Plant Operations
Heineken: Full Year Sales Growth Not As Strong
April 24, 2013 9:38 am | News | CommentsHeineken NV says its sales and profits rose in the first quarter, due to recent acquisitions. The Dutch brewer blamed austerity policies for weak European markets, and said growth in revenues for the full year would not be quite as strong as it hoped. It has not set any specific target.
Rugged Computers Enable Workforce Mobility
April 23, 2013 12:57 pm | News | CommentsWe’re in the midst of a radical shift in the way people live, work and communicate. New and continually improving technological advancements are opening the doors to a truly mobile future for the global workforce. Does this sound like old news?
Daily Sound Bite: Claims of Abuse at Turkey Company
April 23, 2013 12:47 pm | News | CommentsThe EEOC is suing a now-defunct company that helped disabled men find work at turkey processing companies. The federal commission is alleging abuse that "created an atmosphere of fear and intimidation" by a couple who supervised the men.
Mich. Brewer Plans Escanaba Plant
April 23, 2013 12:34 pm | News | CommentsBells Brewery Inc. is seeking the Escanaba City Council's approval Thursday to buy property and build a manufacturing plant in the Upper Peninsula city. MLive.com reports that the Kalamazoo-based beer-maker on Friday offered $35,000 for 3.15 acres in the Whitetail Industrial Park.
Starbucks To Report 2Q Results
April 23, 2013 12:30 pm | News | CommentsStarbucks reports its fiscal second-quarter results Thursday, which should give investors an indication of how international expansion and new products are affecting the coffee company's profit. The Seattle-based company, which has more than 18,000 locations around the world, reports global sales growth for cafes open at least a year, with a breakdown of the figure by region.
Getting Big Results with ‘Big Data’
April 23, 2013 9:39 am | News | CommentsThe Grocery Manufacturers Association announced the release of a report containing five specific conclusions and recommendations for how food, beverage and consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies can convert emerging forms of "big data" into useful analytics and insights to improve business results.
Unlocking Potential for Greater Productivity & Accuracy
April 22, 2013 1:09 pm | by Bruce Stubbs, Director of Industry Marketing for Distribution Center Operations, Intermec | Articles | CommentsFacing rising operational costs and growing awareness of consumer food safety, growers and companies are under increased pressure to improve efficiency and increase customer satisfaction and safety. Food traceability solutions are particularly imperative to meeting these needs while containing cost.
Kellogg Issues Corporate Responsibility Report
April 22, 2013 9:45 am | News | CommentsAs Kellogg Company releases its fifth annual global Corporate Responsibility report today in conjunction with Earth Day, company officials spotlighted efforts aimed at creating even better days and brighter tomorrows for Kellogg consumers, employees, communities, and the environment.
How to Be Heard
April 22, 2013 9:15 am | by Anna Wells, Executive Editor, IMPO | Blogs | CommentsEvery plant manager I’ve met in my career values the well-being of their employees over all else, so I have no doubt the safety team is on board with whatever needs to be done here — and if you can prevent a listening problem, you can likely prevent a hearing problem.
McDonald’s Profit Edges Up But Global Sales Dip
April 19, 2013 12:28 pm | by CANDICE CHOI,AP Food Industry Writer | News | CommentsMcDonald's managed to eke out a higher profit for the first quarter even as a global sales figure declined for the world's biggest hamburger chain. The company also warned that sales for April are expected to fall slightly. McDonald's Corp., based in Oak Brook, Illinois, has been struggling to boost sales amid intensifying competition, changing eating habits and challenging economic conditions around the world.
B&G Foods 1Q Profit Soars
April 19, 2013 12:27 pm | News | CommentsB&G Foods Inc.'s first-quarter net income jumped 17 percent on improved sales, including significant gains from its New York Style and Old London brands. The company, based in Parsippany, N.J., makes foods under brands such as Cream of Wheat, Mrs. Dash and Grandma's Molasses.
