Melissa

Facilities Optimize Cost-Saving Sustainability With MnTAP | Digital Innovation Production Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

On this 'Take Five' episode, editor Aaron Hand tackles how COVID-19 accelerated food and beverage producers digital transformation journeys. Melissa Griffen covers how an intern program's sustainable solutions drove cost saving for Minnesota companies.

Digital twins can be used to help optimize production lines, including motor and drive configurations.

Motors and Drives Come Together for Motion Efficiency, Performance, Reliability

Beyond the advances made to both motors and drives in terms of energy efficiency, safety, cleanability, and more, suppliers emphasize the importance of how they work together in a complete motion system.

Though apple juices and other products are the company’s mainstay most of the year, Tree Top makes seasonal products from a range of other fruits as well.

Decanter Helps Optimize Fruit Juice Concentrate Process

Moving to a new style of decanter largely because of maintenance issues with older machines, a fruit processor found several ways the new system improved production, including sanitation and flexibility.

ParityFactory software gives GoldRiver Orchards real-time insights on its walnut inventory, providing a much better idea of what is available to sell.

Automated Control Gives Walnut Processor Real-Time Insight Into Inventory

Switching over from manual recordkeeping to digital tracking has provided the producer with a more accurate view of walnut quantities, qualities, and a host of other attributes that were previously difficult to monitor.

Flowserve Screens

IoT Service Platform Puts Eyes on Critical Assets

The launch of Flowserve’s RedRaven platform provides remote monitoring and optimization of flow-related equipment and devices, enabling predictive maintenance for a number of industries.