The Leading Source for Food Manufacturing News
Conformal Coating
February 3, 2010 4:41 am | Product Releases | CommentsUV10LV is a clear, non-conductive protective conformal coating designed to restrain the impact of moisture, dust, chemicals and temperature extremes on electronic circuitry and components. Its high resilience bonds will not deteriorate even when exposed to adverse environmental conditions including severe heat and moisture.
Cadbury Shareholders Approve Kraft Deal
February 2, 2010 8:12 am | News | CommentsNORTHFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Cadbury PLC shareholders have voted to approve Kraft Foods Inc.'s roughly $19.5 billion offer to acquire the British candy maker. The majority vote marks the final step in Kraft's months-long battle to acquire the company. The deal creates of the world's largest confectionary company and greatly expands Kraft's global reach.
Databases: The Perfect Complement to PLCs
February 2, 2010 6:34 am | by Steve Hechtman, President, Inductive Automation | Articles | CommentsPLCs? Okay, you’ve tackled PLCs and now you can program ‘em with one hand behind your back. So what’s next? What’s the next logical challenge? Think SQL and relational databases. Why? You’d be amazed the similarity. It’s the next logical progression. You might ask how it is they’re even related.
Circulating Fluidized Bed Power Technology
February 2, 2010 5:22 am | by Robert Giglio & Justin Wehrenberg, Foster Wheeler Power Group | Articles | CommentsLooking back over the last 150 years or so, it is not hard to see that electricity has been a primary force in shaping human development. It has been a basic ingredient in our industrial revolutions that simultaneously improved the productivity, working and living conditions within our farms, factories, hospitals, offices and homes.
Manufacturing Expands; Jobs Still Lag
February 2, 2010 5:05 am | News | CommentsNEW YORK (Reuters) — U.S. manufacturing expanded in January at its fastest pace since 2004 but consumers increased their spending only slightly in December, worried by job prospects and the state of the economy. Although the manufacturing sector has been expanding since August, the data released on Monday showed that the economic recovery is likely to be modest, especially with the jobless rate at 10 percent, an almost 26-year high.
China Launches Crackdown On Tainted Milk
February 2, 2010 5:05 am | News | CommentsBEIJING (Canadian Press) — China has launched a 10-day emergency crackdown on tainted milk products after several were found creeping back onto the market despite a massive scandal that sickened hundreds of thousands of children in 2008. No one knows how many tainted milk products are still on the market, a member of the country's food safety committee, Chen Junshi, was quoted as saying by the China Daily newspaper Tuesday.
Cadbury To Vote On Kraft Deal Today
February 2, 2010 5:03 am | News | CommentsPORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Kraft Foods Inc. faces a deadline Tuesday to get the majority of Cadbury PLC shareholders to approve its $19.5 billion offer to acquire the British candy maker. Shareholders are expected to approve the deal. Kraft announced its intent to acquire the company in September, and the deal quickly turned hostile.
2010 Canadian "Salt Lick Award" Goes To...
February 2, 2010 5:03 am | News | CommentsOttawa ON (Canadian Stroke Network) — Two of Canada's Networks of Centres of Excellence — the Canadian Stroke Network and the Advanced Foods & Materials Network — today awarded the third annual national "Salt Lick Award" to Gerber Graduates Lil' Entrees. This choice was made because the "Chicken & Pasta Wheel Pickups" dinner serves up the sodium equivalent to two orders of medium McDonald's Fries.
IN Gov Abandons Meat Inspection Budget Cuts
February 2, 2010 5:02 am | News | CommentsINDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The administration of Gov. Mitch Daniels backed away Monday from a plan to carve out about half of the budget for state inspections of meat processors after complaints that it would drive some plants out of business and hurt small livestock farms. The budget of the Meat and Poultry Inspection Program will be cut by less than 50 percent and some state inspectors will lose their jobs, Doug Metcalf, chief of staff for the Indiana State Board of Animal Health, told The Associated Press on Monday.
