Provisur Technologies | Formax: (708) 479-3500 or visit 
www.formaxinc.com

Data Management 

Software

Mettler-Toledo has introduced ProdX – an advanced connectivity software program that allows centralized monitoring, control and data documentation for checkweighers, metal detectors and x-ray systems whether in one plant or multiple plants. ProdX boosts process productivity, improves product quality, and provides robust operational security and total clarity for your product inspection program. Multiple product inspection devices are integrated into a central monitoring system that can be monitored from multiple locations.

Mettler-Toledo Product Inspection Group: (800) 447-4439 or visit 
www.mt.com/pi

Mixer/Grinder

Hollymatic Mixer/Grinders for industrial plants feature removable stainless steel mixing arms that offer efficient mix and dispersion of product and are programmed with automatic forward-reverse mixing cycles. Powered by two independent gear reduction units, they deliver quiet, continuous, trouble-free operation. Robust stainless steel, seam welded construction provides rugged durability for increased reliability. Output rates range from 3,000 lbs/hr to up to 9,900 lbs/hr. Various horsepowers and options are available.

Hollymatic Corp.: (708) 579-3700 
or visit www.hollymatic.com

Anti-Bacterial Wipes

Hypred announced that the EPA has approved its new AQTIVESan-97 anti-bacterial wipes for use on food-contact surfaces in dairies, institutional kitchens, food handling and processing areas. The anti-microbial, pre-moistened wipes are ready-to-use and do not require a post-sanitation rinse, making AQTIVESan-97 ideal for surface sanitation in production lines. The advanced formula of AQTIVESan-97 contains two active ingredients to sanitize food- and non-food-contact surfaces: didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride (0.024%) and alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chlorides (0.016%).

Hypred USA: 
(800) 225-3832 or visit www.hypredusa.com

Conveyor

Heat and Control has developed a Progressive Pack Conveyor integrated with an Ishida weigher. The weigher deposits each product charge into a diverting timing hopper centered over the conveyor. The conveyor has two flighted center belts to accept product charges and independent variable speed packing conveyors on each side. Operators remove a product charge from the center flighted belt and arrange it in trays on the outer packing belts, which carry them to sealing equipment.

Heat and Control Inc.: (800) 227-5980 or visit www.heatandcontrol.com

Packaging

FreshCase packaging from Curwood for case-ready meats delivers superior flavor, quality and extended shelf life of vacuum packaging; fresh red color consumers prefer; and cost advantages that help processors and retailers maintain critical profit margins.

The hermetic packaging offers a shelf life of more than 30 days for whole muscle beef and extends typical retail display life up to 28 days compared to 3-5 days for tray overwraps.

Curwood: (800) 544-4672 or visit www.curwood.com

Conveyor Belt

Premium belts from TB Wood’s have the highest power density of any V-belt, and stretch dramatically less than standard cross sections which makes them ideal for use on problem drives requiring high-impact strength and load-carrying power. Premium Banded belts can replace several belts with the strength of a single belt. Banded belts feature a multiple layer tie band that provides excellent lateral rigidity to prevent belts from turning over or from coming off the drive.

TB Wood’s Inc.: (888) 829-6637 
or visit www.tbwoods.com

Checkweigher

OCS Checkweighers offers the HC-M series. Designed for speeds up to 250 pieces/min, the HC-MEDIUM is the link between the basic EC-E (ESSENTIAL) model and the high-end HC-A (AVANTGARDE) checkweigher. The HC-M is operated by an industrial PC (IPC) and is characterized by its 10.4 inches mobile touch display. It features the same control concept of the high-end checkweigher HC-A making cross training between various controllers a thing of the past.

OCS Checkweighers Inc.: (678) 344-8300 
or visit

Former

NuTEC Mfg. is offering free literature on its 710 Patty Forming Machine. The full-color brochure features illustrative technical drawings and detailed specifications to describe unique features of the 710. NuTEC’s 710 machine can form up to 3600 patties per hour. USDA-approved, it provides excellent weight control and gentle product handling, operating with minimal wear and maintenance. A PDF of the literature can be downloaded from NuTEC’s website.

NuTEC Mfg.: (815) 722-2800 
or visit www.nutecmfg.com

Sausage Compound

Frutarom Savory Solutions has developed a compound for sausage from fish that allows manufacturers to present fish in a new form. It is available in several varieties containing different seasonings, and is mixed with minced fish, oil, ice and salt to form a homogeneous mass, which is then processed into sausage. The fish sausage compound has high temperature- and freeze-thaw stability and is particularly suitable for manufacturers of convenience and restaurant chain meals.

