Rockwell Automation has released the Allen-Bradley PowerFlex 527 AC drive, designed to work with its Logix-based programmable automation controllers (PAC).
Converting from foodservice to retail will create 500 jobs
To “maximize efficiencies and meet growing demand for its products,” Tyson Foods has announced it will spend $110m to make “major improvements” to its Vienna, Georgia, chicken processing plant.
ColorMatrix, which specialises in liquid colour and additive technology for thermoplastic applications, said the biggest trend over the next five years will be the reduction in packaging weight and improving the recyclability of used bottles.
Leading food and drink makers including Nestlé, Unilever and Coca-Cola have made good progress in the year since Oxfam released its first Behind the Brands sustainability scorecard – and only one company made no progress, according to the NGO.
Gums and modified starch have strong adhesive properties and can therefore replace oil and sugar for powder toppings on crackers, in turn reducing fat content, finds research.
While its fourth quarter figures make for dismal reading, there are some silver linings to the clouds that have enveloped Diamond Foods for the past couple of years, CEO Brian Driscoll told analysts this week.
Consumers want indulgent and premium on-the-go cakes, but reducing portions can prove technically challenging in terms of quality and freshness, says Novozymes.
Sonoco identified self-inflicted operating issues that increased costs and reduced productivity as being behind “worse than expected” full year results and pointed to “contingency plans to reduce costs” until the outlook becomes clearer.
Marel has launched a salmon trimming robot, which it claims can perform more quickly, consistently and continuously than a master trimmer working at peak performance.
Australian food firm Goodman Fielder said that thanks to better dialogue with its retail partners, agreed price increases across its bakery arm will help boost business further.
Sonoco has said a negative change in the mix of business, higher maintenance, labor, pension, interest and other expenses hit hard in their Q3 results.
Sonoco’s net income dropped for the second successive quarter but year-on-year figures were boosted by figures relating to the acquisition of Tegrant in its Protective Packaging segment.
Sonoco said first quarter net income dropped almost $15m (€11.4m) year-on-year, and added that it was facing an ‘uncertain’ time with customer orders due to the economic climate.
Double yeasted dough (DY) has been found to improve the quality of sweet bakery products in research which used the Central European marble cake Kougelhopf.
German firm Kampffmeyer Food Innovation has introduced a low-dust release flour that it claims reduces adhesion to machines and eliminates microorganisms that lead to allergies, such as asthma.
The maturity of many products means that growth in US demand for green packaging will be a relatively modest 3.9 per cent per year until 2014, according to a new industry report.
Bakery ingredient suppliers are the target of a licensing deal for a fibre based bread improver that can be used to address salt reduction formulation challenges, claims Dutch research group, TNO.
The chocolate and confectionery fats division showed strong seasonal volume improvements, claims leading oil and fats supplier AarhusKarlshamn as it releases third quarter financial results for 2010.
The Buhler Technology Group has acquired a Chinese specialist in flour improvement products to extend the range of services it offers clients in the country.
Stora Enso said it has improved the processability, performance and cost competitiveness of its biopolymer coating technology as it announced the expansion of its selection of biodegradable packaging boards to include food trays.
Bemis said a gradual improvement in demand for flexible packaging, especially for shelf-life extension products, was a major factor in it posting better than expected Q4 and year end results.
Nestle UK is close to a breakthrough on a scheme to use rail freight wagons specially designed to fit more food pallets inside them, “dramatically” improving distribution costs over road logistics, reports sister title Food Manufacture.
Improved product quality and operational efficiency are benefits claimed by manufacturers Baker Perkins as a result of upgrades to a mixing and forming system for high output bakery plants.
Increasing energy bills are having a considerable impact on the food industry, in particular during the current financial climate, but food processors can cut energy consumption of processes by better use of existing equipment, claims a UK consultancy.
The recent contraction of raw material supplies to the food industry, that arguably tipped the delicate balance in the cereal supply chain, may have created a climate for better 'partnership building', suggests the UK's Home Grown Cereals...
The UK meat industry and taxpayers will both benefit when ways of improving efficiency in abattoirs suggested by a new report are implemented, according to the British Meat Processors Association.
New software can help food and beverage companies benchmark, measure and improve performance in five key areas: sales, finance, procurement, production and the warehouse, claims the developer.
Two new aseptic filling machines can reduce the processing time
required by dairy manufacturers for using multiple
small-volume carton packages, their manufacturer claims.
CHR Hansen says that investment in production equipment efficiency,
and changing employee attitudes to natural resource use, remain the
key drivers in its company-wide sustainability drive.
Eastman Chemical Co. has launched three new polyethylene
terephthalate (PET) resins that it claims offer better bottle
clarity along with reduced production costs.
A new packing system can integrate into existing lines,
guaranteeing pack sequence verification while improving
productivity by up to five times, its manufacturer claims.
UK food manufacturers are slow to take up the use of radio
frequency identification (RFID) due to a lack of knowledge of the
technology, according to new research.
Borstar introduces a new grade of polyethylene (PE) film along with
an upgrade to its technology, which the company claims will help
food packagers to downgauge and increase production speeds.
Canadian food giant E.D. Smith & Sons claims to have made a 50
per cent reduction in day-to-day output processes by automating the
production and delivery of business documents across its supply
chain.
A new four-roll dough moulder from APV Baker is said to provide
industrial bakers with a number of benefits, not least the
extension of product shelf life.
A new report that identifies the key principles behind improving
distribution productivity has been launched. The company behind the
scheme, Tom Zosel Associates (TZA), claims that these principles
can help companies improve productivity...
Wonderware, a business unit of Invensys Systems, has launched
version 2.2 of its DT Analyst plant productivity improvement
software, giving users an improved multi language support.