Janna Hamlett Ph.D.

One of the most effective methodologies for achieving continuous improvement is "Kaizen," rooted in the Japanese philosophy of "change for better," with a focus on incremental, sustainable improvements that enhance productivity, reduce waste, and improve overall operations. This article explores practical steps for introducing and sustaining Kaizen in a food manufacturing environment.

In any manufacturing facility, managing change can create great momentum and benefits, or cause catastrophic disasters. This article discusses fundamental factors for understanding and overcoming resistance to change.

In today's advanced manufacturing environment, food processing offers a great career and many opportunities for people to experience. So, how can the food industry attract youth to food manufacturing careers?

Any time a new piece of equipment, such as an increasingly relevant “collaborative robot” (cobot), is incorporated, the food safety plan—including the hazard analysis—must be reanalyzed to determine the new equipment’s impact on the food safety system, and what mitigation strategies must be deployed.

Temporary employees are defined as "at-will" workers who can work on a part-time, full-time, or seasonal basis. Many food manufacturers utilize temporary employees in their facility, for a wide variety of reasons, which can pose some challenges. This article discusses the possible challenges and strategies for managing them to avoid problems in your food manufacturing facility.

Supply chain constraints are not a new challenge in the food industry. Food is a global market, and even the smallest food processor brings in food ingredients, packaging, and equipment from around the world. Included in this article are tips and tricks for managing inventory, supplier, and warehouse challenges for food manufacturing facilities.

Ensuring that non-conforming product is never created—or at least never arrives at customers' doorsteps—is invaluable in the food industry. Reduced downgrade, less rework, and decreased out-of-specification product are all benefits of mistake proofing.

Food processing facilities experience many different changeovers. Rapid changeover, or Single-Minute Exchange of Die, can be beneficial to increasing efficiencies in a food processing facility. Reduction in downgrade or defects and an increase in employee communication and morale are several benefits of a well-oiled changeover process.

Many methods are available for verifying the viability of a sanitation program, and most facilities use a combination of different methods to ensure that the sanitation program is performing as expected. Pathogen environmental monitoring (PEM) programs are a key prerequisite program to a sanitation program and to any facility's overall food safety program. There is no one-size-fits-all PEM program for facilities; rather, a PEM program is based on a facility's risk factors and what product(s) the facility manufactures.

If you look around, you may find many examples of ‘TIM WOODS' in your facility. TIM WOODS is an acronym for the ‘eight wastes' that can plague a processing facility. In lean manufacturing, waste is any cost, effort, or material that is used in a processing facility that does not directly lead to a completed unit.