Not all downtime is created equal. Traditional, standard downtime typically entails any scenario when a machine or piece of equipment is not in production, but unplanned downtime is different. This is when a machine breaks or fails or a worker is unexpectedly absent.  

You’ve likely heard over and over that communication is the key to any successful relationship. The stakes, however, get higher when it involves manufacturing environments. Interdepartmental communication provides purpose and builds a positive company culture. But according to Gallup, only 13% of employees strongly agree that leadership communicates effectively.

Navigating the waters of office etiquette can be a smooth experience for the most part if you honor the most basic ones, like the Golden Rule, for example. But successful communication —the kind that drives safety, quality, and productivity — requires a little more work and a little more understanding of the nuances . . . especially if you are a leader.

Foreign material prevention is among the most talked-about topics these days in the food safety world. After years of industry focus on this topic, prevention and mitigation of foreign material seems to be emphasized more now than ever.

Operational Excellence is a common term that is used in a variety of manufacturing operations. OE has been employed for quite some time in the automotive and parts manufacturing industries and has recently been more of a focus in the food and beverage industries. Operational Excellence is a business methodology which involves making continuous improvements to a company and its processes to achieve a competitive advantage. Although it seems like a straightforward definition, implementing and sustaining continuous improvement is challenging.

Proper animal welfare and handing is critical to operations in the poultry and beef industries. However, many of the rules and guidelines aren’t intuitive for employees. I’ve spent many years developing and teaching animal welfare and handling practices that I’ve shared in this free webinar.

Protein processing may face more challenges than any other food sector. Meat and poultry account for the largest segment of U.S. agriculture, according to NAMI. With more pressures on the meat industry, it can feel like a juggling act keeping up with competing interests – animal welfare, dangerous micro-organisms, sustainability, and safety – while still meeting production goals. While it may present a challenge, it’s not impossible.

Statistical Process Control (SPC) is top of mind for the food industry. The recent changes to the SQF Quality Code have prompted new interest, since additional requirements for SPC training and applications have been added to the code. In addition, progressive companies recognize the benefit of using SPC applications throughout the manufacturing process at key process control steps.

The popularity of variety and artisan bread has been on a steady rise for the past several years, due to consumer expectations and their growing interest in health trends. Because the process of producing variety and artisan bread differs from pan bread, training for baking professionals is paramount. David Bauman, Baking Professional for AIB International who specializes in bread and rolls, explains how learning the art of popular variety and artisan bread will help companies capture a valuable market.

With the Gulf Coast still feeling the effects of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, the overall damage to the U.S. food supply has yet to be determined. Hurricane Katrina was an epic catastrophe for the food supply. Case in point: North America’s oldest cold storage company, based in New Orleans, lost power for weeks and was later declared a toxic waste site. 

Things are looking pretty sweet in Bakery and Snacks. Bread is back, and the sandwich is enjoying a bit of a renaissance in all its glorious forms: burgers, bahn mis, tortas, gyros. Enriched and sprouted grains are also on the rise, ensuring the low-carb craze has finally cooled off.

There’s a lot of cool things happening in refrigerated and frozen foods. Consumers are enjoying more diversified breakfasts and snacks, which means more options for frozen foods. 

Food manufacturers face unique challenges on a daily basis. In my 30+ years of food industry experience, I have seen these challenges first-hand. Based on my experience, I have identified 10 key challenges that food manufacturers face.

Organizational change and the concept of continuous improvement should go hand in hand. Any continuous improvement journey is just that – a journey, not an end-point. Successful programs will continuously change to meet the needs of the business and stakeholders. Change can bring lots of speed bumps, road blocks, and yield signs if not managed from a positive perspective, and it’s important to remember that faster is not always better. Here are 9 tips for managing change amid continuous improvement:

Here at Alchemy, we’ve been helping companies create effective training courses for more than a decade. It can be difficult to transform an initial idea into a fully-formed training course, and people often ask us where to start. Here are some guidelines to help you build terrific training courses that will engage your learners.

In this excerpt from his 2016 Alchemy Conference presentation, expert consultant Jeff Chilton discusses the Total Operational Performance System (TOPS), which he developed based on his 30+ years of experience in the food industry. TOPS is an integrated management system that helps food organizations optimize performance throughout the entire company, with the goal of achieving operational excellence.