NEWS & ANALYSIS
NEWS OF INDUSTRY
Dow to double plant capacity for FilmTec ® membranes
To meet the growing global demand for reverse osmosis water purification technology, the Dow Liquid Separations business of the Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Mich., is doubling the size of its FilmTec® membranes manufacturing plant. Reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration (NF) technology for purifying water are increasingly needed as cities and towns around the world impose more rigorous purity standards for water quality.
In more and more instances, RO and NF membranes are the only affordable technology available to bring water up to local codes. With stricter regulations, depletion of subsurface aquifers, and even an increasing need to convert seawater into fresh water, there is increased demand for this product. Dow will invest approximately $35 million in the plant, located in Minneapolis, Minn. The expansion includes third generation membrane line technology and fourth generation automated fabrication technology. The company also plans to increase the manufacturing work force at the Minneapolis plant by about one-third during the year 2000.
As subsurface sources of water are depleted and municipalities ban their use because of land settlement, cities and other areas are using more surface-based sources of water like lakes and rivers. Water in direct contact with the earth’s surface is more difficult to purify and contains more bacteria, pesticides, and other contaminants. Traditional methods of treating “clean” water are not effective under these circumstances, and industry is turning to membrane purification technology to remove additional contaminants. Clean water for industry and municipalities is driving demand for FilmTec® reverse osmosis and nanofiltration water purification membrane modules
Canadian Grains Institute launches new durum wheat processing facility
The Canadian International Grains Institute (CIGI), Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, has opened a new pilot pasta plant and renovated flour mill in Winnipeg. The facility, which is expected to provide a boost to Canada’s durum wheat industry, consists of a Buhler pilot scale pasta plant using Polymatik press technology and a dryer that uses turbo-thermatic drying technology to control such variables as temperature, humidity, and time.
A corresponding upgrade to CIGI’s pilot flour mill ensures the mill’s flexibility to produce durim semolinas and flours to meet customer specifications. The facility also includes a quality control laboratory, a pilot flour mill, and secondary processing area containing a pilot bakey and pilot noodle plant, all used for commercial evaluation and demonstration of common Canadian wheats.
Michigan turkey producers cooperative off to a good start
The Michigan Allied Poultry Industry and Michigan State University recently celebrated the opening of the new Michigan Turkey Producers Co-op facility in Wyoming, just south of Grand Rapids, Mich. The new cooperative is expected to process 4.25 million turkeys a year, producing boned turkey meat and, in the future, further value-added cooked products under the brand names Golden Legacy, Silver Legacy, and Legacy. The state-of-the-art facility, which cost more than $20 million and incorporates all the newest knowledge for safe food handling, plans to hire 215 line employees and another 55 in sales and management. Dan Lennon was named Chief Executive Officer and Plant Manager.
Flavor Dynamics opens new facility
Flavor Dynamics, Inc., South Plainfield, N.J., has opened a new headquarters and manufacturing facility. The 28,000-sqft building, at 640 Montrose Avenue, South Plainfield, NJ 07080, is equipped with seven high technology laboratories, including a client R&D laboratory where customers can collaborate with the company’s chemists to bring the customer directly into the creation process.
NEWS OF PEOPLE
• Robertet Flavors, Inc., Piscataway, N.J., announced the following new staff additions: Siew Chung was named Senior Food Scientist in the Applications Laboratory; Matthew Callahan was named Associate Product Manager; and Elizabeth Springsteen was named Food Technologist in the Applications Laboratory. • Gerald Schwetlik was appointed Director of Market Development for polyols for Cerestar, Hammond, Ind. Cerestar has also strengthened its presence in China by appointing Tintin Delphin Commercial Director to set up marketing, sales, and customer support organizations. Based in Beijing, Delphin will be responsible for establishing regional distributors and warehouses to grow Cerestar’s operations in China.
• Sargento Foods Inc., Plymouth, Wis., has formed a new business group and realigned duties for the following senior corporate executives: Michael A. Gordy was promoted to President of the newly formed Food Ingredients Division; Mark W. Rhyan, Executive Vice President– Financial and CFO, has taken over the newly combined areas of Operations and Administration; Lee McCollum was promoted to Vice President–Manufacturing; and Brad Flatoff to Vice President–Innovation and Product Development. Kevin G. Delahunt was named Vice President–Direct; Marcy L. Stanczyk Senior Vice President–Administration; and Thomas J. Paul Senior Vice President–Information Resources and Planning.
• Craig Kaiser joined Borden Foods Corporation, Columbus, Ohio, as Vice President, Business Development and Innovation. • FoodUSA, Madison, Wis., added the following three additions to its team of trade experts: John Grothman joined the company as Director of Poultry Trading; Myles Nyland was appointed Director of Pork Trading; and Dave Maslanka was named Beef Trading Facilitator.
