Regina, Saskatchewan, October 30, 2024 – Farm Credit Canada (FCC) has set the table for top innovators and thought leaders at its annual Food and Beverage Summit. A heavy hitter for the Canadian economy, the Food and Beverage sector is a keen adopter of innovations and technology to keep up with changing market needs and consumer habits. 

“The Canadian food and beverage sector adds value to the lives of all Canadians. Whether as an economic driver, employer of choice or its role in bringing food to our tables,” said André Surprenant, FCC senior vice-president. “The FCC Food and Beverage Summit brings together the people who are shaping the future of this important sector with new ideas and strategies to meet the challenges ahead.” 

FCC’s 2024 Food and Beverage Report notes that with household budgets being stretched following high inflation and interest rate increases, people are becoming increasingly cautious of where they spend their food and drink budgets. “Adapting to this consumer behaviour is something to watch for at this year’s Summit”, added André Surprenant 

“Canada’s food and beverage industry continues to evolve quickly,” said Peter Chapman, food industry expert and speaker. “The agenda at the FCC Food and Beverage Summit is packed with information to help food processors take the right next step.” 

Returning booth exhibitor to this year’s Food and Beverage Summit included Saskatchewan-based Rebellion Brewing.  

“It is great to finally have a food and beverage event in the Prairies, showcasing local products. The Prairies can be overlooked but have so much to offer. The FCC Food and Beverage Summit is an excellent chance to showcase what makes our products unique and world-class. I am so excited to attend again this year”, said Stephanie Robb with Rebellion Brewing. 

The 2024 Food and Beverage Summit features Christopher Parker with Canadian grocery and food service leader, Tree of Life. Parker along with more than 10 speakers will provide exceptional networking and learning opportunities for participants alongside an expansive tradeshow featuring the latest food and beverage products. 

“FCC is thrilled to once again host the Food and Beverage summit,” added Surprenant. “There is an incredibly complex ecosystem at work here that connects us all. By sharing knowledge and ideas, we are creating a stronger future for the industry and its role in the lives of Canadians.” 

The food and beverage manufacturing sector in Ontario is already the third largest in North America, with over $48 billion in revenue and more than 104,000 people employed.

Sarens has been commissioned by Exact Industrial to install different processing equipment and assist with the scopes of work for the project at a new sugar refining plant at the Port of Hamilton.

The city of Hamilton, Ontario, will establish itself as one of the largest sugar production and refining centers in Canada and one of the largest in North America, adding more than 1 million metric tons of production by 2025. In doing so, Hamilton will be a key contributor to the growth of Ontario's food and beverage manufacturing sector, which is already the third largest in North America with more than 104,000 people employed and revenue in excess of $48 billion.

One of the region's main centers of operations is located at the Port of Hamilton, a 1,400-acre site with more than 160 tenant companies that already employs approximately 40,000 people. In this environment, Sarens, world leader in heavy lifting, engineered transport and crane rental services, has been commissioned by Exact Industrial to install processing equipment for a new sugar refining and processing plant. In addition, Sarens has collaborated with its client on the scopes of work for the project.

At the start of the work, the steel structure of the plant, with a height of more than 32 meters, was already partially constructed. For this reason, Sarens engineering team had to carefully choose the equipment to be used to lift the processing equipment over the structure and lower it from the roof. To facilitate these operations, part of the steel structure was dismantled with a Liebherr LTM1070 crane using both main boom and jib.

In addition, a smaller crane, a Demag AC220 with an offset jib, was used for the installation of the equipment. The Sarens crew chose this model as it had the option of using offset jib, but finally the longer main boom could reach to set the tanks to be installed, so there was a significant time saving on set-up and take-down operations by not erecting the offset jib.

As the Sarens team had to share workspace while other construction operations were taking place, significant coordination work was required to ensure the highest standards of safety and efficiency, while at the same time helping to advance the construction work as far as possible before the arrival of the winter months. As part of this pre-coordination work, it was necessary to fill the area with compacted gravel for the outriggers.

Sarens has been a key player in the Canadian construction industry for years, thanks to the wide experience of its team, its in-depth knowledge of the sector and its extensive portfolio of cranes and modular transports. Among others, Sarens has worked on the updating of the heating, ventilation & air conditioning systems of Scarborough General Hospital or Finch West Station project -both in Toronto-, installing 30 precast ceiling panels of 3.25 tons each below ground level, and was also able to contribute to the renovation of Union Station, where the team carried out the lifting and subsequent installation of several 9.4-ton iron girders for the flying garden connecting the station's north and south towers.

Dynamic Conveyor, a leading manufacturer of innovative conveyor solutions, is excited to announce the launch of its latest product designed specifically for the food processing industry—the DynaClean S Series. Like its heritage DynaClean line, the S Series is designed to meet the rigorous hygiene standards required in food production environments and is now available with a standard delivery time of just 3-4 weeks.

The new DynaClean S Series line will be on display at PACK EXPO International 2024, from November 3-6. Visitors to Dynamic Conveyor’s booth will be able to see the S Series in action during the event, taking place at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL .

This new conveyor line is designed to provide superior performance and durability in all conditions. Dynamic Conveyor has kept with its innovative HDPE sidewall construction with UHMW and stainless-steel components, ensuring ease of sanitation and resistance to corrosion, making it suitable for environments where frequent and thorough cleaning is necessary.  This conveyor line offers various features making it the ideal choice for various applications:

Modularity has again been incorporated into the design allowing customers to adjust the length of their conveyors by adding or removing modular sections.

