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Automation Workshop
Wednesday March 21, 2007
Please note, location is NOT the Roundup Centre. It is:
Hotel Arts, Calgary 119 - 12th Avenue SW
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This year's Symposium will be preceded by a workshop focusing on automation in the food processing industry.
Is automation the solution to the growing inability to find and keep labour in the food processing industry? Labour issues, in addition to the increasing need
for traceability, food safety issues, and competition from low-cost manufacturing regions are fuelling a trend towards increased automation in the
food processing industry.
This workshop will look at the benefits to implementing automated processes in food production, as well as practical step-by-step guides for implementing
automation strategies into your food business.
The workshop will present the case studies of leading companies who have made the transition to automation in their food processing lines. Hear about their
successes and their obstacles. Local companies that provide food processing equipment will also be present to discuss the benefits and features of
implementing automation.
Don't miss this chance to examine automation as a strategy for increasing reliability in your food processing operation.
You may register for the workshop separately, or in combination with the International Food Symposium 2007.
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Workshop Speakers
Jan Hak,
President,
Dutch Manufacturers of Machinery for Food Processing and Packaging, (Netherlands)
Jan Hak is the grandson of H.C. Hak, the founder of the agri-business HAK Enterprises. Growing up, Jan learned about all aspects
of the agri-food chain. His professional career began with engineering and product development projects in the Middle East
in the pickling and dairy sectors. Back in the Netherlands, he restructured the food machinery program at Komen+Kuin B.V.
and spent 5 years at HAK B.V. with responsibility for manufacturing and logistics at 3 locations. This hands-on experience
later proved valuable during his term on the supervisory board of HAK before the business
was sold in 1992 when it had reached a turnover of EUR 80 million.
Jan Hak was involved in founding Hamm & Hak Holding (H&H Group), a world leader in potato
processing systems and main player in the fruits, vegetable and snack food sector before being sold in 1995. He also founded
Hak & Partners B.V., which is active worldwide in design, engineering and realization of food processing
plants. A perfect example is the CDN 35 million investment in AgraWest Foods Ltd., P.E.I.,
Canada - a potato-granule processing facility brought from concept to full operation and transfer to North American partners.
The Netherlands' long tradition in trading and export of agricultural products, including processed food, has led to a strong
position in food processing machinery. The Dutch produce 80% of the world's poultry processing machinery and over 50% of potato
processing machinery. They maintain this position through continuous innovation in areas such as hygienic design and integrated
design.
Jerry Bigam,
President and CEO,
Kinnikinnick Foods Inc. (Canada)
Jerry Bigam has spent the last 35 years developing new business opportunities in Western Canada, the past 20 with an emphasis on
food processing plants. He developed one of the largest malting plants in the world, and an oat processing plant providing highly
specialized fractions for the nutraceutical, human and animal health, and cosmetic industries.
In 1997, Mr. Bigam became a partner in Kinnikinnick Foods Inc., which is a gluten free food manufacturer. The company currently
operates the largest dedicated gluten free facilities in the world with 2 plants totaling 150,000 square feet in Edmonton,
Canada. Kinnikinnick was one of the first companies to establish an internet-based home delivery program. Products are also
available in specialty and health food outlets as well as mainstream retail stores. Kinnikinnick has been owned by the Bigam
family for the past 2 years.
Jerry ran an economic development consulting business for number of years, and was involved at senior policy levels in both the
Province of Alberta and the Province of Saskatchewan. He is a Director and current Chairman of the Alberta Food Processors
Association, a Director of the Alberta Agriculture and Food Council, a founding member of the Food Processors Logistics Research
Council, and a member of the Edmonton CEO Ag Processing Group.
Peter Muhlenfeld,
Sales Manager,
Champion Petfoods,
Morinville, Alberta (Canada)
Champion Petfoods has been in business for twenty-five years and sells more pet food in international markets than any other
Canadian brand. Their products resonate with consumers worldwide, because they use modern technology combined with strict
regulations and controls to produce exceptionally high quality products.