• South Beach Beverage Company, Norwalk, Conn., appointed Bill Meissner to the position of Director of Brand Development. • Bruce Zeiler, Anne-Marie Tigges, and Kevin Andrews joined Opta Food Ingredients, Inc., Bedford, Mass., as Region Managers for Sales and Business Development. Zeiler’s responsibilities cover Opta’s west and Southwest Territories; Tigges the Midwest territory; and Andrews represents Opta’s product line with additional responsibilities at the company’s Stabilized Product Division in High Ridge, Mo. In addition, Collette J. Sizer joined Opta as Associate Manager Technical Sales, providing technical support for Opta’s customers in the greater Chicagoland area.
• Nicole Romero was named a food scientist with the Coatings Division in Research and Development at Kerry Inc., Beloit, Wis. • Manoj Nair joined the Research & Development Department of Sartori Foods, Plymouth, Wis., as a food technologist. He will focus on new product development for the company. • Carmen Fernandez and Mark Steckelberg joined Cargill Protein Products, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as Market Managers. Fernandez’ primary focus will be market development in Latin America, while Steckelberg, whose sales territory includes the Northeast, will also concentrate on providing the fermentation industry with new applications for soy protein.
•Roland Industries, St. Louis, Mo., has appointed three new baking professionals to increase the company’s technical sales support capabilities. Joining the Roland staff are Christopher Colston, Director of Technical Business Development; David Kappelman, Manager of Technical Sales; and James Antczak, Director of Sales, South and South Central Regions. • Christine Lewis, earlier named Acting Director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Nutritional Products, has been appointed the permanent Director of the recently established office. • Archer Daniels Midland Company, Decatur, Ill., elected John D. Rice Senior Vice President, Global BioProducts and Food; Martin Reed was named Vice President and Director of Industrial Regulatory Affairs; Rudy Phillips Director of Diversity Programs; and Brian C. Bayless Director, Safety Education and Training.
• Jim Parker joined Foodtrader.com, an online business-to-business marketplace for the food and agriculture industries, as Senior Vice President, Industry and International Relations. • H.J. Heinz Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., appointed Diane Owen Vice President, Strategy Development. • Cyrano Sciences, Inc., Pasadena, Calif., developers of the Cranose 320 electronic nose, announced the following new appointments: Richard Sill, Vice President of Sales and Marketing; Sebastian Nardecchia, Vice President, Operations; Stephen Malin, Vice President, Research, Development and Engineering; and Mark Luffingham, European Sales Manager.
• Pactiv Corporation, Lake Forest, Ill., named James D. Morris Vice President and General Manager of Protective and Flexible Packaging. John Schwab, currently Vice President and General Manager North American Protective Packaging (NAPP), will assume an expanded role as Vice President and General Manager, Consumer Products; and Pete Lazaredes will become Vice President and General Manager of the Foodservice, Supermarket, and Institutional Packaging business group. Within NAPP and reporting to Morris, Jan Reeves was appointed Vice President, Business Management; Kevin Quinn, Vice President, Manufacturing; Ken Hinett Vice President, Engineering; and Said Farha, Vice President, Product Development. Also reporting to Morris and based in Europe: Albert Leutscher, Managing Director, Flexible Packaging; Peter Lewis, Managing Director, Thermoformed Products; Herman Nanninga, Managing Director, Molded Fibre; and Hein Vader, Managing Director, Protective Packaging.
• The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Norwich, United Kingdom, appointed Alastair Robertson as Director of the Institute of Food research. He succeeds Peter Schroeder as IFR Director. • Larry F. Hollis was promoted to Vice President, Specialty Products Division, Wixon Fontarome, Milwaukee, Wis. • Jeff Milne joined SPI Foods Inc., Fremont, Neb., as Vice President of Sales. He will be located in the company’s Kansas City office. • Steve Hunter joined Silver Springs Citrus, Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla., as Director of Technical Services and New Product Development. • Luis A. Fernandez was promoted to Regional Director, Applied Technology, for Protein Technologies, Inc. He will continue to be located in the company’s Buenos Aires, Argentina, office.• Essien E. Ita joined A & B Ingredients, Inc., Fairfield, N.J., in charge of Applications & New Product Development.
• Diane M. McDonell was promoted to Director of Marketing for Michael Foods, Inc., Minneapolis, Minn. • Diane Biancamano was appointed Director of Public Relations and Advertising at International Flavors & Fragrances Inc., New York, N.Y. • Lamb Weston, Inc., Boise, Idaho, named Mike Reineck and Bonnie Urresti as new Marketing Managers. Reineck will target customers in the military, club store, C-store, and other retail segments, while Urresti will develop national accounts and management of the company’s database system. • Gary Anderson joined the Sales Department of Heat and Control’s Prepared Foods Systems Division. He will be located at company headquarters in Hayward, Calif. • P.B. & S. Chemical Company, a subsidiary of Brenntag, Inc., Reading, Pa., appointed Meloné Jordan to National Accounts Executive. Jordan will also represent the parent company, Brenntag, Inc., as National Account Executive.
Company News in Brief
• ADM Nutraceutical, a division of Archer Daniels Midland, Decatur, Ill., has signed a long-term agreement with B&D Nutritional Ingredients of Carlsbad to represent ADM Nutraceutical products on the West Coast. B&D will represent such ADM Nutraceutical products as natural source-vitamin E, Novasoy® isoflavones, mixed tocopherols, and phytosterols.
