Processing Equipment & Systems, Automation, Control

Interpack 2017

Pladis appoints Bosch as favored technology supplier

25-May-2017 By Gill Hyslop

United Biscuits owner Pladis signed a preferred supplier agreement with Bosch Packaging Technology at Interpack 2017.

Weaver Nut Company to boost production by 70% with Bell-style chocolate panning machine

24-May-2017 By Douglas Yu

Molded chocolate manufacturer Weaver Nut Company has added a new chocolate panning machine and polishing pans to meet its growing customer base.

Interpack 2017

GEA sees rise in label-on-stick lollipops

16-May-2017 By Jenny Eagle

GEA showcased its Aquarius BunchWrapper wrapping machine at Interpack which is fitted with labelers for placing labels inside a wrapping film and on a stick.

Interpack 2017

GEA debuts Comas and Imaforni processing lines

15-May-2017 By Jenny Eagle

GEA debuted its Comas cupcake production line and Imaforni multi-zone tunnel oven for crackers, cakes, pies, biscuits and cookie manufacturing at Interpack.

Interpack 2017

Mettler-Toledo Safeline debuts four enhancements on its metal detection systems

09-May-2017 By Jenny Eagle

Mettler-Toledo introduced four enhancements on its Safeline metal detection systems at Interpack.

Interpack 2017

APRIL Robot Chef signs autographs at Interpack

05-May-2017 By Jenny Eagle

OAL’s APRIL (Automated Processing Robotic Ingredient Loading) Robotic Weighing Station created a buzz at Interpack this week (May 4-10) signing autographs for guests.

Interpack 2017

Gerstenberg Services launches Scraped Surface Heat Exchanger for margarine production

05-May-2017 By Jenny Eagle

Gerstenberg Services has launched a Polaron Scraped Surface Heat Exchanger (SSHE) for direct cooling with the natural refrigerant CO2 to improve cooling capacity for margarine production.

Interpack 2017

‘The future depends on manufacturers taking control of quality and product safety issues’

04-May-2017 By Jenny Eagle

Across the consumer goods industry, the future depends on manufacturers taking control of both quality and product safety issues, says Eagle product inspection.

Interpack 2017

Mettler-Toledo gets more connected to Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things

04-May-2017 By Jenny Eagle

Developments surrounding Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things (IoT) have started to facilitate a major paradigm shift in various manufacturing industries, according to Mettler-Toledo.

Interpack 2017

Bühler debuts ChocoBotic robot technology and ChocoGenius

03-May-2017 By Jenny Eagle

Bühler is demonstrating its molding plant ChocoBotic robot technology and online learning platform ChocoGenius at Interpack 2017.

ATS wants factory workers to ‘smell’ disasters before they happen

02-May-2017 By Douglas Yu

Equipment malfunction should be dealt with proactively at snack food manufacturing plants, Advanced Technology Services (ATS) has said.

Haribo to downsize two production sites in France

05-Apr-2017 By Jenny Eagle

Haribo will downsize 15% of its workforce in France as part of restructuring plans to improve competitiveness and to focus on its first manufacturing plant in the US.

Advances in wearable Smart Glasses will outpace handheld technology

29-Mar-2017 By Jenny Eagle

By the end of the year, manufacturers will see ‘transformational’ wearable technology in the consumer market, which will overtake sales of handheld devices, says NSF International.

Hershey looks to upgrade chocolate confectionery lab upon visiting AAK’s new innovation center

06-Mar-2017 By Douglas Yu

AAK has opened an innovation center in Edison, New Jersey, during which it highlighted some of the most up-to-date product making technologies to partners, including Hershey, Mondelēz and Barry Callebaut.

Taza reduces dark chocolate bitterness through stone grinding process

06-Mar-2017 By Douglas Yu

Taza Chocolate has never conched its cocoa beans since it started 10 years ago in Somerville, Massachusetts, as the company believes stone grinding is the best way to reduce bitterness of dark chocolate.

tna expands further into confectionery sector with NID acquisition

06-Mar-2017 By Jenny Eagle

tna has expanded into the confectionery industry by acquiring NID in Australia, effective from today (March 6, 2017).