Peter Muhlenfeld believes in the importance of food quality for people by using fresh, local ingredients, and translates that
importance to our pets. Champion Petfoods developed a very successful business around a simple philosophy: provide a quality
product using fresh regional ingredients. Their current plant uses the best technology available, but their latest plant will
be even more state-of-the art. Built as a separate unit to provide flexibility for meeting international standards, it will be
so automated only four or five people will be needed to run it. A walk through the plant shows a spotlessly clean environment
with no sign of the animal byproducts normally associated with pet food.
Yasushi 'Kelly' Sasaki, BSc,
President,
Mycom Canada Ltd.,
Richmond, BC (Canada)
Subsidiary of Mayekawa Co. (Japan)
Mr. Kelly Sasaki is the President of Mycom Canada Ltd., a subsidiary of Mayekawa Co. of Japan. Mr. Sasaki helped to fashion Mycom
into an industry leader in Canada in the field of Robotic Automation.
Mayekawa Co., Mycom Canada, and their Canadian customers have already embarked on several projects in the field of robotics in the
meat industry. With Japan having some of the strictest food quality and safety standards in the world, as well as the highest
material costs, Mayekawa Co. Automation division has developed robotics to help customers to meet and exceed these standards.
Kelly will speak on the advanced efforts made by Mayekawa and its customers that best illustrate the strengthening link between
meat processing and automation.
Dr. Matt Schoonderwoerd,
Director, Pork Quality Assurance Department,
Olymel Pork,
Red Dear, Alberta (Canada)
Dr Matt Schoonderwoerd is the Director of the Pork Quality Assurance Department at the Olymel Pork Processing Facility in
Red Deer, Alberta. For the last 10 years, he has been involved in improving shelf life and quality of all Olymel's meat
products.
Dr. Schoonderwoerd is a leading advocate for integrating food safety and animal welfare into the pork industry's
Canadian Quality Assurance Program, an HACCP-based program providing for food safety, product quality and production integrity.
Among other accomplishments, Matt has led the implementation of an innovative internal auditing system for animal
welfare at Olymel. This system assesses animal welfare from the plant's barn to the kill floor, with audits performed daily
at random times. Dr. Schoonderwoerd also was the first to set up a data collection system to report the health status
of an animal back to the producer. This feedback system is used extensively to communicate with producers and help them to
improve the care given to animals before they enter the plant.
Dr. Matt Schoonderwoerd has a DVM degree from Guelph and an MVSc from Saskatoon.
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Workshop Agenda (Subject to change)
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| Wednesday, March 21, 2007 |
| 10:00 am |
Registration Opens
Hotel Arts, 119 - 12th Avenue SW, Indigo Room
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| 10:30 am - 10:45 am |
Gerry Bigam
President and CEO, Kinnikinnick Foods Inc.
Welcome from the Chair
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| 10:45 am - 12:15 pm |
KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Jan Hak
President, Dutch Manufacturers of Machinery for Food Processing and Packaging
Dutch and Canadian Experience
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| 12:15 pm- 1:30 pm | Lunch / Networking Break |
| 1:30 pm - 2:45 pm |
Dr Matt Schoonderwoerd
Director, Pork Quality Assurance Department, Olymel Pork
Kelly Sasaki
President, Mycom Canada Ltd.
Automation and Quality Standards
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| 2:45 pm- 3:15 pm | Networking Break |
| 3:15 am - 4:00 pm |
Peter Muhlenfeld
Sales Manager, Champion Petfoods
Meeting Customers' Standards Worldwide
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| 4:00 am - 4:30 pm |
Speaker To Be Announced
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| 4:30 am - 5:00 pm |
Gerry Bigam
President and CEO, Kinnikinnick Foods Inc.
Workshop Wrap-up
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| 5:00 pm- 7:00 pm |
Reception by the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality
Hotel Arts, Azul Room
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Sponsored by:
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