See What’s New at ProFood Tech 2019

ProFood Tech (March 26-28; McCormick Place, Chicago) plans to deliver an array of best practices and innovative solutions in processing to food and beverage professionals across small, medium and large-sized companies alike. Launched in 2017, ProFood Tech remains the first and only trade show of its kind in North America. The biennial show offers a full range of processing solutions in baking and snack, beverage, frozen and prepared foods, dairy, as well as meat, poultry and seafood.

ProFood Tech is powered by three global trade show leaders – PACK EXPO, Anuga and the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) – and will draw 7,000 processing professionals and more than 400 of the world’s top suppliers to its expansive show floor, stacking up to more than 125,000 net square feet. The show’s 45 hours of educational programming will include sessions on regulatory changes, workforce development strategies and shifting consumer trends from leaders in the industry.

Attendees from a host of market segments will be sure to finds solution to suit their needs:

• The Dairy Pavilion, presented by IDFA, offers dairy producers a hub in which to connect with key industry suppliers, see the latest technologies in action, discover industry trends and benefit from exposure to crossover technologies.
• ProFood Tech Knowledge Hub, produced by IDFA, is an educational line-up that will address pressing business challenges across all food and beverage sectors with fresh ideas and strategies from respected industry leaders. The Hub will include discussions on best practices for cybersecurity and reducing food waste and deep dives into consumer trends that are changing the food and beverage landscape. Three separate venues will host the free programs on the show floor: the IMPACT Zone (Booth 220), the INNOVATION Zone (Booths 1500 and 1520) and the DISRUPTION Zone (Booth 363).
• The Cold Pressure Council Annual Conference is dedicated to high-pressure processing (HPP) and will feature insights from leading food processors, service providers and supplier experts on HPP best practices, the latest market trends and tips for packaging HPP products. The registration rate is only $495, and the co-located event will occur March 26-27, 2019.
• The Innovation Stagebrings free education to the show floor to inform and inspire attendees. The Innovation Stage ncludes free, 30-minute seminars throughout the day, presentations by food and beverage processing industry leaders, coverage of breakthrough technologies, innovative applications and proven techniques and comfortable seating in a setting that is part lounge, part classroom.
• The Packaging & Processing Women’s Leadership Network (PPWLN) invites attendees to “Leading Change,” an interactive breakfast that will connect peers through networking exercises and shared experiences. Featured speakers Diane Wolf, consultant and former vice president at Kraft Foods and Karen Norheim, executive vice president at American Crane and Equipment Corporation, will explain how they successfully maneuvered the manufacturing environment to become a driving force of change at their respective companies.

Enjoy a sneak peek of some of the innovations attendees can expect to see at the show:

Cost-efficient heat-sealing robot maintains product quality

Schubert North America, LLC (Booth #853) will debut a heat-sealing robot in the Schubert Flowmodul for sensitive products. Using ultrasonic technology, the robot increases the temperature within the heat-sealing film without affecting the tools and machine part, keeping product flawless during longitudinal sealing. The technology also allows for program sealing to the millisecond and ensures constant sealing times, as the cross-sealing unit immediately adapts to the variable speed of upstream pick-and-place robots with each flowpack.

Pulsed light technology delivers flexibility in a variety of equipment

Claranor (Booth #1306) presents pulsed light sterilization for flexible packaging that is adaptable across food and beverage industries. The cost-effective technology allows manufacturers to sterilize film, FFS pouches, pillow pouches, stick, spout and closures in a range of flexible packaging equipment. The sterilizer is compact, allowing for easy integration onto existing or new lines. It has been adapted for ultra-clean, ESL, high acid aseptic and heat-sensitive film.

Hybrid extruder design offers energy and cost savings

Rocheleau (Booth #1135) will introduce the RS90 blow molding machine with the capacity to mold six-cavity one-gallon bottles, the core of this space- and energy-saving design. Compatible with a wide variety of bottle applications, the innovative hybrid extruder has a compact final drive, and dual injection cylinders mounted to pull the injection unit forward. The direct load vertical deflash automation also provides complete access to the molding area and improves safety for machine operators.

New round separator simplifies clean-up and maintenance 

SWECO^® (Booth #957) will present the SWECO HX™ Series Round Separator. Equipped with a top and bottom “no-tools” weight system, the separator offers proportional motion adjustment. The SWECO HX™ improves performance while simultaneously increasing safety and simplifying cleanup and maintenance. Users can move a single weight set radially to dial in on the optimal horizontal and vertical amplitude, improving each separator’s efficiency and throughput.

For more information, visit profoodtech.com.