Two FDA approved belt options are offered. A solid surface polyurethane or a link style polypropylene depending on the needs of the application. These belts are interchangeable on the conveyor giving end users ultimate flexibility.

Dynamic Conveyor has included its patented retaining wall design to ensure toolless disassembly of the conveyor for quick cleaning.

Accessory options include scraper blade, discharge chute, infeed hoppers and two NEMA-4X VFD options with full E-stop and I/O for easy machine integrations.

Drive and feed ends feature tight belt transfer diameter at 3.1” allowing for easy transfer of small product.

A range of standard offerings from 12 – 30” wide and 4 – 30’ in length.

Adjustable top of belt heights ranging from 32-42”. Custom heights are available on request.

The design incorporates the latest innovations from Dynamic Conveyor while being offered on an industry leading lead time and competitive price.  These innovations, coupled with speed to market, ensure customers can quickly capture production efficiencies in reliability and ease of cleaning, while recognizing an industry leading low total cost of ownership driven by the modularity and reduced downtime over the long term.

Read about Metal Vs Plastics Conveyors

“We are thrilled to bring this innovative solution to the food processing industry,” said Matt Zehr, Applications and Product Development Manager at Dynamic Conveyor “Our new Flat Full Washdown Conveyor addresses the critical need for equipment that not only meets the highest hygiene standards but also enhances operational efficiency. With our quick turnaround time, customers can expect to see immediate benefits in their production processes.”

The introduction of the Flat Full Washdown Conveyor is part of Dynamic Conveyor’s ongoing commitment to providing food processing industry conveyor equipment that combines quality, durability, modularity contributing to an industry leading low total cost of ownership. By reducing downtime and maintenance requirements, this conveyor will help companies achieve higher productivity and support the strictest hygiene standards.

For more information about the DynaClean S Series or to place an order, please visit DynamicConveyor.com.

Detection Technology changes its operating model and Group’s management group in order to advance the implementation of its strategy and meet its growth targets. The new planned organization and reporting structure are intended to enter into force as of 1 January 2025.

Detection Technology’s new planned sales and product organisation will consist of three regional business units: Asia–Pacific (APAC), Europe, Middle East, India and Africa (EMEIA), and the Americas. The business units will have end-to-end responsibility for sales, customer relationship management, and product management within their respective areas. The company’s existing Security (SBU), Industrial Solutions (IBU) and Medical Business Units (MBU) will be discontinued.

President and CEO Hannu Martola says: “The world is changing, and the importance of regional business in relation to global operations is increasing. The aim of the change is to sharpen the local account management, improve customer service, as well as speed up decision-making. The new operating model boosts our market and customer orientation, learning curve, and competitiveness in a rapidly changing world. All in all, the change will create a solid foundation for our future growth.”

The Group level functions, which include research and development (R&D), operations, financial administration and IT, and HR, will remain the same. In addition, a member responsible for business development, who will focus on Group level development projects and finding new business opportunities, will be appointed to the management group. The area of responsibility will also include possible mergers and acquisitions.

As a part of the renewal, the following changes will be made to the Group’s management group:

Mr. Bree Allen (B.Sc. Eng., MBA, born 1974) will be appointed President, Americas Business Unit, and a new member of the management group. He has worked as President, Americas, at Detection Technology since 2022. His areas of responsibility have included industrial and security business as well as the promotion of medical sales. He has over 20 years of experience in senior roles in sales, business development, product management, and marketing. Before joining Detection Technology, he worked as President at Rigaku Analytical Devices since 2012.

Mr. Arve Lukander will be appointed President of the EMEIA Business Unit. His current role is the company’s Vice President of the Security Business Unit (SBU).

Mr. Chen Wu will be appointed President of the APAC Business Unit. His current role is the company’s Vice President of the Medical Business Unit (MBU).

Mr. Juha Talasmäki will be appointed Vice President, Business Development. His current role is the company’s Vice President of the Industrial Solutions Business Unit (IBU).

Mr. Hannu Martola will continue as the President and CEO of the Group, Mr. Matti Nylander as CFO, Ms. Sari Holopainen as Vice President of People and Culture, Mr. Jyrki Still as CTO and Mr. Kai Utela as Vice President of Operations. The bios of the members of the management group are available at the company’s website.

The members of Detection Technology’s management group, as of 1 January 2025, will be

• Mr. Hannu Martola, President and CEO
• Mr. Matti Nylander, CFO
• Mr. Bree Allen, President, Americas Business Unit
• Mr. Arve Lukander, President, EMEIA Business Unit
• Mr. Chen Wu, President, APAC Business Unit
• Mr. Juha Talasmäki, Vice President, Business Development
• Ms. Sari Holopainen, Vice President, People and Culture
• Mr. Jyrki Still, CTO
• Mr. Kai Utela, Vice President, Operations

The company will also change the net sales split reporting method used in its financial reporting to correspond to its new operating model as of 1 January 2025. In the future, the company will report net sales for each region in line with the new geographical division as well as for its three main applications, namely, medical, industrial and security. The company will report comparison figures according to the new model at the beginning of 2025.