Watch Webinar: Automation in Food Manufacturing

Food in Canada is proud to present the second annual webinar series on Food Innovation in Canada. Join us once a month to discuss emerging trends in the food manufacturing sector.

We kicked-off the series with a dedicated session on “Automation in Food Manufacturing” on Wednesday, March 22.

This one-hour web discussion focused on automation solutions that are helping create a more efficient and smarter food manufacturing facility.

Panelists included Sean Wells, Business Development Manager for Food & Beverage Industry, Convergix Automation Solutions; Nadia Andruchow, RD, Operations Director, Henry’s Tempeh; and D Wayne McIntyre, CEO & Co-Founder, Relocalize.

Sean Wells

Since 1998, Sean Wells has been working in the robotics and automation market with Fanuc, ABB, Kuka, Yamaha and Nachi robotic equipment. Starting out as a mechanical draftsman and transitioning through project management, a SME role and currently as a business development manager, Wells continues to work with customers to develop and deploy automation, controls and robotic solutions for manufacturing. Since 2012, he has been working specifically in the food and beverage segment on packaging line solutions (palletizing and case packing) as well as upstream primary food handling applications (tray loading, thermoformer loading, inspection/rejection, etc.).

Nadia Andruchow

Nadia Andruchow, RD, is the Operations Director at Henry’s Tempeh, a manufacturer of Canadian organic tempeh. She recently marked her third year of working at the company after working for several years in health care and management. Andruchow leverages her background to ensure Henry’s Tempeh maintains a food safe manufacturing operation that adheres to strict quality standards. She is passionate about her multidisciplinary role, where she executes business and plant operations (and everything in between). She has recently co-ordinated several projects that have increased the level of automation within the business’ production process, which in turn, increased plant efficiency and reduced product loss.

Wayne McIntyre

Wayne is the Founder and CEO of Relocalize, a supply chain technology company decarbonizing food supply chains with autonomous microfactories. With over 20 years of experience helping technology companies accelerate their growth, he has a diverse background in strategy, law and technology, and has a proven track record of leading successful growth transformations, building commercial teams, and developing and implementing growth and M&A strategies for both large and small technology companies. Wayne‘s past leadership roles include founder of CRM technology startup Psykler, managing director of CAE Flightscape (a subsidiary of public simulation technology leader CAE), leading a growth strategy, M&A, and a corporate incubator at CAE Inc., and advising tech CEOs and boards on commercial organizational design and transformation. Wayne has a BSc, a JD and an MBA. He is also an avid outdoor adventurer who loves exploring the world by canoe, kayak and trail.

Moderator Jim Beretta

Jim Beretta, president at Customer Attraction, a marketing consulting company specializing in the automation and robotics industry, moderated the session. He is best known as the driving force behind marketing and branding for one of North America’s largest automation integrators. Beretta operates his marketing consultancy and works with automation integrators, manufacturers, robot companies and the automation community around the world. He is a speaker and moderator at industry conferences and is an expert at marketing and branding. He also operates The Robot Industry Podcast.