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The Four Elements of an Effective Food Safety Management System
October 25, 2011
Posted By Karen Manardo, Plex Systems Inc. | in | Comments (0)

Food and beverage processors can easily become overwhelmed as they work to meet challenging customer requirements and government regulations, such as the Food Safety Modernization Act, while minimizing costs.

To meet these demands, processors must develop and execute written food safety plans. They must have systems in place to rapidly identify and track every ingredient for each product through all processing steps: from receipt through processing, packaging, and shipping, to the exact customer location.

In the case of an investigation or product recall, a processor must be able to quickly show documentation of each processing step performed, not only within its own organization but also at least one step back and one step forward in its supply chain.

There’s never been a greater need for a comprehensive food safety management system (FSMS).

The Four Key Elements of FSMS

A complete FSMS enables the processor to meet all of its customer and government demands with minimal business disruption and for a manageable cost. An effective FSMS includes four components:

  1. HACCP plans
  2. Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM)
  3. Instant traceability and recall management
  4. Single-source ERP

A complete FSMS gives food processors peace of mind. They can rest easy knowing that they have a solid foundation to face not only today’s challenges, but whatever comes next in regulatory enforcement and customer demands.

To learn the components of these four elements and the kinds of tools and processes that enable them, don’t miss Tom Nessen’s Solution Theater presentation at 10 a.m., Booth #568, on Nov. 2 during the Process Expo. Or stop by Plex Systems booth #3642 anytime during the show.

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Bring Your A-Game to the Show – Tradeshow Tips for PROCESS EXPO
September 14, 2011
Posted By Grace Cular Yee | in | Comments (0)

“The most important key to achieving great success is to decide upon your goal and launch, get started, take action, move.” – John Wooden

You’ve signed up for PROCESS EXPO… what’s next? How do you ensure a successful tradeshow experience? We polled some of your fellow exhibitors for their tradeshow tips and tricks. Have you developed your PROCESS EXPO Action Plan? It isn’t too late to get started NOW. You can do it! Don’t leave your tradeshow success to chance.

John Sciabarrasi, REISER - jsciabarrasi@reiser.com

  • Pre-planning in NOT over rated. Being prepared makes for a smooth, well positioned show.
  • Front end installation. Waiting to the end is an invitation for potential problems
  • Communicate with all service providers, well in advance, regarding all logistics and services so they are prepared for your needs

Joy Williams, Multivac - joy.williams@multivac.com

  • Create a survivor kit that includes: First Aid Kit, Medication: Tylenol, Advil and Aleve, Cough Drops, Tums, Chapstick, Breath Mints, Snacks - ex. Energy Bars, Stain Remover, Hand Sanitizer, Sewing Kit, One set of shoe inserts for a man and a woman
  • Bottles of Water (if you have room)
  • I create a show binder that includes all paperwork that pertains to the show
  • I also have a container of cleaning supplies: Sanitizing Wipes, Windex, Paper Towels, Goop Remover, Carpet Cleaner and Brush, Static Remover, Rags, All-Surface Cleaner

Cheryl Bochniewicz, GEA Group –  Cheryl.Bochniewicz@geagroup.com

  • Communicate. Let your customers or potential customers know you will be attending. Promote via e-newsletter, social media, include in print advertising, etc.
  • Take advantage of trade show resources, including complimentary guest passes. Personal invitations go a long way.
  • Make a list. As you complete tasks, check them off so when you get to the show, all runs as smoothly as possible.

Karin Hamrick, Bettcher – marketing@bettcher.com

  • Flowers and Plants are a great way to hide things in your booth (electrical cords, cables or chips/dents on your display). Pre-order a few for better pricing.
  • Plan to be in your booth when your freight arrives! There is a “one time spot” allowance included in your drayage fee, so make efficient use of this at the show.
  • Be sure your exhibit company provides a full inventory of what is contained in the each crate/box/tote shipped to the show. This will keep you from “running around” looking for items during the set-up and dismantle times. Review this list carefully before your items ship to be sure everything has been packed.
  • Your messages (in displays and literature) should not be simply a list of product features. You want your messages to educate prospects about how your products will benefit them.
  • Finalize your list of booth staffers 2 months before the show so they can book air travel early enough to take advantage of discounts.
  • If your booth staffers normally take prospects to dinner at popular restaurants during the show week, book tentative reservations early so no one is scrambling at the last minute for reservations.

