Articles
Mobile Madness Takes Over, Extends Well Beyond March
April 18, 2013 12:30 pm | by Joe Langner, Executive VP – Midmarket Solutions, Sage North America | CommentsMarch Madness just ended, having taken over offices, precious business hours and internet bandwidth all over the country. But college hoops isn’t the only madness that’s captured businesses’ time and attention: mobile madness is also in full effect.
Six Ways Manufacturers Can Build A Profitable Digital Presence
April 18, 2013 9:28 am | CommentsRecently a company approached me with a thorny problem: They decided to establish a digital presence. After a high five figure investment and six months of work and debate they had a beautiful website with all the bells and whistles. Unfortunately, they had no visitors, revenue or profit.
Q&A: Green for the Planet and Your Pocket
April 17, 2013 10:29 am | by Lindsey Jahn, Associate Editor | CommentsMany food manufacturers are looking to increase operational efficiencies while maintaining their sustainability efforts, which can pose a tough challenge. Food Manufacturing spoke with Tom Burton of Liquidity Services about how companies can utilize the “reverse supply chain” to help cut costs and improve their sustainability initiatives.
Robotics in the Confection Industry
April 17, 2013 9:40 am | by Rick Tallian, Consumer Industry Manager, ABB Robotics | CommentsRobots have been commonly installed in the confection industry with great success for palletizing and secondary packaging applications. Recent technology advancements have a caused a trend of robots migrating further up in the processing line.
A Holistic Approach to Food Safety
April 15, 2013 2:32 pm | by Jean-Pierre Berlan, Sales and Marketing Director for Processing, Dairy & Cheese Categories, Tetra Pak US and Canada | CommentsToday, the assurance that food will not cause harm to consumers, in other words, food safety, is viewed as the number one priority across the food industry. Adopting a holistic view on the entire production process is the only answer.
How Wearable Technology Is Transforming Facilities
April 15, 2013 1:59 pm | CommentsMobile devices are necessary tools to increase the efficiency and productivity of workers across many industries and markets, including the warehouse. But wearable, voice-directed and multimodal mobile technologies are helping to transform the warehouse environment at an even faster pace than standard mobile tools in other markets.
Keeping It Fresh
April 15, 2013 1:34 pm | by Krystal Gabert, Editor | CommentsAs consumer habits surrounding grocery purchases continue to change, manufacturers must meet the shopping demands of the modern consumer. Shelf life extension comes in various forms. From process to packaging to product development, many factors can impact the longevity of food products.
Food Safety Update: Developing a HACCP Plan
April 15, 2013 9:17 am | by Krystal Gabert, Editor | CommentsThe Food Safety Update section of Food Manufacturing is designed to offer our readers insight into the state of food safety concerns across the industry. We received hundreds of responses to this month’s survey on developing a HACCP plan.
Raising the Bar
April 12, 2013 11:47 am | by Krystal Gabert, Editor | CommentsHearthside Food Solutions is a young company with deep roots. Co-founded in 2009 by a group of investors led by Hearthside Chairman and CEO Rich Scalise, the company strives to be the largest and best contract manufacturer of snacks in the country.
The Job Of A Leader
April 10, 2013 4:24 pm | by Paul Glover, Founder, The Glover Group | CommentsThe primary purpose of every leader is to recharge the workforce each day. It may sound cheerleader-ish, but when you think about the amount of energy required to do a job, it makes sense for leaders to make sure that their employees have the energy or fuel necessary to perform.
Pick-and-Place Packaging Increases Efficiency for Craft Brewer
April 10, 2013 12:32 pm | by Standard-Knapp | CommentsAfter experiencing a higher than desirable level of bottle breakage with repurposed packaging equipment, Midwestern stalwart Boulevard Brewing Company approached Standard-Knapp to create a solution to meet its non-traditional packaging demands.
Is Re-Industrialization The Key?
April 10, 2013 9:18 am | by Dr. Tom McNamara, Assistant Professor of Operations Management, Rennes School of Business | CommentsMost economists agree that the “Great Recession” of 2008 ended sometime around August 2009, and while the economy has been slowly recovering, unemployment still appears to be a stubborn problem. The headline rate is just a shade under 8 percent, which translates into a little over 12 million Americans out of work.
Replenishing The “Brain Drain”
April 9, 2013 11:49 am | by Paul Michalicka, SKF USA Inc. | CommentsIt is a phenomenon that is referred to with a catchy rhyme: “the brain drain.” Older workers are leaving companies, taking their experience and knowledge with them. And, for various reasons, the reservoir is not being refilled at the same rate.
Industrial Automation Ripe For Energy Harvesting
April 9, 2013 9:22 am | by Digi-Key | CommentsIndustrial control and automation is not an obvious application for energy harvesting, although machinery, by its very nature, is an obvious source of energy, ripe for harvesting. Nevertheless, why exploit energy harvesting in a plant or factory environment?
Women in Manufacturing: Looking Beyond Profits
April 8, 2013 8:36 am | by Adam Beckerman, partner-in-charge, manufacturing and distribution group, Habif, Arogeti & Wynne, LLP | CommentsMore and more women are foraying into the manufacturing industry, and they have their own unique sets of ideas and methods to help their businesses succeed. Three Georgia women are women whose manufacturing companies are committed to more than just profits.
An Easy and Powerful Change Leader’s Tool: A Journal
April 5, 2013 12:21 pm | by Alan Nicol, Executive Member, AlanNicolSolutions | CommentsAffecting change within an organization, regardless of how well understood or widely used the program or system might be, is a matter of leadership. Leadership is how we constructively influence behavior. Behavior is ultimately what we must change to make our programs and systems take root.
Pomegranate Juice Adulteration: Grape Expectations
April 5, 2013 9:24 am | by Dr. Robert J. Packer, PerkinElmer Inc. | CommentsFruit juices with high levels of antioxidants, such as pomegranate and cranberry, have become very popular over recent years due to perceived health benefits of antioxidant compounds and the increased accessibility through a number of global producers selling through global retailers.
7 Common KPIs for Production Monitoring
April 4, 2013 12:28 pm | by Red Lion Controls Inc. | CommentsStrategic philosophies or practices such as Kaizen, Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Total Quality Management and Continuous Improvement are used by many organizations to help improve processes, drive productivity and maintain a competitive edge in today’s ever‐increasing global economy. Despite varying concepts, each practice uses Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to assess, analyze and track manufacturing processes.
The Virtual Plant Seen Through Standardized 3D HMI
April 4, 2013 9:32 am | by Chris Parkinson, Senior Engineer, HMI Technology Lead | CommentsFrom physical pushbutton stations to sophisticated graphical interfaces with 3D representations of equipment — HMIs are the visible part of a controls and/or manufacturing intelligence system. Unlike controller code that is seen by few, anyone and everyone can see the HMI.
Performance Plans Create Results, Maximize Performance
April 3, 2013 11:07 am | by Timothy F. Bednarz, Ph.D., Author & Publisher, Majorium Business Press | CommentsA performance plan differs from a conventional plan in that it is a proactive document. It is designed for continuous use throughout the year as a guide and reference tool to direct the leader and his or her unit's activities.