Kinnerton Confectionery partners with OAL on label and date errors

03-Mar-2017 By Jenny Eagle

Kinnerton Confectionery has partnered with OAL to install an autocoding system to check for label and date code errors.

Sales of APAC bakery & confectionery product inspection tech to grow 6.5% by 2025

02-Mar-2017 By Jenny Eagle

The global outlook for bakery and confectionery product inspection technology sales will see steady growth up to 2025 with Asia Pacific (APAC) remaining the largest market.

Van den Bosch ensures hearts are not broken on Valentine’s Day

13-Feb-2017 By Jenny Eagle

In the US alone, 58 million pounds of chocolate and 36 million heart-shaped boxes are sold during Valentines’ Day – worth $448m.

Three dead in Packaging Corporation of America paper mill explosion

09-Feb-2017 By Jenny Eagle

Three men died and six workers were injured after an explosion at a paper mill owned by Packaging Corporation of America (PCA) on Wednesday (February 8).

ProSweets 2017

Elephant-shaped gum: Wacker highlights 3D printer capabilities

08-Feb-2017 By Jenny Eagle

Wacker has demonstrated the personalized shapes it can produce for candy, which turns into chewing gum, on its 3D printer at ProSweets 2017.

ProSweets 2017

Baker Perkins ServoForm Mini makes 3D lollipops

02-Feb-2017 By Jenny Eagle

Baker Perkins is targeting niche manufacturers and start-up companies with its ServoForm Mini starchless small-batch depositor for confectionery.

Mondelēz union workers’ leader welcomes demise of TPP decision, remains silent on job loss by automation

31-Jan-2017 By Douglas Yu

The president of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Miller’s International Union (BCTGM), David Durkee, has welcomed the demise of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) as a "significant victory for the American middle-class."

ProSweets 2017 preview

Manufacturers to focus on ‘less is more’ in response to natural, sugar-free trends

24-Jan-2017 By Jenny Eagle

Belgian Sweets Design, Döhler, Schur Flexibles, Fuji Packaging, GNT, Haas, Knobel, Loesch, Sopp Industrie, VEMAG, Wacker and Rudolf Wild are just some of the companies exhibiting at ProSweets Cologne 2017 (January 29-February 1).

Americanna to expand distillation program after initial success with cannabis puffed gummies

19-Jan-2017 By Douglas Yu

'Garden-to-gummy' edibles confectioner Americanna has announced a new company-wide distillation program, called Pure Distillate, to make purer cannabis concentrate.

General Colin Powell & David Cameron headline ISM2017

06-Jan-2017 By Jenny Eagle

The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) has announced General Colin Powell and former UK Prime Minister David Cameron will headline ISM2017 as keynote speakers.

Barry Callebaut completes acquisition of Mondelēz’s Côte D’Or plant

03-Jan-2017 By Jenny Eagle

Barry Callebaut has completed its acquisition of a chocolate plant from Mondelēz International, which produces Côte D’Or.

Mergers & acquisitions: Innovia, Linde, Duravant, Egli, Saica Group

22-Dec-2016 By Jenny Eagle

CCL Industries (CCL) has entered into an agreement to acquire Innovia for approximately $1.13bn, expected to close Q1, 2017.

‘CRM is going mobile, CRM is turning social – how the F&B industry can benefit’

19-Dec-2016 By Matt Keenan

Food and beverage is one of the UK’s fastest moving, most dynamic industries: market trends can change rapidly, and the desires and tastes of customers can be difficult to predict.

Wacker to debut 3D printing process at ProSweets 2017

3D-printed chewing gum is ‘a speciality product for the foreseeable future’

16-Dec-2016 By Jenny Eagle

Wacker Biosolutions will debut its Candy2gum technology and 3D printing processes at Prosweets, Cologne, Germany (January 29-February 1), next month.

‘Belgian chocolate is hip and happening’ says Barry Callebaut as it moves into 3D printing

08-Dec-2016 By Jenny Eagle

Barry Callebaut has partnered with byFlow 3D printing technology to develop a 3D chocolate printer to produce what it claims is ‘the chocolate experience of tomorrow'.