Lori Foy, Siemens –  lori.foy@siemens.com

  • Creating a standard playbook template or "survival guide" that states where, when, what.  This helps on not missing a small details.
  • When possible utilize demonstrations for a hands-on experience.
  • Consider hosting a hospitality event based around your needs (ex:  nurture existing relationships or draw in new relationships).

What can YOU add to this list? A tradeshow is made of a lot of little things. 

“It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.” – John Wooden

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Unlimited Drayage? What's the Catch?
July 1, 2011
Posted By Andy Drennan | in PROCESS EXPO, trade show tips | Comments (0)

This week, we fielded an inquiry about exhibiting in this year's show. The call came from someone who was not only new to PROCESS EXPO, but also new to their company and new to trade shows in general. They had no idea what the word 'drayage' meant and wondered why we would charge $3/square foot for it. As you can imagine, it made for a very interesting conversation and frankly, she will probably have to go through a show or two before she truly understands it.

Everyone agrees that doing trade shows is a costly proposition. Drayage is a particularly frustrating expense as it is difficult to plan for and the charges can escalate very quickly, especially for an equipment show. This is why PROCESS EXPO went to a fixed price drayage model a few years back. No longer would exhibitors be charged for the weight of their equipment, nor would they have to guess what their drayage bill might be at the end of the show. It was already covered based on the size of their booth.

In fact, PROCESS EXPO was recently mentioned in a report on Crain's that highlighted one of our members/exhibitors - Hollymatic, Inc. (thank you Rob Kovacik for the kind words!)  Thanks to this fixed price model, they  reported that their drayage bill at this year's PROCESS EXPO will be between 28 to 46% lower than what they are paying at another show they exhibited at earlier this year. That's with the same equipment, in the same sized booth ... even in the same hall!

Of course, this is not to say that this model is foolproof. The exhibitor stills needs to handle their end of things. This includes the following:

1) Submitting all order forms on time

2) Shipping equipment for on time arrival

3) Having clear instructions for where equipment is to be placed within the booth

4) Most importantly, being present in the booth at the targeted move in

Missing any of these can result in delays and expenses that ultimately can get passed on to the exhibitor so I can't encourage you enough to have your staff pay strict attention to this.

Shows will always have their costs, and for equipment suppliers, drayage will always be right up there as one of the more significant ones. Hopefully, this model limits those expenses while we continue to work with our vendors to find other areas to help our exhibitors save.

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How to Get Quality Customers at a Trade Show? Invite Them to Your Booth!
June 30, 2011
Posted By Jerry Hirsch, Multivac | in event marketing, exhibitor invite, PROCESS EXPO, trade show tips | Comments (0)

 

Like so many of our fellow exhibitors, all of us at Multivac, Inc. are eagerly counting down the weeks until the all new PROCESS EXPO debuts.  Folks, taking into account all the controversies and politics we've seen play out over the past year, all that matters in the end is that we provide processors with THE ONE indispensible exhibition experience for the food industry.  I know the staff at FPSA is working round-the-clock to make the attendee experience second to none.  

One of the most effective ways to ensure your trade show success is to promote your booth to your customers. Do all of your customers in your database know that you’re participating at PROCESS EXPO this Fall? They should!  As exhibitors, we all receive unlimited, complimentary passes to distribute to our customers, partners, and prospects.

Take a look at the Exhibitor Invites program located in the Exhibitor Services Manual. It’s a free promotional tool available to all PROCESS EXPO exhibitors and it’s so easy to use. You upload your contacts, customize the message and send.  You can check to see who has responded and who still needs further follow-up.  We’re thrilled with the results to date – more than 100 of our customers have already accepted our invitation and are planning to visit us at the show this fall!

We’re working hard to create the most valuable and educational interaction within our own booth -- with a dose of hospitality thrown in for good measure!  

What’s your plan to ensure tradeshow success at PROCESS EXPO? There are a lot of relatively easy and inexpensive steps you can take to promote Process Expo to your customers and prospects.  I would be more than happy to discuss ideas with FPSA members with questions. You can contact me either through the comments section, or via email here. Looking forward to hearing from you!

Jerry Hirsh
Manager of Marketing Communications
Multivac, Inc.

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