Frutarom Savory Solutions GmbH: +49 4744 91 81 32 
or visit www.frutarom.com

Supplier News

Foodmate US Inc., the North American distributor for Netherland-based Foodmate B.V., recently named Tim Morgan as an area sales manager. Morgan serves Foodmate clients in Georgia (North of Atlanta), North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, West Virginia and Delaware. With nearly 20 years in the poultry equipment industry experience, Morgan has a diverse background with 10 years in the packaging, three years in poultry processing, and six years in services and installation.

A new webinar presentation is available from Provisur Technologies, entitled “The Formula For The Perfect Burger.” Hosted by Tom Tonra, forming product manager at Provisur, the webinar uncovers the latest technologies and solutions for improving productivity, lowering the cost of ownership and elevating product quality to make the perfect burger.

The discussion is based on a recent Executive Briefing Series White Paper that integrates grinding and mixing knowledge from Weiler, bone and hard tissue removal knowledge of Beehive and forming insights from Formax. Tonra covers the following topics: Proper Product Preparation, Raw Material Selection, Best Practice, Pre-Grind, Mixing, Final Grind, Bone and Hard Tissue Removal, Forming Process and Value-Added Options. The exclusive White Paper is available by contacting Tom Tonra at (708) 479-3572 or tom.tonra@provisur.com.

“Information is essential to our industry, and the success of the webinar shows the importance of keeping everyone up to date about the technologies and methodologies employed around the world,” said Tonra. “Our live audience asked compelling questions about what they hope to accomplish and what they can do to get their equipment working together seamlessly. The presentation shows how to get the most out of your raw materials, from selection to grinding, mixing, bone and hard tissue removal, and forming technologies for unprecedented productivity, superior texture, portion control and yields.”

Hydrite Chemical Co. has purchased a new facility in Milwaukee, Wis., to help support its growth in chemical manufacturing. The facility, which was previously the home of Unilever Foodsolutions, will manufacture chemical solutions to the food industry. The facility, built in 1991, boasts 133,000 square feet of manufacturing space and 15,000 square feet of office space.

“With the additional location and square footage of manufacturing space, we can be ready for the growth we’ve positioned ourselves for in the food industry,” said Joe Weishar, vice president of operations.

Sealed Air’s Cryovac brand now offers design and marketing services to customers with its Cryovac Graphics+ services. Cryovac Graphics+ is a convenient solution for customers’ marketing collateral and secondary packaging needs including design, art and pre-press customization.

Previously, Sealed Air’s Cryovac Graphics+ Services offered design and color separations for bag or rollstock packaging. Now it extends these capabilities to provide fully integrated design and creative support for customers across packaging and communications materials. Cryovac Graphics+ designs logos, websites, brochures, pressure-sensitive labels, cartons, boxes, coupons, envelopes, trade show materials and 3D prototypes.

“Our design experts offer graphics capabilities that provide customers with brand integrity and consistency throughout all of their marketing and packaging materials,” said Roxanne Baker, graphics business development manager for Sealed Air’s Cryovac packaging. “Cryovac Graphics+ enables customers to promote their businesses with professionally designed graphics developed by a trusted packaging partner.”

For more information about Cryovac Graphics+ services, call (800) 845-3456 or visit www.CryovacGraphicsPlus.com.

OSI Group LLC announced it will implement Arrowsight Inc.’s third-party 24/7/365 Remote Video Auditing (RVA) food defense services in its five U.S. processing plants. The RVA program will enhance the company’s existing efforts in the area of food defense to guard against the threat of agroterrorism.

“OSI has been working with Arrowsight since 2005 to innovate new solutions using RVA services and is proud to continue to drive new standards in the critically important area of food defense,” said David McDonald, president and chief operating officer, OSI Group, LLC. “By measuring the performance of our employees and providing them with immediate feedback while they work, OSI will be able to continually measure and improve all of our plant operations in the U.S.”

Cantrell has reached an agreement with Tecnologia Empresarial S.A. to be Cantrell’s representative in Central America and the Caribbean.

“Central America is a fast growing area for poultry processing,” Cantrell General Manager Sales/Service/Engineering Dane Woods said. “Having a representative in Central America has been a goal of ours. Tecnologia Empresarial S.A. will give Cantrell a strong presence in the region.”