AB-InBev Reaches Deal with DOJ
April 19, 2013 12:26 pm | News | CommentsAnheuser-Busch InBev reached a final agreement with the Department of Justice, settling a dispute over its $20.1 billion acquisition of the Mexican brewer, Grupo Modelo. The world's largest brewer has been trying since June to buy the half of Grupo Modelo that it doesn't already own. The Justice Department blocked the deal out of concern that a company that massive would stifle competition in the U.S.
Daily Sound Bite: PROCESS EXPO Hits the Ground Running
April 19, 2013 12:08 pm | News | CommentsThe Food Processing Suppliers Association's (FPSA) PROCESS EXPO will be held November 3-6 at Chicago's McCormick Place. The show recently surpassed 200,000 square feet in space as exhibitors clamor to snap up booth space in the North and South halls of the convention center.
Rugged Tablet PC Requirements In Food Manufacturing
April 19, 2013 12:01 pm | by Matt Miller, President, MobileDemand | Articles | CommentsThe food manufacturing industry defines the kind of variable, often-extreme working environment in which a rugged tablet PC thrives. Refrigerated areas must be at or below 45 degrees, freezers at or below zero, and hot food must remain at 140 degrees or just higher.
WhiteWave Expanding Va. Plant
April 19, 2013 9:39 am | News | CommentsOrganic dairy company WhiteWave Foods Co. plans to expand its plant in Virginia's Rockingham County, creating 36 jobs. Gov. Bob McDonnell said Thursday that the company will invest $69.8 million to expand its Mount Crawford facility. The upgrades will include a new warehouse facility and machinery to expand production and meet increased market demands. The plant has been in operation for 25 years.
Mobile Madness Takes Over, Extends Well Beyond March
April 18, 2013 12:30 pm | by Joe Langner, Executive VP – Midmarket Solutions, Sage North America | Articles | 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.
Nestle Projects Another Year of Steady Growth
April 18, 2013 12:25 pm | News | CommentsSwiss food and drinks giant Nestle SA notched a gain of 2.3 percent in first-quarter sales and confirmed Thursday it was on track for another year of steady growth, despite economic problems in a number of its key markets in the developed world.
Six Ways Manufacturers Can Build A Profitable Digital Presence
April 18, 2013 9:28 am | Articles | 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.
Daily Sound Bite: Food Seized at Infested Warehouse
April 17, 2013 12:30 pm | News | CommentsThe FDA initiated a seizure by U.S. Marshals of food manufacured in a rodent-infested warehouse that processes and distributes kosher food products. Evidence of rodent activity, including rodent droppings and at least one dead rodent, were found in the facility.
FDA: U.S. Marshals Seize Food at Rodent-Infested Facility
April 17, 2013 12:17 pm | News | CommentsU.S. Marshals have seized food products at a Ridgewood, N.Y. warehouse that manufactures and distributes kosher food products, after investigators from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found widespread rodent infestation in the facility.
Q&A: Green for the Planet and Your Pocket
April 17, 2013 10:29 am | by Lindsey Jahn, Associate Editor | Articles | 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.
Vt. Co-Ops Push for GMO Labeling
April 17, 2013 9:53 am | by LISA RATHKE, Associated Press | News | CommentsOne of the most common questions these days among customers at Vermont's food cooperatives is whether the food they're buying contains genetically modified ingredients — but the member-owned cooperatives say they can't tell their customers for sure.
American Crystal Union Members Return to Work
April 17, 2013 9:51 am | News | CommentsUnion members will soon head back to work at American Crystal Sugar plants in Minnesota, Iowa and North Dakota, but they say the sting of a 20-month lockout will make their return difficult both for them and the company. A slight majority of union members voted to accept the company's contract offer over the weekend after rejecting the same terms four times before.
Robotics in the Confection Industry
April 17, 2013 9:40 am | by Rick Tallian, Consumer Industry Manager, ABB Robotics | Articles | 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.
Optimism Prevails Among U.S. Manufacturers
April 16, 2013 12:11 pm | News | CommentsU.S. industrial manufacturers remain positive regarding the outlook for the U.S. economy in the year ahead, while sentiment pertaining to the world economy remains guarded, according to the Q1 2013 Manufacturing Barometer, released today by PwC US.