Salmonella Victims To Split About $12M
February 2, 2010 5:01 am | News | CommentsATLANTA (AP) — Dozens of victims of last year's nationwide salmonella outbreak will split about $12 million as part of a settlement with the insurer of the company linked to the illnesses. Atlanta attorney Alan Maxwell said Monday the money comes from an insurance policy that Lynchburg, Va.
Mobile Workstation Cart
February 2, 2010 5:00 am | Product Releases | CommentsIdeal for warehouses, distribution centers, factories, laboratories, retail stores, and many other facilities, NB Series Mobile Powered Workstations save labor and improve productivity. These patented, ergonomic carts can carry computers (desktops, towers, or laptops), printers, scales, barcode scanners, and most other small electronic equipment to wherever they are needed.
Robotic Tray System
February 2, 2010 4:58 am | Product Releases | CommentsThe Robotic Tray System (RTS) utilizes Robotic technology to provide a buffering and accumulation system within the can end manufacturing processes. Key benefits of the Robotic Tray System are: Small footprint Modular system easily configurable to suit different layouts Capable of running trays from existing balancer systems Optional servo belt drives eliminate air usage by replacing pneumatic cylinders which reduces annual energy consumption With the use of robotics there are less spare parts to keep on hand resulting in enhanced equipment availability The RTS consists of four separate systems, all functioning together as one unit.
Celebrating Spring Chickens
February 1, 2010 6:46 am | by Karen Langhauser, Editor-in-chief | Articles | CommentsWe’ve just returned from the 2010 International Poultry Expo, know affectionately—though somewhat inaccurately—around FM headquarters as “the chicken show.” Attendance at this year’s expo jumped considerably from last January, suggesting that, perhaps, after some belt-tightening, food manufacturers may be in the beginning stages of reevaluating their budgets and preparing to buy new equipment again.
Beer Production Bubbling For Olympics
February 1, 2010 5:07 am | News | CommentsVANCOUVER — How well Kerry Scarsbrook has prepared for the 2010 Olympics won't be discussed on the sports pages, but it could affect the Games all the same. He's the man in charge of making the official beer. "All I can think about all the time now is the Games," said Scarsbrook, Vancouver brewmaster for Molson Coors, the official 2010 supplier of beer.
Animal Treatment Laws Up For Review
February 1, 2010 5:07 am | News | CommentsSIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota's laws governing the treatment of livestock and work animals will come under review this year, and changes could be made during the 2011 legislative session. The state's laws are written broadly. They prohibit inflicting unnecessary and unjustifiable pain and suffering on animals, but they hold the standard of care to be generally accepted practices in agriculture.
Man Dies After Fall At Meat-Processing Plant
February 1, 2010 5:06 am | News | CommentsNEBRASKA CITY, Neb. (AP) — A worker at a meat-processing plant in southeastern Nebraska has died following a fall. The Otoe County Attorney's Office identified the Excel Specialty Products employee as 49-year-old Timothy Wilson of Nebraska City. Police and rescue crews were called to the Nebraska City plant about 4 a.
Iowa Official Urges State Not To Buy Meatpacking Plant
February 1, 2010 5:05 am | News | CommentsJOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey said Friday he's willing to talk to other government officials about a soon-to-be-shuttered Sioux City meatpacking plant but private industry will have the final say on its future. The John Morrell and Co. plant announced last week it would close this spring, eliminating more than 1,400 jobs.
Pilgrim's Pride Pays More Than $1M In Back Wages
February 1, 2010 5:05 am | News | CommentsDALLAS (AP) — The U.S. Labor Department has announced that it's recovering more than $1 million in overtime back wages from poultry processor Pilgrim's Pride Corp. In a statement issued Friday, the department said the back wages are owed to 798 former and current workers at the Pittsburg, Texas-based company's Dallas processing plant.
Seasonal Kettle Corn Goes Year-Round
February 1, 2010 5:04 am | News | CommentsGRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — Dorothy & Toto's Gourmet Kettle Corn, an addicting treat once found only at local farmer's markets, is now available year-round. Kyle Behm, 24, has taken his snowbird grandparents' seasonal business into a storefront in the building that also houses Weatherhead & Sons.