• All American Foods, Inc., Mankato, Minn., has acquired Waseca Foods, L.L.C., based in Waseca, Minn. Both companies supply dry food and nutritional products to the specialty foods industry. Steve Johnson, president of Waseca Foods, has joined the All American Board of Directors and will serve the company in a consulting capacity as well.
• American Italian Pasta Company (AIPC), Excelsior Springs, Mo., has developed two wholly owned subsidiaries, IAPC UK Ltd., and IAPC Italia s.r.l., as part of its international expansion. Nigel Singh, Commercial Director for IAPC UK, will be responsible for developing and managing the UK and European sales and marketing function for these companies and support AIPC’s new, state-of-the-art pasta manufacturing facility now under construction in Verolanuova, Italy.
• Celsis Limitada was opened in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as a wholly owned subsidiary of Celsis International plc, a provider of rapid microbiological screening technology headquartered in Cambridge, England. The subsidiary will import, distribute, and market Celsis’ products in Brazil; it will also employ technical support, sales, distribution personnel, and field service technicians to its customers.
• Compagnie Industrielle des Lasers (CILAS), a member of the Aérospatiale-Matra Group with headquarters in Orléans, France, has formed CILAS U.S., Inc., a new subsidiary located in Miami, Fla. The concept of laser diffraction for particle size analyzers, first introduced in 1969, was pioneered by CILAS. The new subsidiary has been chartered to provide customer service and support for CILAS Laser Diffraction Particle Size Analyzers installed in North America. Larry R. Unger, Ph.D., will serve as president. For additional information, call Dr. Unger at 561-792-3396 (E-mail: [email protected]).
• ConAgra Flour Milling Co., Omaha, Neb., announced plans to modernize and expand its flour mill in Decatur, Ala., increasing its milling capacity to 700,000 lb of flour a day. The new complex contains additional milling units, a blending facility, and high-speed packaging machinery that will allow the mill to deliver customized finished products in various packaging options.
• David Michael & Co., Inc., Philadelphia, Pa., has acquired Daroma. S.A., a flavor and natural color manufacturer located in Valence, France.
• International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (IFF), New York, N.Y., has acquired Laboratoire Monique Rémy (LMR) of Grasse, France. LMR creates and commercializes natural raw materials for fragrances and flavors in its manufacturing facility in Grasse and an extraction plant in Lozère, France. The acquisition is expected to allow IFF to increase its expertise across all product categories, especially in fine fragrances, through the development of new proprietary ingredients.
• Lamb Weston, Inc., Tri-Cities, Wash., has recently opened its new dry batter blending facility in Pasco, Wash. The new plant, which will operate under the brand Columbia Basin Blends, is designed to service the rapidly growing coated-fry segment of the frozen french fry business, as well as other customers who produce battered products.
• Neogen Corporation, Lansing, Mich., has completed its stock purchase of Acumedia Manufacturers, Inc., a subsidiary of IDEXX Laboratories, Westbrook, Me. Founded in 1978 and located in Baltimore, Md., Acumedia supplies high quality dehydrated culture media to producers of prepared media products and other microbiological testing facilities
• Qualicon, a subsidiary of the DuPont Corporation, has moved its offices to Bedford Building, 3531 Silverside Road, Wilmington, DE 19810. The company’s new telephone number is 1-800-863-6842.
• Schmalback-Lubeca, Plastic Containers USA, Manchester, Mich., has purchased the U.S. polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle manufacturing assets and operations from Cott Corporation of Toronto, Canada. Included in the purchase is Cott’s Leland, N.C., injection-molding operation, together with blow molding assets located at various sites around the United States. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Death Notices
• Charles M. Crawford, Professional Member. Died December 1999, age 81, in Modesto, Calif. Affiliated with the E. & J. Gallo Winery as Vice President and Secretary. Member of IFT since 1945.
• Susan L. Hartigan, IFT Member. Died in 1999 in Glen Ellyn, Ill., age 37. Worked as Senior Brand Manager with Keebler Company, Elmhurst, Ill. Joined IFT in 1985; member of the Chicago Section.
• Charles W. Logan, Emeritus Member. Died January 7, 2000, in Gainesville, Fla., age 72. Joined IFT in 1969; member of the Florida Section.
• Robert A. Ormsby, IFT Member, died in 1999 in Johannesburg, South Africa, age approximately 60. He was employed by South Bakels Pty, Ltd., Johannesburg. Member of IFT since 1986.
• Ernest L. Watson, Emeritus Member. Died December 29, 1999, in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He was 82. Retired in 1979 from the faculty of the Dept. of Agricultural Engineering, University of British Columbia. Member of IFT since 1948; member of the British Columbia Section.
• Stella R. Wisner, IFT Member. Died November 1999 in Baltimore, Md., age 69. Employed by Tw Ingredients, Baltimore. Joined IFT in 1985; member of the Maryland Section.
by BETSY BAIRD
Assistant Editor