Based in Honduras, Tecnologia Empresarial S.A. will be the exclusive representative for Cantrell in the region and will be marketing all Cantrell equipment and parts. Led by founding partner and general manager Alejandro Cerna, Tecnologia Empresarial S.A. has a strong background in a poultry processing equipment industry.

Solbar, Israel, announces the appointment of Todd R. Watson as president of Solbar USA. The appointment is part of Solbar’s strategy to strengthen its position in the US market and comes as a direct enhancement to the acquisition of a new processing plant in Nebraska last year.

Watson joins the Solbar Group following more than 25 years of managerial and commercial experience in the food ingredients and commodity industry. He has extensive experience in sales and marketing, working for well-known multinational companies including Cargill.

“Todd’s vast experience and capabilities will augment Solbar’s ability to work closely with our customers, and help sustain our mission to become the preferred partner in creating healthier products with our isolated soy protein ingredients,” says Shaul Shelach, CEO of Solbar.

Industry News

Keystone Foods Chief Operating Officer Larry S. McWilliams has assumed the company’s leadership role as President and CEO, succeeding Jerry Dean, who recently elected to retire after leading the company for 17 years. McWilliams joined Keystone Foods in April 2011, from the Campbell Soup Co. where he was president of that company’s International Division.“I’m thrilled to have joined Keystone Foods at this exciting time. Now part of Marfrig Group, Keystone Foods is even better positioned to serve customers around the world,” he said. “I look forward to putting my own experience to work for Marfrig and continuing to leverage Keystone Foods’ strengths to create greater opportunities.”

JBS Carriers has opened its new JBS Logistics Center in Gainesville, Ga. The new office will expand the company’s capacity and add revenue by allowing it to work with outside carriers to transport products across the 48 contiguous U.S. states. Logistics Manager Neil Satterfield will oversee the Gainesville operation, which will initially employ a staff of six. Gooch estimates that staff to double by the end of 2011.

According to Director of Logistics Todd Gooch, opening the new office was a crucial step in making JBS Carriers even more competitive. “Adding the logistics division allows us to be more competitive in today’s transportation marketplace,” said Gooch. “As we continue to expand our service lines, this brings us one step closer to becoming a nationally recognized provider of transportation services.”

JBS Logistics will continue to contract with beef and pork producers from JBS and chicken producers from sister company Pilgrim’s, and it will now contract with outside shippers and manufacturers as well to match services, routes and products.

Dr. R. Bruce Tompkin was named the recipient of the 2011 American Meat Science Association (AMSA) R. C. Pollock Award on Tuesday, June 21 at the 64th Annual Reciprocal Meat Conference. The R. C. Pollock Award is presented annually in honor of the first general manager of the National Live Stock and Meat Board. The award, sponsored by the AMSA Educational Foundation, honors a dedicated AMSA member whose work through teaching, extension, research, or service represents an extraordinary and lasting contribution to the meat industry. Dr. Thomas Powell, executive director of AMSA, said, “Because of his sustained commitment to the application of science and the breadth of his contributions to the research community and the industry, Dr. R. Bruce Tompkin is a deserving recipient of AMSA’s highest award.”

Tompkin has spent his 40-year career advancing and applying the science of food safety as a researcher and educator. He is internationally recognized as a top food microbiologist in fresh and processed meats and as one of the top HACCP experts in the world. He served on the International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Food, providing him with the opportunity to assist in the development of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point program, now accepted by the meat and food industry worldwide.

Sara Lee Corp.
The company opened its state-of-the-art sliced meats manufacturing facility in Kansas City, Kan. The facility, located at 4612 Speaker Road, represents an investment from Sara Lee of over $140 million and is a leader in processing technology. The facility will manufacture sliced deli meats for Sara Lee under the Hillshire Farm and Sara Lee Deli brands. "We are proud to celebrate our new Kansas City facility and showcase the state-of-the-art features that make it an industry leader in processing," said CJ Fraleigh, chief executive officer, Sara Lee North America. "This investment underlines our commitment to our core protein category and provides us with the ability to deliver to our customers and consumers the safest, highest quality, most cost-effective product possible." The Kansas City sliced meats facility utilizes robotic systems and allows "no touch" processing from the initial raw meat phase through the finished product. Due to engineering processes, the facility processing time is reduced by 50% compared to conventional manufacturing and requires half of the employees normally required to operate such a facility.