Baker Perkins combines cookie dough and filling in one machine for first time

05-Dec-2016 By Jenny Eagle

Baker Perkins has developed an encapsulating system bringing cookie dough and its filling together in one machine for the first time.

Start up Watch: 3D-printed molds

From licking your own face to chocolate greeting cards: Candy Mechanics celebrates launch

30-Nov-2016 By Jenny Eagle

E-commerce start-up Candy Mechanics has launched a line of personalized chocolate Candy Cards and will next month introduce limited edition chocolate lollipops from 3D printed molds of people's faces.

Interpack preview 2017

Confectionery and bakery ‘snackertainment’ on the rise

21-Nov-2016 By Jenny Eagle

With the latest trend for confectionery and bakery including videos and commercials to promote products, Germany’s top industry associations discuss ‘snackertainment’, energy-efficiency, packaging costs, vegan diets, halal, and industry 4.0, ahead of...

Gulfood Manufacturing 2016

Theegarten says hermetically sealed chocolate wrappers protect against MENA's humidity

10-Nov-2016 By Jenny Eagle

Theegarten Pactec showcased a multi-style packaging machine for chocolate and confectionery articles at Gulfood Manufacturing this year.

Pack Expo 2016

Packaging industry cautious on Trump’s US manufacturing promise

09-Nov-2016 By Douglas Yu

Automation and increased profitability may make US President-elect Donald Trump's promise to bring manufacturing jobs back to the US empty, say some food packaging and processing industry leaders at Pack Expo in Chicago.

Gulfood Manufacturing 2016

Dubai confectionery and dairy procurement firm expands in Algeria

09-Nov-2016 By Jenny Eagle

Ar-kom project management and consultancy firm, is building a confectionery plant in Algeria to become operational in 2017.

Dispatches from Pack Expo 2016

Tomric introduces Bean-to-Bar equipment for US small batch chocolatiers

09-Nov-2016 By Douglas Yu

Plastic candy molds maker Tomric Systems has introduced a one-stop shop bean-to-bar equipment that helps artisans create single-origin chocolate.

CIBUS TEC 2016

Hayssen Flexible Systems partners with Rovelli on chocolate packaging

31-Oct-2016 By Jenny Eagle

Hayssen Flexible Systems has partnered with Italian confectionery manufacturer Rovelli on its chocolate packaging.

Cibus Tec 2016

Italian packaging & processing industry sees €6.2bn turnover in 2015

28-Oct-2016 By Jenny Eagle

The Italian food packaging & processing machinery industry rose to €6.2bn turnover in 2015, according to Antonio Cellie, MD, Fiere di Parma.

Oil spills: How to combat mineral oils in chocolate

18-Oct-2016 By Oliver Nieburg

Chocolate makers can thwart carcinogenic mineral oil contamination in products through regular testing, managing cocoa transportation and adding barrier layers in packaging, say scientists.

Siemens: F&B manufacturers are slow to embrace IoT and Industry 4.0 demands

26-Sep-2016 By Jenny Eagle

Food and beverage (F&B) manufacturers are slow to meet the rising demand in digitalization and adapt their machines to customized packaging, according to Siemens.

Vonpar conslidates its candy, Neugebauer and Mu-Mu brands into one factory

12-Sep-2016 By Jenny Eagle

Vonpar Alimentos, a beverage distributor for Coca-Cola and Heineken, has consolidated all candy production including its Neugebauer chocolate and Mu-Mu dulce de leche brands into one factory in Southern Brazil.

PART I

Bean to bar Nugali to open visitor center and Greenhouse-filled mini rainforest

07-Sep-2016 By Jenny Eagle

Hot off the heels of winning silver at the International Chocolate Awards, Nugali is growing bigger and better with plans to open a visitor center next year, the launch of a Cupuaçu product and a Greenhouse-filled mini rainforest.

Next generation twin sisters to take senior roles at Docile as exports grow

05-Sep-2016 By Jenny Eagle

Brazilian candy maker Docile reports export growth as the next generation of family members gear up to join the firm.

SafeTraces raises funding to help market push

02-Sep-2016 By Joseph James Whitworth

SafeTraces has raised $1.5m via a funding round to accelerate product development, sales and marketing ahead of going to market by the end of this year.